AlcoholAlcoholBeer and wine are available everywhere, and uniformly excellent. We never had a beer we didn't like :-). Italy and Switzerland have very stiff DUI laws, and 0.05 BAL is legally intoxicated. Save the drinking for when the bikes are tucked in for the night.
Most of the time we will be at an elevation of around 5,000 to 7,500 feet. That's not high enough for most people to really feel any effects of altitude sickness, but you may experience some dehydration, digestive "issues" and mild headaches for the first day or two. There are a couple passes that we may ride, like Stelvio or Timmelsjoch, that reach up to around 9,000 feet. At that altitude it's not uncommon to feel shortness of breath and lightheadedness. We won't be lingering long at the top so it shouldn't be an issue.
This will of course depend on where we end up renting from, but for the most part BMW rules the roost for rentals. The R1200GS is the most popular (meaning they have many to rent), but most models are offered. Check here for a list of the bikes Moto Mader (outside of Zurich) offered for rent in 2009.
Keep in mind that 90% of the riding will be on tight, twisting mountain roads. The long-distance merits of bikes like the BMW R1200RT and K1300GT are pretty much wasted in this environment. You'll be far happier on a lightweight, easy-to-toss-around bike than a big touring bike when you're negotiating the seemingly endless hairpins of Stelvio or the narrow confines of Italy's back roads. This is not the place to try out a big adventure bike for the first time. If the R1200RT is what you've always ridden, and you want to stay in your comfort zone, go ahead. I had that bike for my trip, and it worked OK. I would have been much happier though on an F800ST or F650GS.
Most likely you won't even know when you cross a border. Since the introduction of the EU you no longer need any passports or other documents to go from one country to another. We didn't know when we passed from Switzerland into Italy, and passing back again we were just waved through.
Europe's cell carriers operate on GSM technology, different than what we use in the states. You will need a tri-mode or "global" phone to get a signal. I have a Blackberry Storm with Verizon that worked perfectly over there. I did call Verizon before I went, and we did some *something on the phone, but it was painless. No idea how much the calls cost, as my employer (well, the NJ taxpayers) pays for the phone. Do remember to turn off the data service while you're overseas or you'll rack up enormous charges as your phone collects your e-mail, weather updates, texts, sports scores, etc.
No one in Europe apparantly drinks tap water, so at meals you'll have to order something to drink. Asking for water will get you a bottle of mineral water. Soft drinks are very expensive, a bottle of Coke was around $5 ($6.50 in Zurich!).
You do not need any special driver's license for Europe. Many people (myself included) obtain an "International Driver's Permit" from their local AAA office. It costs $15 and basically justs translates your license into many different languages to make things easier should you get involved with the police.
Most of Europe is 220 volts, 50 cycles, not 110 like in the states. You'll need a voltage converter for most devices, but some things like cell phones chargers may be able to use the 220 with an adapter.
One problem I ran into was being able to recharge my phone, camera(s) and headset. In most hotel rooms, the electricity is only on when you're in the room. You put your door keycard in a slot by the door and the power comes on. I had brought a 2nd rechargeable battery for both cameras, figuring I could charge one while out during the day. Ended up having to do all the charging overnight, which with 3 devices was problematic (didn't help that the Scala Q2 needs like 6 hours to charge).
Gas is expensive in Europe, right now (9/09) around $7US/gal. Diesel is just as prevalent as petrol, so be careful when fueling up you get the right type.
Some gas stations in Italy and Switzerland are fully automated and unattended. There's one central machine where you put in your cash or plastic and tell it what pump you're using. The single machine controls all the pumps.
Attended gas stations are usually just that - gas stations. No snack store, no parts, just gas. There are a few exceptions on or near the autostrada with gas station/convenience store combos.
Everyone riding the Alps wears full gear, either leather or textile (jacket, pants, gloves, boots). Helmet use is mandatory in every country we might be riding in.
Temperatures varied from the 50's (fahrenheit) to the low 80's. We were often cold, but never too hot. I used my Gerbing heated jacket liner some days, and was glad I had it.
I think it rained at least a little everyday, with even some snow and sleet at the top of Stelvio. Only one day did it really rain all day, making us don proper rain gear. Most days the rain was light enough for our riding jackets to deal with.
