This route takes you from Südtirol in Italy via the Austrian Tyrol, the Ötztal and the Inntal to the town of Reutte. These are (motorcycle) regions where the touring rider can fulfill all motorcycle dreams. The many small, winding mountain roads, alpine meadows and pass routes offer an almost unimaginable variety of highlights. You will experience some of these highlights firsthand.

You leave the hotel via the same road you came in. Shortly after the start you have the opportunity to fill the tank again if necessary. The first few kilometers you will head for Cavaleze, where you will begin the ascent of the first pass in this route: The Lavazèpass. The Lavazè Pass (Italian: Passo di Lavazè) is located on the border of the Italian provinces of Trento and South Tyrol. It is also the Italian-German language border. The Lavazè Pass is open all year round.
From the south, the road starts in Cavalese, which is located in the Valle di Fiemme. The place made headlines in 1998 when a fighter jet flew through the cables of a mountain railway, causing 20 casualties. A good road goes up through Varena through thick forests to the top. On the way, a road branches off to the right to the 1431 meter high Passo di Pramadiccio (driven in R06) which leads to Stava. The last kilometers before the pass height have a significantly higher gradient (up to 12%). From the pass height one has a view of the mountain group of the Latemar. To the west a road leads to another pass: the Grimmjoch. The descent goes through the Selva di Ega (Eggenwald) down to Ponte Nova in the Eggental. Along the way, there are occasional views of the Rosengarten massif.

After driving through two tunnels you will enter Bolzano. First a piece of industrial estate, later through a part of the center. It is not a punishment to drive through this city, there is plenty to see. The fairly narrow streets occasionally reflect the (busy) Italian life.
You will soon be out again and you will be driving between the green mountain slopes and meadows again. You're heading for the Penser Joch. This pass (Italian: Passo di Pénnes) is a mountain pass in the Italian South Tyrol. The 2211 meter high pass connects the Sarntal north of the provincial capital Bozen (Bolzano) and the Wipptal near Sterzing (Vipiteno). As the crow flies, the route over the Penser Joch is the shortest connection between Bozen and Innsbruck in Austria. The current road was completed in 1938, with the construction of the section between the top and Sterzing.
The pass height can be reached from both the north and the south via a well-maintained road. Near the top, however, it is occasionally narrower and curvier. From the Penser Joch you have a good view of the Zillertal Alps. Along the way great green panoramic views where the road meanders wonderfully in between. The ascent of the Penser Joch is a very quiet, very gradual climb to the top, where it is high time for a cup of coffee.

The Penser Joch's descent is one to remember. With the right speed you can whiz through the many bends. Far too soon you arrive in the valley at Sterzing-Vipiteno. There you turn left to visit the next pass, the Giovopass. This is a mountain pass in the Italian South Tyrol. The 2099 meter high pass connects the Passeiertal at Sankt Leonhard in Passeier with the Wipptal at Sterzing, close to the Brenner Pass. The winding road has twenty hairpin bends and a total length of 39 km.
To the north of the pass road are the high peaks of the Ötztal Alps, to the south those of the Sarntal Alps. Around the pass are the peaks of the Jaufenspitz (2483 meters) and the Saxner (2359 meters) and the wide Ratschingstal.
Almost at the end of the wonderful descent over perfect asphalt you pass a viewpoint which gives a great view over the Passiria Valley. Good place to stop for a while and feast your eyes.

After San Leonardo in Passiria the ascent of the Timmelsjoch begins. Soon you will arrive in Moso in Passiria where you will again find a viewpoint called Garnetshebt with a beautiful view. Standing on the rocky hill near Stuls, a beautiful view opens up to the village of Moos and over the far end of the Passeiertal valley. Two shells, modeled after the geological rock formations in the Passeiertal, serve as an exhibition space and viewing platform. Again worth a stop. And then the long ascent of the Timmelsjoch begins...

