For tours in Switzerland (June–September)

Switzerland has a short motorcycle season, running from mid‑June to the end of September. 

• Book 4 to 6 months in advance
• For peak season (July and August) tours: book 8 to 12 months ahead
• Check also the Winter Pass Closures link for seasonal road information 

For tours in Europe and South Africa

These destinations have longer riding seasons, but availability still fills quickly:

• Book 8 to 10 months before your travel date

And please, if you travel just to join the tour, book your flight only after you received our confirmation.

Recommended duration for Switzerland

Switzerland looks small,… on the map. In reality, the landscape, dialects, language, house styles, traditions, and cultures are change within a few miles, … you’ll never see it all, and we don’t rush through. To get a feeling and enjoy the country at a relaxed, legal pace, I suggest a stay from 8 days to more. It gives you time to ride, take in the scenery, and appreciate what we’ve discovered along the way.
The only time we ever speed up is when we’re escaping a thunderstorm in the Alps.

Recommended duration for Europe

Europe is vast and incredibly diverse. It consists of 44 to 51 countries, depending on the definition. Within short distances, a lot changes — landscapes, languages, architecture, traditions, and cultures. It’s nothing like for example the USA, where regions are large and more uniform.
On our tours, we pick a few “cherries” and follow a realistic schedule so you can enjoy the ride instead of racing from place to place.
To experience even a tiny part of Europe properly, I recommend a minimum of 16 days. Anything shorter becomes a race, not a holiday.

Recommended duration for South Africa

The flight from Europe is long, around 11 hours! So once you land in South Africa, you should make the most of it as you don’t know if you might come back one day. The country is vast, the landscapes are spectacular, and the distances between highlights are much greater than in Europe.

To experience the Big Five, the Little Five, the nature, the culture, and the long open roads, I recommend at least 24 days. Anything shorter feels rushed and doesn’t do the country and to the money paid for expenses, time and flight, justice.

Yes. After you’ve received and signed our order confirmation, it’s best to arrive one to two days before the tour begins. This gives you time to adjust to the time difference, rest, explore the city and the region, get used to the climate, understand local conditions, and feel confident with the rented motorcycle.

I’ll be at the confirmed meeting point well before you land to prepare everything and welcome you personally.

Join our pre-tour riding course, if you’re unsure about riding Alpine passes- hairpins, steep and negative inclines, narrow single‑lane roads with oncoming traffic. It sharpens your skills and boosts your confidence.

For questions or doubts,  contact us before booking anything. I often save guests money, time, and unnecessary stress.

I will book you into a typical hotel in Bern, the federal capital of Switzerland. Bern is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Together with its surrounding areas, it is a great and unique place worth to be discovered.
Book your flights only after you’ve received our order confirmation that you’ve signed!

The same applies as for tours starting in Bern: I’ll be at the confirmed place, see our confirmation, well before you land to get everything ready and greet you personally on your arrival.

Twincruiser Tours offers you a luxury escape where everything is taken care of for you — no Googling, no planning, no organizing, no phone calls, no deposits to unknown companies, and no stress about foreign languages or logistics and we save you money! 
Your motorcycle journey is crafted in advance down to the finest detail, as discussed and confirmed with you — from the itinerary to unforgettable hotels and great restaurants every night. All you have to do, is enjoy the ride, the views and the tour.
Your private, trusted tour guide is by your side from arrival to departure — yet you’re free to enjoy private time whenever you wish. The guide accompanies you throughout the tour and while riding, offering company when you want it and staying discreet when you prefer space.

We’re long past the age of camping, hostels, or big chain hotels. We don’t offer fast food or anything resembling backpacker conditions.
Our service is professional, personal, and flexible. Each journey is crafted to deliver special, memorable experiences. 
See also «about twincruiser tours».

