Route 66 - Eastern Part: Chicago IL to Albuquerque NM in 8 days!

Some departures are with optional Harley-Davidson Headquarters + museum visit!

• 2300 Km / 1430 Mi
• 6 states
• 2 time zones
• 7 nights
• Experienced guide (gt*)
• Quality accommodation
• 20+ roadside attractions
• Support vehicle (gt*)
• Motorcycle rental and tax

• A chance to eat a free 72 oz. steak in Texas
• Custom Riding Jacket (gt*)
• Free gas (gt*)
• One Way Transfer fees (gt*)
• Welcome & Farewell Dinner (gt*)
• Helmets for driver and passenger
• Transportation between hotel
  and rental location (gt*)
  gt* = On Guided Tour Only

Tour dates (English)

Tour dates (German Exclusive Language)

Tour dates (Italian Exclusive Language)

Tour dates (Spanish Exclusive Language)

Tour dates (French Exclusive Language)

Tour rates (per person)

Various discounts may apply (season, group booking, early-bird, last-minute etc - please always contact us for your special rate)

Guided Tours:

1 rider 1 motorcycle 1 room, from: US$4,750.00 (£3,800.00, AU$7,315.00, NZ$7,885.00, 4.418,00 €)

2 people 1 motorcycle 1 room, per person from: US$2,375.00 (£1,900.00, AU$3,658.00, NZ$3,942.00, 2.209,00 €)

2 people 2 motorcycles 1 room, per person from: US$3,159.00 (£2,527.00, AU$4,865.00, NZ$5,244.00, 2.938,00 €)

It is possible to join a guided tour with your own motorcycle. The deduction is $100 per bike/per riding day (on this tour it would be a discount of $700 USD per bike) on the base tour rate. Furthermore, if you should break down the tour guides would not be allowed to work on your bike, nor would you be able to ride the spare bike of the trailer, due to insurance issues.

It is possible to join a guided tour with a rental car (convertible or other categories) - please ask for details.

Self-Guided Tours:

1 rider 1 motorcycle 1 room, from: US$3,200.00 (£2,560.00, AU$4,928.00, NZ$5,312.00, 2.976,00 €)

2 people 1 motorcycle 1 room, per person, from: US$1,683.00 (£1,346.00, AU$2,592.00, NZ$2,794.00, 1.565,00 €)

2 people 2 motorcycles 1 room, per person, from: US$2,406.00 (£1,925.00, AU$3,705.00, NZ$3,994.00, 2.238,00 €)

Day 1: Chicago, IL - arrival day

After touching down at Chicago International Airport we ask you to transfer to your hotel. Chicago, it almost goes out with saying, is one hell of a town; the largest, most vibrant of the Great Lake cities. The city skyline has few peers and down on the streets you’ll find a fantastic selection of world class museums, restaurants and cafes. There is also the city’s famed bar and nightclub scene that is still anchored in an incredible jazz and blues tradition. The fun begins with a Welcome Dinner and drinks with your fellow riders, and ends in one of Chicago's finest hotels, The Drake. In the morning the long dreamt of journey across Route 66 begins.

Day 2: Chicago, IL - Springfield, IL (Miles: 187, Kilometers: 301)

First order of business is to pick up your Harley-Davidson before you can start on the ultimate American road trip. Parallel to I-55, (the Interstate 55) the legendary Route 66 began its run right here. It cut through the state before it ran the whole way to the Pacific Coast. Along the way you’ll see old-time diners and service stations which are a real slice of Americana. Riding South from Chicago, we will pass the old archetypal truck stop town of McLean, but we don’t linger, instead we barrel through the coal-mining area of Illinois and continue along the Pontiac Trail, as this road used to be known. Finally we pull into Springfield, the Illinois state capital. You can choose between staying at either the Hilton Downtown Springfield or the historic Abraham Lincoln Hotel. Both hotels are just a stone’s throw from the site of Abraham Lincoln's Illinois home.

