Open a GPX file

Dunkirk to the Nurburgring through the Ardennes

From the Dunkirk ferry through Ypres and the Flemish Ardennes to Dinant, then the best of the Belgian Ardennes by La Roche, Stavelot and Spa-Francorchamps, over the border at Monschau and through the Eifel to the Nurburgring.

Distance
337 miles (542 km)
Type
Point to point
Where
Flanders, Ardennes and Eifel

At 150 to 300 miles a day, this is 2 or 3 days of riding. Set your own daily distance and add rest days.

Plotted by us, not yet ridden

Starts at Dunkirk ferry port

Download GPX Plan this tripBook this trip
Book this tripCrossing DFDSBeds from Dunkirk, and each nightCover insurance and breakdownSee it all

Click a dot for details. White dots are the stops, each with a bed search. Yellow dots are places to see.

Main roads

D601D131D3D916D916AD110N308N347N333R33N37bN8N336N37

From the map

Longest gap between fuel
25 miles
Fuel stations near the line
134
Curvature
115 ° a mile
Campsites within 2 km
73
  • The longest stretch with no fuel station within 1 km of the line runs from mile 305 to mile 331. Check it against your range with the fuel range calculator.
  • The twistiest 20 miles run from mile 246 to mile 266, at 222 degrees of turning a mile.
  • Countries: France, Germany.
  • 15 motorcycle shops are within 3 km of the line.

Measured on the route line from OpenStreetMap data, which can be missing or out of date. Curvature is degrees of turning a mile, measured every 100 metres. On our routes they run from 6 on the E19 to 701 on the SP638.

Before you go

  • The Nordschleife runs public sessions on set days only, with its own rules and fees. Check the official calendar before you plan around it.
  • Ardennes roads are popular with bikers and police run regular speed checks.
  • Ride it the other way to finish at the ferry. The line keeps off motorways by design.

On the way

  1. Dunkirk
  2. Ypres
  3. Oudenaarde
  4. Tournai
  5. Mons
  6. Dinant
  7. Hotton
  8. La Roche-en-Ardenne
  9. Vielsalm
  10. Stavelot
  11. Spa-Francorchamps
  12. Malmedy
  13. Monschau
  14. Blankenheim
  15. Nurburg

Split it into days

Pick the miles you like to ride in a day. Each day ends at the named place on the route nearest that distance, and you get a GPX file for each day.

This is your pace, not our estimate of how long the riding takes. Day lengths vary because each day ends at a named place.

Ready to ride it?

Book this trip

Plan it with dates in the tour planner

1Getting there

This route starts where the boat or train lands at Dunkirk. Book the bike as a motorcycle, not a car.

  • DFDSDover to Dunkirk
Compare every crossing

2Places to stay

Split the route into days above and each day gets its own bed search for where it ends.

Back to the days

3Cover

Check your bike insurance covers riding abroad, get travel insurance that covers motorcycling at your engine size, and breakdown cover that recovers a motorcycle in every country on the route.

What to check before you buy cover

The 2 countries on this route

What GOV.UK says riders need for each, checked 05/11/2026. Rules change, so read the official page before you go.

France

Money
Euro
Ride on the
Right
  • Riding into central Paris, Lyon, Grenoble or another low emission zone? You need a Crit'Air sticker. Buy it only from the official site (official site)
  • Some mountain areas require winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 31 March: check which vehicles and areas it covers (official site)
  • The drink-drive limit is a third lower than in England and Wales, with regular roadside checks

Germany

Money
Euro
Ride on the
Right
  • Some city centres are low emission zones (Umweltzone): check whether your bike needs a sticker to enter
  • Riding a bike that is not yours? You may need written permission from the registered owner

On every trip abroad: your licence, insurance that covers riding abroad, the V5C and travel insurance with medical cover. The tour planner turns all of this into a checklist each rider in your group can tick off.

Places to see on the way

Castles, passes, viewpoints and more within easy reach of the line, in the order you reach them. Yellow dots on the map.

béguinage of Courtrai
Museum · 0.5 km off the route

béguinage of Courtrai

Beguinage in Courtrai, Belgium.

Photo: Lamadude, Public domain
Abbey of Our Lady in Leffe
Monastery · 1.0 km off the route

Abbey of Our Lady in Leffe

Belgian abbey.

Photo: Grentidez, Public domain

Place details from Wikidata. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each card.

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