The Timmelsjoch (Italian: Passo del Rombo) is a 2,509 meter high mountain pass on the border between Austrian Tyrol and Italian South Tyrol. The pass connects Sölden in the Ötztal with St. Leonhard in Passeier in the Passeiertal towards Meran. The Timmelsjoch separates the Ötztal Alps from the Stubai Alps and is located between two mountain peaks, the Jochköpfl (3141 m) in the northeast and the Wurmkogl (3082 m) in the southwest. The pass is much less important for traffic than the Reschen Pass (40 kilometers to the west) or the Brenner Pass (25 kilometers to the east). The name Timmels probably comes from the Latin tumulus, which means hill.
In prehistoric times from the south, the first inhabitants moved from the Passeiertal via the Timmelsjoch to the Ötztal. As early as 1241 the pass was mentioned as Thymels. Around 1320 a steep mountain path for pack mules was built. It formed an early trading route for the merchant families Fugger and Welser from Augsburg. In 1897 the Tyrolean Landdag decided to build a road over the Timmelsjoch, but other projects were given priority.
The 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain crossed the pass between Austria and Italy. In the last weeks of the Second World War in April and May 1945, large numbers of Wehrmacht soldiers retreated to the Ötztal.
Shortly after the Second World War, the plan was put on the table to build a road over the Timmelsjoch. Austrian politician Eduard Wallnöfer took the lead. Between 1955 and 1959 the road was built on the north side for a total construction cost of 28 million schillings (approximately 2 million euros). The southern part from the Passeiertal to two kilometers below the pass had already been built during the reign of Benito Mussolini from 1933. However, upon the conclusion of the Axis alliance in 1936, Mussolini and Adolf Hitler agreed to cease operations. On July 7, 1959, the entire road was built, but it was not until September 15, 1968 before the road was opened in both directions.
The Timmelsjoch is normally accessible from mid-June to mid-October, between 07:00 and 20:00. Due to the high gradients, the road is off limits for freight traffic and is a popular trip by car or motorcycle for many tourists. The Ötztal bicycle marathon takes place every year over the Timmelsjoch and in 1988 the Giro d'Italia also crossed the pass. Timmelsjoch is Austria's highest border crossing. A toll is charged at the village of Hochgurgl. Part of the toll is paid to South Tyrol. The region has also become known for the discovery of Ötzi, the name given to the ice mummy of a man from the Copper Age. Two German amateur mountaineers found him on September 19, 1991 in the Italian Ötztal Alps, Timmelsjoch area.
Along the way on the Timmelsjoch there are a number of places of interest: The (already mentioned) Garnets, Telescope, Transit, Passmuseum, Walkway and Smuggler. All interesting places to take a look:

- Motorcycle Museum. The highest motor museum in Europe is also located at the toll gate. Recently completely burned down, but they managed to rebuild it in no time. The architecture of the museum is already very remarkable, but the combination with the exhibits makes it a must-see - even if you're not a motorcyclist. On 3,000 m², about 230 classic motorcycles from about 100 manufacturers are presented along with some automotive rarities.
- Garnets: Standing on the rocky hill near Stuls, a beautiful view opens up towards the village of Moos and over the extremity of the Passeiertal valley. Two shells, modeled after the geological rock formations in the Passeiertal, serve as an exhibition space and viewing platform.
- Telescope: The vast area below the Scheibkopf mountain offers a beautiful 180° panorama over the Texelgruppe nature reserve. A telescope draws the viewer's attention to the Granatkogel (3,304 m) and the Hohe First (3,403 m), which stand out clearly from the eternal glacial ice.
- Transit: An old military barracks from the 1930s has been converted into a special museum space.
There are unpublished images of the road construction and authentic contemporary witness interviews of people from the Passeier and the Ötztal. The exhibition is intended to commemorate the road builders.
- Passmuseum: The new Passmuseum on the North Tyrolean side protrudes like a jagged boulder into the South Tyrolean side and underlines the cross-border character of the Timmelsjoch Experience. The "Ice Cave" in the museum is a tribute to the pioneers of the High Alpine Road and their remarkable achievement.
- An unparalleled panorama opens up at the site of the toll booth in Hochgurgl, offering sweeping views over the far end of the Ötztal valley and the awe-inspiring rise of 3000m peaks. An innovative walkway, which offers a totally new and breathtaking perspective, provides in-depth information about the area and its distinctive features.
- Smuggler: A walk-in cube is created where the Timmelsjochweg crosses the ancient path from Zwieselstein to Moos im Passeier. It takes you to a world of adventure and danger, the world of the smugglers and their ancient route across the Timmelsjoch.