My experience shows that most people don’t know or don’t have an exact budget for their holidays. They know the real costs of their vacation only once they are back home, when they receive their Bank-statements and add up their receipts or in the worst case, if they run out of cash or when their bank-account or credit-card account falls into a negative balance or gets blocked.
Avoid being blind-sided! Don’t just compare apples with apples but organic Jonagold apples with organic Jonagold apples!
The devil lies in the tiny details, and that make a great difference!
With our “Twincruiser Tours Package”, the general costs of your tour are included. You don’t have to pay a little bit here or another extra there.  You know from the beginning from our confirmation what is included. 
No hidden costs, but what are “hidden or undisclosed” costs?
You do not know them and nobody tells you about them!

– All transfers for example  from your point of arrival to your hotel and back to your departure point
– Some hotels or other accommodations are much cheaper because they are far outside of a city. That forces you to pay for public transport, if any, and for taxis
– Beverage and really good and healthy meals that you may choose from
– Tips and gratuities
– Mandatory services and fees at your hotel like tourist-, visitor’s, overnight-, city-, value-added-, general sales-, tourist- and other various local -taxes
– Fuel and oil for all the vehicles
– Fees for safe-garages or parking for your motorcycles. Even if it is not your own motorcycle, you are responsible for it and you have to pay in case something happens to it. Further to that, it is nice to sit on a dry motorcycle in the morning. So don’t spoil your holiday for an extra small amount of cash.
– Highway- and road-toll, tunnel- and pass-fees
– Motorcycle transport (ferry, train)
– What happens in case of a motorcycle break down? Will you get another bike? How long will you have to wait? Who pays for the extra costs in case you do not get a replacement motorcycle the same day, (hotel, the transfer of yourself and your luggage to the next accommodation, and other expenses) and what if you miss your return flight?
Some people rent the vehicles in Germany, Austria, France or Italy , because it is cheaper than in Switzerland. In case of a break down, you will have to go over the border to get a replacement. Of course when all goes well, nothing of that will occur, but are you ready to take that chance?

As a foreigner, you are not familiar with these costs and you must trust your tour-guide.
Our Starting price per rider, includes all the items as described in each tour in the section Services. On some guided motorcycle tours, I leave one or two meals out in purpose, as sometimes participants prefer to go their own way and eat in another place or simply not to eat. With my information package, you get a day-by-day itinerary that shows you all the necessary details.

I am in business since 1976 and I have not become a millionaire.
Margins in motorcycling touring are very small. I am proud and passionate of what I offer and do. I identify myself with my job and I will be very happy when you are.

In today’s world, people tend to buy a discount. The higher the discount, the better!
Quality is always bind to price and a price is always linked to a level of quality!
Before the tour, I get your ideas, I talk to you about our experience and make you a proposal and only then I design and tailor your personal holiday according to the worked-out mix. The first two e-mails offers are free of charge, thereafter costs apply as per our general terms and conditions.
I do not do everything but I can definitely give some valuable advice that will help you to enjoy your holiday and tour, and I will save you money and time.
I prefer to lose a business, then to offer you a low standard or a service that does not reflect my personal standards.

They are over 50 years of age. They work or did work hard, have key position in business or own a company. They do not have the time to plan their holiday or they simply want a guide along they trip.
All are passionate females and males travelers who love to discover and tour with a motorcycle. They are quite critical and real connoisseurs of the finer things in life.
They want to be on the way incognito. 
They expect an impeccable personalized service from the first contact right to the end of the journey. The organization must be excellent with great individuality, extras, and positive surprises. They want to find out, see and learn something that is uncommon, that thrills them, that is new and out of the already experienced.
They want premium accommodations that offer’s them at least the same but mostly better comfort than at home. The availability of the meals with their beverage must suits their levels of expectations.
I understand that the price-performance ratio has a very high priority and with Premium and Luxury, I don’t mean hi-end or five stars.

Twincruiser Tours offers tours with a motorcycle to enjoy; meaning that you have a holiday with a motorcycle where you discover, see, and learn things about the country you have chosen. You meet locals, you eat meals that you don’t know, you see what most others don’t even get nearby, and you learn a lot, as you are underway with a local tour guide that is indigenous and knows the languages, the customs, the traditions, and the “secrets” of the country. With me you are on a holiday on a motorcycle, and you don’t need a holiday to recover after your motorcycle tour were just the miles and the number of passes made during one day do count.

