To get a close idea of what this tour is about, try to answer few questions below.
If your answer is “recently” or “just got back and experienced these” this trip is not for you.
- when was last time you’ve burn more than 300 liter/80 gallons of gasoline continuously, with a motorbike, riding it more than 5000 km/3100 miles in two weeks, trough 12 different countries?
- When you last had 13 different accommodations, 13 different places (countries) for dinner during a single trip?
- When was last time you tasted during several days the Vienna snitzer, Slovenian klobasa (sausage), Croatian burek, cevapcici or roast lamb, Montenegrin kacamak and lamb, Macedonian shopska salad and musaka, Greek lamb gyros, chicken pita, olive or baklava, Bulgarian banitsa, kufte, Serbian raznjici, perkelt, Hungarian gulyas, bogracs or palacsinta, and I didn’t mention the local beer, fine vines, rachia, palinka and so on?
- Had you ever made a motorbike trip involving Vienna elegance and culture with, insane Plitvice waterfalls, dramatic scenery of Adriatic shore, post Jugoslav war scares of Sarajevo, Mostar, Vukovar, mine fields, stunning mountain hairpins of Montenegro and Macedonia, tunnels of Egnatia Odos highway, breathtaking Greek Meteora and Korintos channel, antique Athens Acropolis, Aegean shore, Mount Olympos, majestic Danube river narrows, Balkanic Belgrade, lake Balaton with Tihany vine cellars, all in one trip?
- Had you ever worried going in the bushes (to pee:) because of land mines, or felt butterflies in your stomach at Serbian or Kosovo border?What was the last adventure movie with you as main character?The answer to all these questions is the Vienna to Athens motorbike tour, the only motorcycle adventure incorporating the whole SE Europe Balkan region.
Is a guided motorcycle tour, accompanied by several action cameras plus a crew member with another camera so nothing is lost from the adventure, at the end the montage is sent to you.
Tour has its starting point Vienna (capital of Austria), we deliver the rental bikes or you can participate with your own, and turn back point in Athens (capital of Greece). The way south starts towards Slovenia (Postojna cave), than out to Dalmatian shore at Trieste (part of Italy), continues to Rijeka, than inland Croatia to Plitvicka Jezera National Park, getting in Bosnia to Sarajevo and Mostar, out to the shore again to Dubrovnik, Kotor Bay, to Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia inland again, getting in Greece to Meteora region, down to Athens on western side. In Athens is a resting day before turning back to north, following the Aegean Shore, Mt. Olimpos and Katerini, crossing in Bulgaria, ride its western side to Sofia, crossing in Serbia, heading towards Danube river, follow its shore to Belgrade, and further to Vukovar and Osijek, crossing to Hungary, heading to Balaton lake, ferry crossing it, and back to Vienna. This is the whole loop.
Itinerary is customizable, this is the most extended (full version), it can be reduced, as well as the riding days also.
There are also 3 options regarding the style and cost of this adventure.
The low budget version is for the pure adventurers, consists of: medium cc rental motorcycle that carries the luggage, hostel style and champing style accommodation, no breakfast or dinner included, no support vehicle, a guide on motorcycle taking care of the tour movie (yes budget version contains the full tour movie), knowing the best places to accommodate and eat, best scenic places, best combination of back roads, etc. Choosing this is 30% less than standard version. Group riding needed. In many ways, is more interesting and popular than standard because of more spontaneity and freedom, and is exactly the adventure style most of the riders like and can afford. The resulting tour movie worth no advertisement.
The standard version is for usual tourers, consists of: big bore bikes, free of luggage, as there is a support vehicle, 3 and 4 star accommodations with breakfast and dinner included, a motorcycle guide with camera, most of the bikes also equipped for a full day with action camera. This version is only by 30% more expensive than budget version, but way more comfortable and relaxing, goes with single participant also.
Exclusive version consists of: rental Harley-Davidson over 1200 cc and BMW R 1200 R/GS motorcycles, free of luggage, 4 -5 star accommodations with breakfast and dinner included, support van/car with trailer, camera man and guide on motorbike, all bikes equipped with action camera. This is with 60% more expensive than standard version, but you get the best. Goes with single participant also.
For full details, pictures, prices go to http://www.fthmotors.com/balkanmotorcycletour.html