Day 3: Springfield, IL - St. Louis, MO (Miles: 116, Kilometers: 187)

Making our way south, we head towards the state of Missouri on our way to St. Louis, a town rich in history. Along the way, we will pass through a number of Highway towns, which are great places for a stop en route. One thing’s for sure, you should see the famous Dixie truck stop, "Our Lady of the Highway Statue", Litchfield and the "Ariston Café". We will also set aside some time to visit Meramec Caverns as you head for the Mississippi River – a complex of mineral formations which are as rare as they are exquisite. And of course we couldn’t miss the famous "Chain of Rocks Bridge". Now we are properly in Missouri, the state where the Mississippi River meets the Missouri River, and where you can find both forests meet the grassland prairies. It’s a short ride from the state border into the "Gateway to the West," St. Louis, a dynamic and cultured city nestled along the shores of the almighty Mississippi River. You will find not only some of the best live music, but also BBQ ribs in the entire United States in St. Louis. You can also study the magnificent St. Louis Arch from the window of tonight’s accommodations, the centrally located Hampton Inn.

Day 4: St. Louis, MO - Joplin, MO (Miles: 335, Kilometers: 539)

It’s a nice idea to get up a little early before we hit the road. Take a short walk across the street and marvel at an early morning view of the St. Louis Arch and Mississippi River. Soon after we will have St. Louis in our rear view mirrors as we leave the city for the rolling Missouri hills. You will soon see why this is such a popular stretch for riders, especially after working up an appetite for a lunch stop at a place in the middle of nowhere that serves about the best darn BBQ you will ever eat! Tonight we stay in Joplin, a city still recovering from a massive tornado in 2011. We'll meet some of the locals in the downtown neighborhood and hear some hair-raising stories about how it felt to be in the eye of a deadly tornado!

Day 5: Joplin, MO - Oklahoma City, OK (Miles: 255, Kilometers: 411)

Making tracks from Joplin we ride west through Oklahoma, following the contour of a landscape that feels as if it’s always been there. We cover 100 miles between Tulsa and Oklahoma City through what was known in the Old West as Indian country. In the 1830s this land, which was considered basically worthless, was set aside as Indian Territory. It became an expedient dumping ground for the so-called Five Civilized Tribes who had previously acted as a check on white settlement in the southern states. The Seminole of Florida, the Choctaw and the Chickasaw of Mississippi, and the Creek of Alabama were each assigned a share, and the rest was assigned to the Cherokee from Georgia, Carolina and Tennessee. The state still has a large Native American Indian population to this day. As you may or may not already know, "Oklahoma" is actually the Choctaw word for "red man". As we head west we travel through El Reno and then ride over the mile-long bridge, near Bridgeport and straight into Oklahoma City. Be sure and enjoy your stay tonight in the heart and soul of Route 66 country! Your hotel is handily located in the Bricktown Neighborhood, which is packed with shops, restaurants and nightlife.

Day 6: Oklahoma City, OK - Amarillo, TX (Miles: 266, Kilometers: 428)

We get up nice and early for our trip into the Panhandle, the southernmost portion of the Great Plains. Frequently referred to as "the real Texas", the Panhandle really lives up to the popular stereotype of how Texas is supposed to look. Where the buffalo once roamed and the indigenous peoples once lived was considered perilous and uninhabitable frontier country. However its value went up sharply during the 1870s as a source of natural resources - specifically Helium, especially in Amarillo, and oil. Together with agriculture, this brought enormous wealth to the region. Although Amarillo can seem cut off, even from the rest of Texas, it sits on one of the great American cross-country routes – the I-40 (once a part of legendary Route 66), roughly 300 miles from Albuquerque and 250 miles west of Oklahoma City. Home to a few of the world’s largest cattle ranches, Amarillo takes its name from Spanish and means "yellow", the color so distinctive to this territory. The illustrious Ambassador Hotel in Downtown Amarillo will be our hosts this evening. Not only that but our good buddies from "The Big Texan Steakhouse" will pick everybody up at the hotel in a fleet of old Cadillacs with giant bull horns across the hood. On tonight’s menu are the finest steaks in the whole of Texas!