Motorcycling is an outdoor sport. Depending on the weather, the motorcycling season may start in Southern Europe, (Portugal, Spain, and Italy) as early as March until about October.
For Switzerland and if you want to ride over the Alps, it is different. Alpine roads closures are weather, meaning snow and ice, dependent. There are no fixed, reliable dates when alpine passes will open or close. Most passes in the alpine regions are impassable from as early as October until June. Passes can close temporarily at any time during the year, it all depends on the weather. The weather in the Alps is unpredictable!
If you intend to ride over the Alps, take my advice and plan your trip as from the third week in June until Mid-September. It will save you time, money, hassles, and problems.

For a short trip, I suggest 8 to 10 days for a good cost-performance ratio.
Why?
First you must be fit and not have a jetlag. Then you have to get used to the rented motorcycle, the laws, the local situation and the weather.
A lot depends on the motorcycle you are usually riding, your motorcycling-experience and your ability in driving very narrow and steep roads with hairpin bends. Riding in the Alps requests an intense physical and mental concentration. The thinner air, the riding up the mountain and down into the valley a few times a day will make you faster tired than you think.
The motorcycling rental is cheaper as from eight days. 
Then it depends what you want to see and what you like to experience.  

I will do all the preliminary work, ahead of your arrival in order to save you time.
The hotel and partly the restaurant reservations, the vehicle reservation, preparing the renting contract with your documents (passport and driver license) as well as the insurances and cover that you request. Note that the renting contract is solely between the rental place and yourself.
Our alpine-motorcycling season begins in the second / third week of June and lasts only three to four months. During that short time, many riders from all over the world are in Switzerland. 
Therefore, a motorcycle tour must be planned to the smallest detail in advance.

Switzerland is very different to other countries in Europe regarding laws and regulations. It you don’t comply; you might have a big surprise and it will cost you a lot of money. 
Switzerland is small on the map, the north-south length is about 220 kilometers (140mi) and the west-east length about 350 kilometers (220mi). But, if we would flatten it, it would reach a surface over the half of the USA. Nevertheless, most people underestimate the difference in height, the facts that you get tired much faster, the concentration, the distances, the traffic, and other local conditions.
It is better to contact me before you book your flight or holidays as I will most probably save you a lot of money and time.

From October until April you may tour South Africa, Dubai and Oman with Twincruiser Tours. See our packages. They are others countries but I offer only that what I know. Should you have another request, I will surely help you.

Each Twincruiser tour is designed for people who already know each other. Some guests come alone, others with their partner, and many join with a couple of friends. We stopped offering anonymous group tours long ago. Each tour is limited to a maximum of six motorcycles to ensure an intimate, high‑quality experience.

You can ride at your own pace, stop whenever you like, and enjoy certain things on your own or have more time for yourselves.
With your guide, you discover places far from mass tourism, in beautiful surroundings, following our especially designed itinerary created to help you relax and recharge.

Each motorcycle tour is paced for your group, with routes adapted to the slowest or least experienced rider. We offer guidance and support whenever needed, and the tours are designed to welcome riders of all abilities,… from newcomers to seasoned grey‑beards.
It’s important that you know your own comfort level and feel confident with the details outlined in our tour descriptions and our booking confirmation. Please review our “Riding Skills” section, including the number of riding days, possible rest days, total tour length, daily distance, riding hours, and expected climate. We want you to enjoy your holiday and be realistic about your capabilities.

We don’t make the weather and cannot guaranteed it. Therefore you must be comfortable to ride in rain and challenging conditions. If you have any doubts, feel free, to contact me.

To help you prepare, we offer an private alpine training course for CHF 760.-, including a motorcycle specifically suited for mountain pass roads. This course is designed to build confidence, increase safety, and enhance your experience before the tour begins.