By now you are driving in Austria and you are heading towards Sölden, known to many as the ski resort. In Sölden you have the opportunity to visit the highest asphalted point in Austria. The Ötztal Gletscherstraße is an Austrian road in the state of Tyrol. The road starts in Sölden in the Ötztal, where the road branches off from the main road through this valley, the Ötztalstraße (B186).
The road leads to the Ötztal glaciers Rettenbachferner and Tiefenbachferner. The part of the road leading to the Tiefenbachferner runs through the highest tunnel in Europe. At the end of this tunnel, the road reaches the highest tarmac point in Austria at an altitude of 2829 metres. This road is open to motorized traffic in the summer months (passenger cars and motorcycles; caravans and trailers not allowed).
A toll has to be paid for the last 8 kilometers to the top (see link for prices). Of course these are the most beautiful kilometers of the Gletscherstraße, that should be clear. But you do get something in return. Excellent asphalt and great views over the glacier. They do their utmost not to let the thing melt too much, but if that will work.... I sincerely hope so!

After Sölden you continue to the north through Tyrol and after about 60 kilometers you get a view of the last pass of this route, the Fernpass. The Fern Pass is a 1,212 meter high mountain pass in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The pass provides a fast connection between Imst in the Inn Valley and Reutte in northern Tyrol. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also quickly accessible from the west of the Oberinntal via this pass. The Fern Pass is located between the Lechtaler Alps in the west and the Mieminger Mountains in the east. The Zugspitze is located 13.5 km northeast of the pass in the Wetterstein Mountains. The pass height, which is located slightly south-west of Ehrwald, lies between the Grubigstein (2233 m), the Wannig (2493 m) and the Loreakopf (2471 m).
The pass was created about 4100 years ago by a large landslide, which filled the valleys between the mountains. The Fern Pass leads over this mountain ridge, past a number of lakes, of which the Blindmeer is the largest. Over the Fern Pass lies the busy Austrian B179, which connects Reutte via the Lermooser Tunnel with Nassereith and Tarrenz or Imst. The connecting roads connect Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany), Mieming and Telfs. This makes the pass one of the most traveled passes in the Eastern Alps. The maximum gradient is 8%, the height difference to be overcome is 371 meters.
The Fern Pass has been known as a mountain pass for many centuries. The Via Claudia Augusta ran over the Fern Pass in Roman times, which was the main route between Germania and northern Italy.
The pre-Roman trade in amber is said to have already passed through the Fern Pass. Archaeological finds have been made along the many roads leading to the pass, showing the significance of the Fern Pass for trade between the Baltic Sea and northern Italy and even Greece. The Fernpass is the second alpine pass on the old Reschenroute, built by the Romans. The Romans expanded the existing road in the years 46/47 AD and the road remained in use until the late Middle Ages. The road was named after its designer, Emperor Claudius. The Via Claudia Augusta. Later it was also called High Street, in contrast to the Lower Street, the nickname of the Brenner route. For a long time, the road was the most important German-Italian alpine connection, due to the relative security against winter and flooding and the fact that there were virtually no steep, dangerous road sections.

After this last pass in the route, it is still a short distance in the direction of Reutte, where the end point, Alpenhotel Ernberg, can be found. This is a hotel with a rural feel where they serve a good meal (both breakfast and dinner) and a good pot of beer, all for a reasonable price. Recommended!

Have fun driving this route!