Travel info needed....

[nil06]

Hey peeps,

This summer I will be doing my 1st big trip on my 999, from Greece to Poland.

The plan is to go through Italy, Austria, Czech Republic and finally Poland. As I have never ridden on these countries before I would appreciate any info/insight you may have...

At the moment these are my questions: (feel free to add anything more)

- As I will riding solo and plan on doing a little sightseeing at the cities I go through, can I leave the bike in a Parking place (eg, say in city centre) and then walk around? Will the bike/luggage be safe there?

- Can I pay by credit card on the petrol stations in Italy, Austria, Czech Rep & Poland? I really don't fancy trying to find a Bureau de change in the middle of nowhere...

- What are the legal requirements for riding through these countries?
(I have a complete med kit, full gear and the bike is stock)
I've heard that in Austria you need to have a 2nd pair of glasses with you (I wear glasses when riding), and that in some other countries they might do you in for not having spares like lightbulbs. Any ideas?

Also, what you recon the weather will be like in late August? Currently in Greece it is hell on earth with 38+ degs at 10 pm, so if I will be needing warm clothes I better start digging them up.

Any other suggestions for me or the bike?

[legs748]

Where in Poland are you going? The only advice i can give about Poland is BE CAREFULL! There are pot holes you would need a rope to get down, bumps and ruts that are like motocross whoops and the drivers have NO sense of their own mortality. But the country is beautiful and the people quite nice.
The czech is alot better for riding, better roads, big good quality EMPTY motorways and you actually see more bikes.
And if you are looking, the living scenery is unbelievable in either place!

[Paivi]

Originally Posted by nil06

At the moment these are my questions: (feel free to add anything more)

- As I will riding solo and plan on doing a little sightseeing at the cities I go through, can I leave the bike in a Parking place (eg, say in city centre) and then walk around? Will the bike/luggage be safe there?

The bike will be, the luggage won't, especially if it's soft. Harder cases are more difficult to break into, but if somebody does, they're ruined. A lot of hotels are OK for you to park your bike in their garage or courtyard for a couple of hours, at least in Italy.

Originally Posted by nil06

- Can I pay by credit card on the petrol stations in Italy, Austria, Czech Rep & Poland? I really don't fancy trying to find a Bureau de change in the middle of nowhere...

All those countries use euros, which you will need anyway for motorway tolls. At some of those you can pay by card, but then you'll pay the car rate, not the heavily discounted bike rate. Hence, cash.

A lot of Italian petrol stations outside big city centres are unmanned in the evenings and at weekends, and the only cards they take are their own ones. Hence, you'll need €10 notes (often the lowest denomination the machine takes). Sharing is common, so if you only have €20 and a small tank, a car driver will usually buy the surplus fuel from you.

Originally Posted by nil06

- What are the legal requirements for riding through these countries?
(I have a complete med kit, full gear and the bike is stock)
I've heard that in Austria you need to have a 2nd pair of glasses with you (I wear glasses when riding), and that in some other countries they might do you in for not having spares like lightbulbs. Any ideas?

Check the AA website for advice regarding requirements. I carried spare bulbs, but can't really see anybody stopping me to check I've got all that stuff with me. A GB sticker is compulsory, unless you have the new style plates incorporating this, but mine flew off already before I got to Folkestone! Bikes don't need headlight stickers, nor is hi viz clothing required. However, apart from Austria, all those countries have mad drivers, so a hi viz vest might not be a bad idea...

Originally Posted by nil06

Also, what you recon the weather will be like in late August? Currently in Greece it is hell on earth with 38+ degs at 10 pm, so if I will be needing warm clothes I better start digging them up.

It'll be hot hot hot. In Italy, August is the hottest month, down south it regularly hits over 40C, even up north you'll see mid 30s, but that's during the day time, in the evenings usually mid 20s. Nights can be chilly, so take a light fleece. I was at the Italian lakes in late September last year and had a light cashmere cardie for the evenings and that was enough. It's quite chilly in summer leathers, though, if you're doing any evening riding, so a fleece is good for this.