I offer tours in countries that I am familiar with. I do not offer tours in all countries but I can certainly tell you who to contact. Contact me, I need a few details from you, and I make you an offer.

My website shows standard tour-packages. They have a set itinerary with checked accommodations that I review from time to time. They are here to give you an idea.
I have an uncountable number of tours and can adapt any tour to your interests. Contact me, tell me a bit about yourself; your interests, hobbies and wishes, and I’ll get you a tour as you want it.

Tell me what you like, and I book you the accommodations, work out a package and send you an itinerary according to the length of your tour. Contact me, as I need a few details from you in order to tailor your dream tour.

My guided motorcycle tours are private and tailored according to your requirements and our experiences and proposals. I don’t aim to be the biggest; I like to stay small, flexible, private and personal. I like to stick from two, up to a maximum of six motorcycles with or without pillion passenger. Connoisseurs joining us, are important to us; I like to see them again. A tour must be something to be remembered with joy; I want you to have a tour as discreet, adapted to your interests and as personal as possible.

All hired motorcycles are in a good condition, comply with the local laws, have a service-book and are hired on your behalf from an approved dealer or company that cares. I want you to spend your time in having fun and to enjoy your tour. I do my best to have motorcycles that I can trust and should something go wrong, to have a replacement of your hired motorcycle. I use motorcycles from the make BMW, KTM and Harley Davidson.

You receive from me a day-by-day itinerary with lots of information.
Touring days start between 08h00 and 09h30 (08:00-09:30 a.m.). Weather- and roads conditions, special interests of the participants and other factors might change our starting time. We may talk together and I will inform you daily during our briefings.
The early bird catches the worm; so why not have a moment with yourself with a sunrise on top of a mountain with a late breakfast?
In the high season, meaning July and August, I try to miss mass-tourism and traffic.
I like to reach our accommodation between 16h00 and 17h00 or 04:00 and 05:00 p.m.
In today’s rushing World, I like to allow time to «digest» what we have seen and experienced.

Yes, about every 1.5 to 2 hours, we have a break to «slow down» the day, unless we must run away from a storm, bad weather or another danger.

Most participants do not like to have lunch as it makes them tired. See our confirmation what is included in your tour.
Along the way, each day, we stop in little cafés and restaurants. This is mainly to drink enough water and non-alcoholic drinks. 

 Time to sit at a table, perhaps under a tree, time to have a break, to talk, to have a real social time and therefore no fast food. You are free to eat what you like within our confirmed budget and our distinctive Twincruiser Tours Package.
In our questionnaire you can express your wishes and special eating needs or habits. Normally we have a salad to start with, then a main dish and a coffee or a dessert. Besides fish and meat dishes, there are also vegetarian dishes and meals without pork. 
Each restaurant is carefully selected and tested.  
I attach great importance to fresh local ingredients and products with an honest taste and production. The kitchen should be of a high quality and light with a flair for creativity, but no pretended delicacies and high end. We give the cook enough time to prepare our dish with the necessary care, love, and delight.
One bottle of water, that we pay is served at the table with the meals. Alcoholic and any other drinks are for your own account.

For the standard tours on our website, the daily distance traveled is described in the tour description under Average distance per day. It gives the possible km/miles minimum and km/miles maximum. The maximum is the great exception in the complete tour. Once your booked a tour and all is settled, you get a day-by-day itinerary with lots of information.

In general, longer days are followed by a shorter day or a longer stay at the same accommodation, where we may sleep over for two or more nights with day-tours opportunities from the hotel.

The mileage depends also very much on the country; 150 to 220km in one day, is a good average in Switzerland with its alpine roads, tunnels, narrow and inclined roads, many hairpin bends and steep curves and high-altitude differences. You’ll get tired faster than you think. Remember, we are not on a racetrack and don’t need to «escape» from anyone. We are on holiday and touring, not competing!
In South Africa, Canada, the USA or in Australia, a ride between 500-800km per day are easier manageable.
My itineraries are designed to provide a good combination of the participants’ interests; sightseeing, photo-stops, breaks and riding. There is time to relax, take pictures, visit some agreed attractions, and enjoy your motorcycle holiday.

