Allgäu by Motorcycle: Riedbergpass, Oberjoch and the Tannheimer Tal Loop

The Allgäu is the green, rolling corner of southern Germany where the Alps begin: dairy pastures, onion-domed churches and, at its southern edge, a line of steep mountain roads that are among the best in the country. The German Alpine Road passes through it, but only briefly. This loop of around 200 kilometres stays in the Oberallgäu and the Tyrolean valleys next door and takes in the two best passes, the Riedbergpass and the Oberjoch, plus a stretch of Austria on either side.

Planning the loop

Sonthofen, Oberstdorf, Fischen and Bad Hindelang are the natural bases, all within a few kilometres of the loop. Riders from the north reach them on the A7 motorway to Kempten and then the B19. The loop below runs clockwise from Sonthofen: the Riedbergpass first while the road is quiet, then the Austrian side, then the Oberjoch and the Tannheimer Tal in the afternoon. It is a full day with stops.

The route, section by section

Sonthofen to Obermaiselstein (about 15km). Ride south on the B19 up the Iller valley through Fischen toward Oberstdorf, and turn right at the foot of the mountains for Obermaiselstein. The road narrows and starts to climb.

Over the Riedbergpass to Balderschwang (about 15km). The Riedbergpass is the highest pass road in Germany. The sign at the top says 1,420 metres; surveys put it a little lower, at about 1,407. Either way, it is a proper mountain road: narrow, with gradients up to 16 percent, tight bends through forest and then open alpine meadow at the top, with views back over the Iller valley to the Allgäu Alps. Lorries over 19 tonnes are banned, which helps, but you will meet cars, campervans and cyclists on a narrow road with little room to spare. On the far side the road drops into Balderschwang, a remote ski village in a high valley.

Into Vorarlberg and back to Oberstaufen (about 40km). Below Balderschwang the road crosses into Austria and runs down to Hittisau in the Bregenzerwald, a pretty village of shingled houses. Turn north through Krumbach or Riefensberg back over the border to Oberstaufen, a spa town on the B308. These are quiet, rolling roads with long sightlines and green hills on every side.

Oberstaufen, the Alpsee and Immenstadt (about 25km). Ride east on the B308 over the low pass near Thalkirchdorf and down past the Großer Alpsee to Immenstadt, a fast, open road with the lake below. From Immenstadt the B19 takes you back toward Sonthofen.

Bad Hindelang over the Oberjoch (about 15km). From Sonthofen ride east to Bad Hindelang, and the road starts to climb. The stretch up to Oberjoch is famous: a stack of tight hairpins up a steep wooded slope, often described as the bendiest road in Germany. It is popular with riders, cyclists, coaches and the police alike. A speed limit is in force and enforced, with frequent checks on weekends. Oberjoch, at about 1,180 metres, is one of the highest villages in Germany.

The Tannheimer Tal and the Gaicht pass (about 30km). Just beyond Oberjoch you cross into Tyrol and the Tannheimer Tal, a high, open valley with the Haldensee and the Vilsalpsee to the side. The road runs east through Tannheim and Grän, then drops over the Gaicht pass, a short, steep descent through a gorge with a viewpoint and a few tight bends, to Weißenbach in the Lech valley. From there head north to Reutte.

Reutte to Pfronten and back west (about 60km). From Reutte cross back into Germany toward Pfronten and ride west through Nesselwang and Wertach and over the B310 back to Oberjoch, then down the Jochstraße hairpins to Bad Hindelang and Sonthofen. These are open, rolling roads with the mountains on your left, a good way to end the day.

Rules and noise bans

The Tyrolean side of this loop is inside the Reutte district, where Tyrol bans motorcycles with a stationary noise figure above 95 dB(A), as given on the registration papers, on a list of roads during the summer season. The list has included the Tannheimer Tal road and the Gaicht pass, as well as the Hahntennjoch and the Lechtal. Check your papers and the Land Tirol page on the motorcycle ban before you plan the Austrian part; if your bike is over the limit, ride back the way you came from Oberjoch.

The German roads on the loop are free. If you use an Austrian motorway or expressway on the way, you need a vignette for motorcycles, which Austria is moving to digital-only; the ordinary roads used here do not need one. Bavaria’s popular bike roads see frequent speed and noise checks.

When to go

May to October. The Riedbergpass and the Oberjoch are kept open in winter for the ski resorts but are often snowy or icy until April; the Riedbergpass can close in heavy snow. June and September are the best months: green pastures, long days and fewer people. Weekends in July and August bring heavy traffic, especially on the Oberjoch; ride early or come on a weekday.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good, but the Riedbergpass is narrow, with gravel and cow muck on the high section. Cattle are let out onto the alpine pastures in summer and some of them wander onto the road. The Oberjoch hairpins collect gravel on the inside lines. Fuel is easy to find in Sonthofen, Oberstaufen, Immenstadt, Reutte and Pfronten.

Shorter and longer versions

Short on time? The Riedbergpass and the Oberjoch alone, linked by the B19 through Sonthofen, make a half-day of around 70 kilometres. With a second day, ride east along the Alpine Road to Füssen and the royal castles, or cross into the Lech valley and the Bregenzerwald. Riders with bikes over the Tyrolean noise limit can still make a full day of the German side: the Riedbergpass, the Alpsee, the Oberjoch and the roads around Nesselwang and Pfronten give plenty of bends without crossing the border.

Where to stay

Sonthofen, Oberstdorf, Fischen and Bad Hindelang are the best bases; Pfronten and Füssen suit riders combining the loop with the eastern Allgäu. See our biker hotels in the Bavarian Alps and the places to stay in Tyrol for the Austrian side. The loop links naturally to the German Alpine Road, which runs east from here to Berchtesgaden, and to the Arlberg, Flexen and Hochtannberg loop through the Bregenzerwald to the south-west. The Black Forest is about three hours north-west.