Riding the Stelvio Pass on a motorcycle is undoubtedly the dream of many motorcyclists. No wonder, because from the Bormio side there are 82 turns that often lead to a faster heartbeat. This year we decided to stay longer on Stelvio to enjoy the views, to see the sunrise and sunset, to drive onto Livrio. To be there, to feel it, not just to arrive and go down, because you can see and do much more than you think.
Stelvio Pass on a motorcycle – the motorcycle driver’s dream come true
Stelvio is a real motorcycle Mecca and although some of you probably think that it is overrated and commercial, its incredible beauty can not be resisted. It is a dream which comes true for every motorcycle rider. Although I must admit that the Stelvio Pass in a season turns into a market, and that view many people don’t like. Where it is nice and beauty – there will always be peoples who want to admire the beauty and the other ones who wanna earn on it. At Stelvio Pass for the first time, we were last year, we wrote about it here. This time we had a little more time alone with the Queen of the Mountain Passes and all the attractions she offers.
The Stelvio Pass on a motorcycle – a magical sunrise
In fact, it is impossible to describe in words what we have seen. The sunrise on Stelvio is an amazing experience! It is really worth to wake up at dawn to experience it on your own, to see it with your own eyes. Surely we do not recommend riding to the pass at night to see the sunrise. In the morning, the valleys and lower parts of the mountains usually sink in the fog, and the road is wet and therefore even more dangerous. If you want to witness the sunrise on Stelvio, it is worth booking accommodation in one of the hotels on the pass. We slept in the Folgore Hotel. We recommend it, although the hotel with its design does not impress. It captivates with its climate, evening fireplace, and restaurant with brilliant service and delicious food. The link to the hotel you will find below. From the two sunrises, one was phenomenal, the other was, due to weather conditions, quite common, even on Stelvio. With a bit of luck, you can admire such views as in the pictures.
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Stelvio Pass on a motorcycle – our first, more than 3000-meter mountain in life
What else can we recommend to do on Stelvio Pass? Take the cable car on Livrio. The views are fabulous and you can also say that the 3,000-metre peak has been “captured”. If you want to, you can, of course, go for it in the traditional way – on your own feet, but for us, it was definitely too titanic effort. The cable car is available from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The two-way ticket price is 20 €. You can also purchase a ticket only for the first station, it costs 16 €, but we discourage this option is completely because the views are not so spectacular and the savings are very small. 20 € may seem like a little bit of a lot, especially when, in your head, and you’ve converted it into PLN, but the mountain views are worth the price.
Stelvio Pass on a motorcycle – a journey of the beautiful and underestimated Umbrailpass
The drive from the Bormio side is probably the most popular, a few nice vantage points along the way (especially right next to the old road with a view of the corners at the bottom), a milder driveway than from the Prad side and a better quality of the surface. There is another road that can be found on Stelvio Pass. It is no less scenic then road from Bormio side and practically empty – Umbrailpass on the Swiss side. Much better surface and the cars passed by can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It’s really worth it! Umbrailpass was one of the reasons why we stayed on Stelvio.
Stelvio Passo on a motorcycle – buy a picture of you
We don’t know if you’ve noticed (we didn’t notice it last year – probably too many impressions) the points where the photographer takes pictures of approaching motorcyclists and cyclists. Usually, there are two of them, one from the Bormio side and the other one from the Prad side. The photos can be seen and bought on the FotoStelvio website. One photo costs 8 €. To make it easier for yourself to find a picture of you, it is worth to remember the hour when the photographer took the photo. Some of the photos are really great! Especially when you already know at what place you have to wave to the camera. A nice souvenir, in our opinion much nicer than the mass sold t-shirts, clips or magnets on the Stelvio Pass.
A bunch of useful links at the end
- We have prepared a ready-made proposal for a trip to the Alps and the Italian Dolomites, which of course includes Stelvio Pass. Take a look at our plan day-by-day – maybe it will help you or inspire you to change your route. The link to the article can be found here.
- We have visited Stelvio Pass many times. Link to our other entry about the Queen of the Alpine Passes can be found here.
- Stelvio has a beautiful friend right next door, see the Passo di Gavia entry.
- Practically information about Italy, what to look for and to prepare for, you will find in our guide Italy practically.
- Our route, which we chose on our way to Italy, is described here. You will find there a map and useful information.
- Do you go further on the Italian highways? Check in our article what costs you have to prepare for.
- We wrote about the traffic regulations and parking rules in Italy in this article.
Are you looking for a place to stay near Stelvio Pass?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation near Stelvio Pass.
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