In western Europe there’s a unique opportunity to motorcycle through 5 countries, without border controls, in a short day. On the day of the summer solstice I set off at 5am and took in some incredible roads. Here’s the route, the pics and my tips for a great five country tour.
A five country, one day motorcycle tour
Back in 2009 I did it in a car. It was a multimedia challenge. This time, on a Honda VFR800 and completed by lunchtime on the day of the summer solstice, June 21st. Fuel, time and backache played a part but the incredible scenery made it all worthwhile.
My clockwise route starts at home in Bonn, which stretches the start point a little out to the east. If I was to pick the best starting point it would be at a holiday home on the Rursee in the Eifel, but you can also shorten it by starting in well-connected Aachen or do a north-tracking route from Metz.
Route overview – 5 countries in 7.5 hours
Bonn (DE) – Adenau, Gerolstein, via Salm to the board of Luxembourg at Rhalinger Muelhe.. Follow the Sauer river south to meet the Mosel. Continue along the Mosel on the south, German side to Remich, where you can cross the Mosel for a short hop across Luxembourg into France. Destination: Rodemack. From there, you ride north through Luxembourg, taking a fast road around the city. Any route from north of the city heading north is going to be amazing. If you’ve got time, plan a stop at Esch-sur-Sûre (LU). Head north into Belgium. There’s a nice region around Stavelot but I chose to high-tail it through to my final stop – the three countries point in NL (DE and BE.) Bonus: It’s also the highest point in NL! 5 countries in about 7.5 hours.
My tour experience
It was a hot Saturday – the summer solstice, or sonnenwende in German. The solstice gives you 17 hours of daylight in this region so you’ve got a lot of flexibility and enough time for long breaks. I chose a faster pace which got me home at mid-afternoon – a total of 9.5 hours.
Sunrise was at 05:18 so I hit the road at first light which brought me to an incredible view at the perfect moment. Thanks to random photographer for taking a photo at Kalenborn, 50°32’57.3″N 7°00’25.1″E, looking back to the Seibengebirge on the Rhein in Bonn.
A note on the photography here; All handheld pics here are taken with my trusty Pixel 6. Onboard images from a GoPro Hero 9 in time-lapse photography quick-shoot mode. Better options are available!
If I’m honest, i was too cold as I rode through the valleys in the Eifel region. I don’t mind riding in 13 degrees but when you’re dressed for a forecasted 32 degrees and it drops to 7 in the valleys, it’s tough. I was shivering cold. I don’t know how I could have avoided that without a complete change of clothes and the soft luggage I have that goes with it. Ping me on Insta or Bluesky if you have some tips.
Highlight: An incredibly twisty, beautiful road from Birresborn to Salm. Local biker and tour guide Dale (BTGMoto) calls it one of the best roads in the region and I have to agree. I’ll do the full triangle soon.
Riding along the new-to-me Sûre river towards the Mosel river there’s a playful border with Luxembourg which I must have crossed four times in an hour. Tip: Car ferries crossing the Mosel might not start until late on a Saturday.
I’m sure I missed some amazing Mosel viewpoints in the area but I needed to crack on. This area deserves another visit.
Dear Rodemach, you little beauty, you got me. I’m coming back soon. I only gave France 25km but it left a lasting impression on me. There’s a certain something about the country. I can’t quite find the words!
Back into Luxembourg again, the next destination was Belgium.
I have a love hate relationship with Belgium’s roads. In the south and west, they wander through amazing countryside past stylish stone houses, farms and bustling towns but, unfortunately, the quality of the road surface ranges from bad to bloody dangerous. In a previous trip through the region I lost a number plate.
On this tour, Belgium was a means to an end and it was mostly the faster roads that carried me to the final destination. Burg-Reuland was the exception – a beautiful forested area.
One country left – The Netherlands. The deeper, flatter neighbor that I lived in for 3 years.
I love the place, apart from the fact that it’s flat. Ride into the eastern part though and there’s a lot of space and some great look-ahead roads.
The final destination was the Three Country Point NL / BE / DE in Vaals. It’s the highest point in Holland at 322.5 meters. How sweet!
At this point i’m tired, my back is aching and I’m worried about getting home because my bank card isn’t working and I’ve got 2 bars, about 100 km of fuel, to take me the 133 km home. 9 Euros in change, hidden in the tank bag took away the worry that I’d have to hyper-mile behind a caravan on the A4/E40 back to Bonn.
What you need to know about the five countries tour
There aren’t many places in the world where you can ride through five countries in a day and there are only two that I know of that don’t require a passport. The other is in south Germany taking in Austria, Lichtenstein, Italy and Switzerland.
The shortest route is a direct line and about 250 km. You can do it in a morning. A round trip, leaving your luggage at base, will be about 500 km.
It will take you longer than you planned unless you really just want to hit the motorways, which of course would be stupid.
Getting out early is good, but cold. 7 degrees was too cold. 32 degrees too warm. How you plan your clothing for that, without taking luggage, is a mystery to me. I’ve asked Reddit!
I’m 57 which means that I am not as fit as I was so the strain on my neck was too much. I felt numb across the top of my back and my head was pounding soon after I got home. That’s dangerous, and it tells me that either I need a new riding position or I need to put in some training.
Get petrol in Luxembourg.
The VFR was incredible. As always it was smooth and trustworthy. The top-heavy 220 kg needs some heaving through the bends but it’s planted and it tours like a dream. 570 km requires just one garage stop if you start with a full tank. I estimate the fuel efficiency at about 6 liters per 100 km on this tour which sounds right for a total of 5500 m of rise and drop.
Thank again, Schengen!