You are fully responsible for yourself and free to follow the tour-leader and benefit from his expertise, tips and general knowledge.
In prior agreement with your tour-guide, you may together with at least one other participant-motorcyclist, and one fully loaded mobile-phone, ride your own way on some stretches. Very important is that you follow my instructions, take the agreed itinerary and that you keep to the times and meeting points agreed upon.

Each participant receives from me my tour-package with documentation, checklist, tips, and information. Bring a good mood and be open to meet a different life with new cultures, traditions, people, cuisine and languages.

YES! Over the years, I had to learn that not everyone knows what motorcycle-protective-clothing means. It does not depend on the climate and its temperature. A motorcycle-protective-gear is here to protect you in case of a fall or an accident. That means boots, leather or textile motorcycling trousers, no cotton denim jeans, a real leather or textile motorcycle jacket, gloves, and an approved helmet.
It is known in the motorcycling world that riders wearing motorcycle-protective-clothing fitted with impact protection pads, are less likely to be injured in a crash, while those who are injured are less likely to be hospitalized.

I can help you out with motorcycle gear at a cost. The motorcycle-gear is used and basic. The helmets do not have any communication systems or specials features.
Taking your own motorcycle-gear has many advantages. You know it, you used it, you are comfortable and familiar with it. Particularly, motorcycle helmets must fit 100%. They must not hurt you, have any pressure or pinching points even after a few hours, as it might give you a headache. Further all helmets must meet the standards of the countries, the tour we travel through.
Always take a fleece-jacket with you. You can wear it under your motorcycle-jacket as the weather can change rapidly, especially in the mountainous regions. The temperature, can drop within a very short time by 20 or more degrees Celsius. Depending on the region and the altitude, you may meet the sun and the snow on the same day. The fleece-jacket is also ideal to wear in the evening or in the restaurants.

I do not use communication systems on my tours, we talk to each other. 
Don’t forget a good, preferably two-piece waterproof suit. If you don’t need it, well bad planning but you’ll be thankful if it rains or just to wear it over your normal protective-motorcycle-gear in the chilly mornings in the Alps.

Motorcycling is an outdoor activity. Like the postman, we must be on the road to reach our next booked overnight. My planned itinerary does sometimes allow for short cuts in really bad weather but in general, excellent riding gear is essential on every tour. As a local tour guide traveling with you, I am often familiar with local weather. I observe the weather numerous times per day and try my best to inform you and to change my itinerary or find an alternative (not included in our price) if possible. Some showers or thunderstorms can sometimes be avoided but I am not responsible for the weather, and I cannot influence it in any way.

On a resting day, we stay a minimum of two nights at the same accommodation. At these chosen locations, we offer various optional alternatives to motorcycling. (e.g., walks, hikes, nature trails, safaris, boat trips, shopping tours, visits to museums or another attraction, cities trips, an excursion with the cable car, the boat, the bus, a hired car, or the train and various more). These optional alternatives are not included in our price.
While in these hotels (as from two nights), our tour-guide also offers day-tours with our motorcycles. That means we start from the hotel and return to the same hotel at the end of the day.
Most of the times, we discuss the matter and choose together the tour that appeals to the majority. Each individual may choose whether he wants to join the motorcycle-day-trip with his bike or have a break from motorcycling and do something on his own, to rest or to enjoy the hotel.
It is the ideal solution for your partner or friend, that does not want to ride every day or that just want to have a break from riding, but still enjoy a holiday together with you.

On average over the complete tour, the service and quality of the hotels and accommodations remain at a 4-star level.
It includes unique hidden gems ranging from castles, historic buildings, typical local hotels to wellness and Spa hotels. 
We avoid specific hotels for motorcyclists only and hotel-chains.