Day 7: Amarillo, TX - Santa Fe, NM (Miles: 303, Kilometers: 488)

It’s time to bid a fond farewell to the Lone Star State. We’re on our way to "The Land of Enchantment", that is New Mexico. After passing through the eccentric and colorful art installation known as Cadillac Ranch, we come to the highly atmospheric ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in Texas and the other in New Mexico. At this stage of the trip, we have 5 states behind us and 3 still ahead. The ride continues through the land of Comanche Indians and into Tucumcari, the largest town between Albuquerque and Amarillo. Then we head up into the High Plains and the slightly dizzying altitudes of Santa Fe in central New Mexico. Santa Fe is one of the oldest and most picturesque cities in the United States. It will be our base for the following two nights, in a hotel just steps from the historic town square and mission, in the heart of Santa Fe’s Old Town.

Day 8: Santa Fe, NM - Albuquerque, NM(Miles: 65, Kilometers: 104)

Only a short ride left today to return our motorcycles. Please let us know if you need a day or two to enjoy the sights and many galleries Santa Fe offers!

What could possibly be better than riding Route 66 on a Harley-Davidson? Well, how about kicking off your Route 66 guided tour with two nights in Milwaukee to visit the Harley-Davidson Headquarters, and to enjoy a private, VIP experience at the Harley-Davidson Museum! This unique experience will be available to less than 50 riders per year. You will spend two nights in our Hotel right next to the Museum, you’ll visit the tiny shed where Mr. Harley and the Davidsons built their first motorcycles; all capped off by a one-of-a-kind Museum Experience. And if that’s not enough, you still have an incredible journey down The Main Street of America, Route 66, to look forward to. Route 66 in and of itself is the journey of a lifetime for most riders. Now, toss in a couple of days immersing yourself in the history, as well as the future, of Harley-Davidson, and you have the recipe for an unforgettable experience that will make you the envy of every rider on the planet.

Harley-Davidson Headquarters and Museum VIP Experience: add two days and two nights to your Route 66 tour!

We will grab a great breakfast at our hotel before making the short van trip to the H-D headquarters where we will be greeted by some of the Executives and Leaders of The Motor Company. We will then have the opportunity to shop in the H-D Corporate Store, an experience that is typically reserved for employees and partners. This is the only place in the world where you can purchase a Harley-Davidson t-shirt with "Juneau, Wisconsin," the street the HQ sits on, as the location. It’s a pretty safe bet you will be the only person in your riding club, or even in your home city, that has the coveted "Juneau" t-shirt. Next we will make our way over to the H-D Museum for a truly VIP, behind the scenes experience. There is a lot to see in the Museum, so feel free to spend as much time as you like. It’s only a ten minute walk back to our accommodation.

• 1 rider 1 motorcycle 1 room: add US$1,080.00, guided tours only
• 2 people 1 motorcycle 1 room: add US$660.00 / per person, guided tours only
• 2 people 2 motorcycles 1 room: add US$600.00 / per person, guided tours only

Cancellation terms

• A reservation may be cancelled up to 45 or more days prior to the pick-up date with no charge. You will receive everything back in the form of store credit
• Cancelling between 44-31 out from your tour start date will have a 50% cancellation fee and the remainder will be put into store credit.
• Cancelling inside of 30 days would forfeit everything as a cancellation fee. Cancellations can be addressed on a case by case basis as well.
• Refunds, if applicable, will be issued in a form of store credit that can be redeemed within 1 year from the date it was issued.
• Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.
• Refunds: No refund policy. In the event of overpayment or customer claim request, all amounts will be issued in the form of a Store Credit.

MINIMUM TOUR PARTICIPANTS
• Our company reserves the right to cancel a tour up to 30 days prior to the departure date if an insufficient number of participants have booked and fully paid by that time.

