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Vilnius to the Alps by motorcycle: the roads to aim for
From Lithuania the Alps are about 1,500 km away. That is three days of riding if you push, or four with something to see each day. These are the places to point the bike at on the way, and once you are there.
Plan this trip1 Masurian Lake District
Photo by Mkulikowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lake Land is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria, in the past inhabited by Masurians who spoke the Masurian dialects. It contains more than 2,000 lakes. Wikipedia
Day one: leave the motorway at Suwałki and ride the lake roads through Giżycko and Mikołajki. Flat but lovely, and the first good cafés.
Written about in 34 languagesStart a trip here
2 Karkonosze (Giant Mountains)
Photo by cs:Ivo Lukačovič (ILblog),, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. The Giant Mountains are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). Wikipedia
Day two or three: the Polish-Czech border mountains around Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba, with the first proper hairpins of the trip.
Written about in 53 languagesStart a trip here
3 Bohemian Switzerland and the Elbe valley
Photo by No machine-readable author provided. Olaf1541 assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Bohemian Switzerland, also known as Czech Switzerland, is a nature region in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the northwestern Czech Republic, protected as a national park. Wikipedia
Sandstone towers and quiet roads north of Prague. A good alternative to the motorway through Czechia.
Written about in 23 languagesStart a trip here
4 Salzkammergut
Photo by C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Salzkammergut is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mountains. Wikipedia
Austria begins. Lakes, lake after lake: Hallstatt, Wolfgangsee, Attersee. Short riding days are the point here.
Written about in 44 languagesStart a trip here
5 Grossglockner High Alpine Road
Photo by Sander Hoogendoorn from Gouda, Holland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road (in German Großglockner Hochalpenstraße) is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria. Wikipedia
The goal. From Zell am See it is an hour to the toll gate. Ride it on a clear morning.
Written about in 20 languagesStart a trip here
6 Gerlos Pass
Photo by Holger.Ellgaard 18:29, 13. Sep. 2008 (CEST), CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons. Gerlos Pass (elevation 1,500 metres [4,921 ft]) is a mountain pass in the Austrian Alps between the Oberpinzgau region in the state of Salzburg and the Zillertal valley in Tyrol. The old road leads from Wald im Pinzgau to Gerlos in the Zillertal valley. Wikipedia
On the way to the Zillertal: a toll road with the Krimml waterfalls at its foot. Gentle, scenic, and a good first pass for a pillion.
Written about in 11 languagesStart a trip here
7 Dolomites
Photo by kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Dolomites or Pale Mountains are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the river Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. Wikipedia
If there is a day to spare, Sella, Pordoi, Gardena and Campolongo make a loop of four passes in one morning from Corvara.
Written about in 73 languagesStart a trip here
Riding or driving it
Type Vilnius, Mikołajki, Karpacz, Hallstatt and Zell am See into Roadlegs and the days fall into place: around 350 km a day on the way down, and short loop days once you arrive. The route avoids Belarus and Kaliningrad by itself.
Open the plan in Roadlegs How the planner handles this vehicle.
About the facts and photos
The descriptions in italics are the opening sentences of the Wikipedia article for each place, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, fetched on 6 October 2026. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licence named beside each one. "Written about in N languages" counts the Wikipedia editions that have an article, from Wikidata; it is a measure of how well known a place is, not a rating. Everything else is the author's own opinion. Roads close with the seasons: check before you go.
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