Remember that Europe is totally different to the USA. I like to stay as much as possible outside of cities. The exception is where we have agreed stopovers with a purpose as described in my day-by-day itinerary.
At Twincruiser Tours riding a motorcycle does not mean low class or “that is good enough for bikers”. You won’t sleep at camping places, motels, low costs hotels, basic hotels, hostels, Airbnb, large hotel-chains, hotels that cater for charter- tours (buses) and mass-tourism and you will also never sleep in the cheapest hotel in town.
I invest a big effort in the selection of the lodgings that I offer. Most places have been known to me since years and each accommodation is or has been thoroughly tested. I support smaller, family and owner run properties with a special flair and a local charm, often with historical values that actively support the environment and local farmers. The establishments are known for their professional and personal service and outstanding quality, where guests are called by their names, where genuine warmth and friendly connection still counts. It is authentic hotels with charm and character at distinctive and outstanding places.   
In short, I keep it small, and I am loyal and faithful to my selected places.

Here a few of the numerous details that come into my planning of my guided and personally tailored tour with a motorcycle:

– Accommodation is mostly outside the urban area! Not close to a busy road or highway, as we sleep mostly with our windows wide open and avoid unhealthy air-conditioners.
When participants wish to combine their Twincruiser Tours journey with a city tour, I prefer to enjoy a hand-picked upper-class hotel in the city close to the points of interests. The landmarks can be reached by walking from the hotel. The time that we would have to spend riding in the work-traffic, the stop and go patience, the searching, and the heavy costs for safe parking plus the costs of the taxi, would not justify an accommodation outside the urban area.
– Quality.
– Cleanliness.
– Facilities.
– Professional services.
– Pleasantly decent size bedroom for the respective country we are traveling in and of course with a view.
– A safe or a place to keep your valuables.
– A hairdryer.
– En-suite bathrooms with a shower and / or bath and toilets, some even with a bidet.

I check and test the kind of meals and the quality that is offered, no fast food and no long menu card lists. After all, we like a cuisine that we can trust and that is healthy. I do my best that we do not have to take our motorcycle for dinner. Thus, everyone can still have a drink without having a bad conscience.
For stays longer than one night, I try to choose accommodations with a wellness area and, or a swimming pool (depending on the season and climate).
In case of real bad weather, I check which other optional and not included in our package, services or programs could be offered by the hotels.

A private, safe as possible and covered parking, away from foreign eyes does costs something, but everyone appreciates it when you do not have to drag all your luggage into the hotel room but just what you need for the night.

Normally once a week, we stay at a place that offers a 24 hours, gentle and thorough laundry service.

After a day in the saddle, rides through dust, sun, rain and mud, a quiet, clean room with a view and a bed without parasites (especially in Africa but always more in Europe too) and vermin (rats, mice, bed bugs, mosquitoes, scorpions, snakes, etc.) is surely more than welcomed!

Acute mountain sickness is the most common form of altitude sickness. It usually occurs at altitudes above 2’500 meters or 8’202 feet, according to Rexhaj. Sufferers have symptoms like headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness and sleep disturbances or insomnia. We travel shortly at these altitudes and most of the time, we do not sleep at that height.
Should you worry about it, inform me well in advance before booking the tour.

Before each tour, each participant gets a questionnaire. This questionnaire must be filled in, to the best of your knowledge, fully and accurately. I advise each participant to inform me in writing and at the latest when you intend to book the tour, of any dietary or health-related issues that might affect them during their travel.

I identify myself with what I do and offer. I go out of my way to make sure that you have fun while you are on your holiday with a motorcycle and that it is a success. Tipping the tour guide is not obligatory or mandatory and the amount of the tip is at the discretion of the participant at the end of the journey.

Depending on the number of participants, the country and the requests of all participants, an air-conditioned support vehicle with a driver is available. Please only one suitcase and one hand-luggage per participant. Some snacks and beverages are also carried in the support vehicle.

I do store your luggage either at my office or at the office of the motorcycles renting place while you are on our tour.