TOUR CANCELLATION BY US
• In the case of a tour cancellation, the tour participants will be notified by us and will either be offered the tour as a Self- Drive Tour package (bike rental & hotel package) or will be offered the Guided Tour with an additional fee making up for the insufficient number of tour participants.
• If all tour participants do not agree to pay the additional charge, we will refund the payment in full, which will constitute the full settlement and we will be absolved of all liability associated with that booking.
• Our company is not liable for any additional costs or losses incurred by the tour participant due to a tour cancellation. This includes, but is not limited to, the cost of pre-paid airline tickets, hotel reservations or automobile rentals. Situations may arise which make it necessary for us to cancel, advance or postpone a scheduled tour, change itineraries or make substitutions regarding hotels, cities, tour guides and other travel arrangements. In that event, our company does not assume responsibility or liability for any resulting losses, expenses or inconvenience.

Because of the chance of illness, accident, airline inefficiency, company insolvency or other unforeseen situations that may cause a customer (you) to miss a tour, we suggests to purchase travel/medical/health/trip cancellation insurance. It is a little expense that gives you piece of mind, highly recommended!

Insurance

Various motorcycle insurances are available that you can book with your rental, for more information please have a look at our Insurance webpage.

What's included in guided tours?

• Guaranteed first motorcycle model choice
• All hotel accommodations - with highest costumer ratings selected
• Late model motorcycle rental
• Unlimited mileage
• Professional Tour Leaders (Multilingual)
• Support Vehicle equipped with spare bike and room for additional luggage
• Support Vehicle driver
• Welcome & Farewell Celebration with dinner
• Helmets for driver and passenger (half-face)
• Custom Armored Riding Jacket (you will keep it!)
• On-Road Concierge Service
• Custom Tour Completion Patch
• Breakfast on riding days
• Door to door luggage service
• Fuel & oil on riding days
• Transportation between hotel and rental location
• Mobile Tour Guide App
• Toll Fees
• One Way Transfer fees (motorcycle only)
• National Park entrance fees
• Hotel Parking fees
• All taxes, fees, and environmental surcharges

What's not included in guided tours?

• Airfares
• Insurance
• Motorcycle security deposit (amount based on selected insurance)
• Food and snacks (except for welcome & farewell meals)
• Beverages
• Tips
• Personal souvenirs

What's included in self-guided tours?

• All hotel accommodations
• Late model motorcycle rental
• Unlimited mileage
• Helmets for driver and passenger
• All taxes, fees, and environmental surcharges
• Transportation between hotel and rental location (within 5 miles, save receipt for rental location)
• One Way Transfer fees (motorcycle only)
• Co-pilot book
• Detailed day by day or hour by hour itinerary
• Routing with scenic drive specific for motorbikes
• Tips for local areas
• GPS Navigation Unit (taxable): $15.00 per day (Required Security Deposit: authorized $250 hold on a major credit card)
• Customized Pre-Planned Trip to the GPS Unit (taxable): $10.00 per day

What's NOT included in self-guided tours?

• Airfares
• Insurance
• Motorcycle security deposit (amount based on selected insurance)
• Food and snacks
• Beverages
• Fuel and oil
• Insurance
• Tips
• Personal souvenirs
• Parking fees, park entrance fees, road or toll charges
• Motorcycle security deposit (amount based on selected insurance)
• Seasonal surcharges
• Rally surcharges
• Transfer airport-hotel-airport

To book this tour we need following information from you:

• Date of arrival (rental/riding starts next morning)
• Rider(s): name, jacket size, home address, nationality, required insurance option(s): VIP Zero, VIP, SLI, selection of motorcycle model choice, room type: one or two beds in room? Any additional hotel rooms before or after the tour?
• Pillion(s): name, jacket size, nationality
• Booking deposit: 20% per motorcycle
• Final payment: 6 weeks before tour commences
• Payment method: bank transfer to our bank account. We also accept US personal checks (scanned to e-mail or mailed to our office).
• PayPal and MoneyGram payments are not accepted

Please note: please do not purchase domestic/international airline tickets until tour is confirmed by us!