A note on hi-viz: I wore my hi-viz yellow TourMaster Transition II jacket, and stuck out like a sore thumb - or like a copper. Only police and emergency workers wear hi-viz in Italy and Switzerland. I got lots of stares, and one woman even came up to me at a gas station asking where she could get a jacket in that kind of color.
We found a GPS very useful for travelling between the major stops, but didn't really use it much for daily pass riding. There are a few things to consider if you're thinking about bringing along your GPS - you'll need Europe (or at least Alps) maps, you'll need to figure out how to mount it on your rental bike, and how to power it. Either Jim or I will have a GPS for this trip, so if you stick with us for between-town trips you should be fine.
Where we'll be in Europe is 6 hours ahead of EST. So if it's 2pm in NJ, it's 8pm in Italy. Assuming you take an overnight flight you'll be arriving arounnd 9am local time, but it will feel like 3am to you. Keep this in mind if you're planning on arriving the same day that we pick up the bikes - you might not be in the best shape to ride a strange bike on unfamiliar roads.
I did not really catch any sleep on the flight over, so I was pretty exhausted when we arrived. We were lucky to be able to check in to our hotel at 10am, so I caught 2 hours sleep before we headed out to explore Zurich. That catnap made all the difference in enjoying the rest of the day, but I was wiped by the end of the night. For the rest of the trip the time difference didn't really bother me.
I knew a tiny bit of Italian (Rosetta Stone level 1) and I was able to get by. Most of the hotel/restaurant staff speak English well enough, but there will be times at smaller places where a little knowledge of the local language helps.
The Swiss speak German for the most part, and the northern Italian Alps spoke mostly Italian with some German as well.
The Michelin maps (your local Borders or Barnes & Nobles should have them) are very good for getting an overall picture of the area, but don't have enough detail to include all the smaller roads. For the Dolomites, there's a fantastic set of PDF files here. I will provide everyone with good daily maps of roads around our hotels once we know where we're staying. Be sure to check the Maps page!
All of the EU, with the exception of Switzerland, is on the Euro - the Swiss still use francs (CHF). ATM's were easy enough to find, and provided the least-costly way of obtaining local currency. Just make sure your bank knows you'll be overseas.
Hotels and most restaurants take plastic, but many smaller places don't, especially for small purchases. I would recommend having some local currency with you during the day for snacks, souvineers, and gas. Several gas stations in Italy were cash only, while in Switzerland they were self-serve plastic only.
You'll be travelling by motorcycle once you arrive (of course), so everything you need to bring with you will ultimately need to fit in the bike's luggage. Most rentals include hard side cases and a topcase, but some do not. The bike rental dealer should be able to store your airplane luggage while you're on the bike.
I managed with one large suitcase for my riding gear and clothes, and a carry-on duffel with electronics, cameras and my helmet and gloves. The suitcase was a very tight packing job.
One of the highlights of riding in Europe. On the back roads it's pretty much pass wherever you like. Get in the habit of checking your six before you attempt a pass in case someone's passing you (you'd be surprised). On the autobahn or autostrada, it's passing only on the left. Passing on the right is illegal and "just not done". Especially in Switzerland.
You'll need a passport.
Switzerland is the land of speed cameras and autobahn cops with lasers. Fines are steep, and speed limits are strictly enforced. This is what we were told anyway, but we never saw any police on the highways. Nearly everyone on the Swiss autobahn is doing exactly the speed limit, with plenty of spacing between cars, and never passing on the right. It's almost hypnotic.
Italy, well, I'm not sure if they care so much. Going from the Swiss autobahn to the Italian autostrada was like exiting pit lane onto the front straight - zoom! Much more chaotic on the highway, tailgaters galore, speeders everywhere, etc. In towns we kept to a strict speed limit, and once or twice we did come across cops with speed cameras on the roadside.
As mentioned in the "Gear" section above, expect temperatures from the low 50's to the low 80's. We had a bit of rain just about everyday. The top of the higher passes were quite cold and had lots of snow on the shoulders (and snowmelt running across the road). I think our low was 38 degrees at the top of Stelvio, where it started to snow just a bit.