I'd take the Eurotunnel option, not a ferry; a ferry can work out cheaper, but not if you miss it. The trains run every 20-30min and if you miss yours, they'll throw you in the next one at no extra charge, even if you're 1.5 days late...

[Steve]

Very good advice from Paivi, I might add that I have heard of certain riders being stopped and 'done' for not having hi vis vests in France and spare bulbs, very rare but it does happen. As you are not going through France you maybe ok.

[legs748]

Originally Posted by nil06

- Can I pay by credit card on the petrol stations in Italy, Austria, Czech Rep & Poland? I really don't fancy trying to find a Bureau de change in the middle of nowhere...

All those countries use euros,[/quote]

Since when? Not as of June last year they didn't!

[Paivi]

Although Poland and the Czech Republic have retained their currency, they accept euros, I'm led to believe. A colleague was in Prague last weekend and used them there, but perhaps out of town they're more keen on their own currency and maybe the machines haven't been converted yet.

[nil06]

Excellent advice all, cheers for this!

That bit with the 10 euro denomination bills was quite insightful! Methinks I should go round my local bank for some small bills in all currencies.
Question: do the motorway tolls give change?

As for the luggage, indeed I will be taking some soft paniers (fitting the 999 hard luggage would be taking it a bit too far!).
I didn't know that you could leave the bike parked at a hotel! Great advice mate!

Anyway, for the security of the luggage I came across something that I think might help a lot. I found a place that sells some oversized bungee nets that are made of steel cable (with a cloth outer shell) and together with a lock they are used for securing luggage.

Methinks that if I use them to secure the panniers, then removing them will be just a little bit harder for the thieving geezers.
I will go have a look today and take some piccies if anyone else is interested.


So, the plan of the trip is as follows: I will be leaving Greece on the 21st of August and getting on a ferry taking me to Venice.
Come 8 am next day I will be riding on Italian ground, heading towards the borders with Austria. I will visit Gratz -where I would like to do some walking around- and then I will be heading for a small village in the Alps to spend the night. (found an excellent little hotel there)

Next day I will start towards Vienna, where again I want to look around, and then I will be crossing the borders to the Czech Republic and heading for Brno, and then moving on to the Polish borders and my final destination, Wroclaw.

On my return trip I will be going over to Prague to visit a fellow Ducatisti (member of the ducati.ms forum), who was kind enough to invite me over and we are planning a small ride around -hopefully it will turn into a mini-meeting! 8) 8)
After that I will continue over the Alps and down towards Italy again for the ferry.

[Paivi]

Originally Posted by nil06

Question: do the motorway tolls give change?

Yes, they do. Most of them are manned anyway. In Italy, try to aim for these, as some automated ones don't have a bike option, so you'll pay the full price. In France, the automated ones had that option, make sure you hit it, as bikes pay about 1/3 of car fares.

[legs748]

Wroclaw is nice, it's a good place to be to rest, eat and drink beer, but was a bit of a building site last year. You can get some good food around the main square, also worth a look in the area are Klodzko and the surrounding valley, and a little spa town called Polanica Zdroj. Pretty with good eating.
Vienna is also one of my favorite places to be, look at the breath taking buildings, palaces and museums but don't miss out on a meal and a few beers at Salm Brau. It's located just next to the rear entrance to the Belvedere, Archduke Franz Ferdinand's old pad, now an art gallery, so is easy to find in the guide book maps. It's a brewery and eating house, if you are not vegitarian, and can find a friend to share, order the haunch of ham, my mouth still waters!

Have a good trip, I'm getting quite jealous!

[nil06]

Originally Posted by legs748

Have a good trip, I'm getting quite jealous!

Cheers mate! Hope you also have a good one wherever you go this summer!

And to all that helped out with good advice: