diff --git a/include/boost/geometry/algorithms/touches.hpp b/include/boost/geometry/algorithms/touches.hpp
index 7cb551472..069e0dd45 100644
--- a/include/boost/geometry/algorithms/touches.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/geometry/algorithms/touches.hpp
@@ -28,8 +28,10 @@
 #include <boost/geometry/algorithms/disjoint.hpp>
 #include <boost/geometry/algorithms/intersects.hpp>
 #include <boost/geometry/algorithms/num_geometries.hpp>
-
 #include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/sub_geometry.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/static_visitor.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/apply_visitor.hpp>
+#include <boost/variant/variant_fwd.hpp>
 
 namespace boost { namespace geometry
 {
@@ -489,6 +491,96 @@ struct touches<Areal1, Areal2, Tag1, Tag2, areal_tag, areal_tag, false>
 } // namespace dispatch
 #endif // DOXYGEN_NO_DISPATCH
 
+
+namespace resolve_variant {
+
+template <typename Geometry1, typename Geometry2>
+struct touches
+{
+    static bool apply(Geometry1 const& geometry1, Geometry2 const& geometry2)
+    {
+        concept::check<Geometry1 const>();
+        concept::check<Geometry2 const>();
+
+        return dispatch::touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>
+                       ::apply(geometry1, geometry2);
+    }
+};
+
+template <BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(typename T), typename Geometry2>
+struct touches<boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T)>, Geometry2>
+{
+    struct visitor: boost::static_visitor<bool>
+    {
+        Geometry2 const& m_geometry2;
+
+        visitor(Geometry2 const& geometry2): m_geometry2(geometry2) {}
+
+        template <typename Geometry1>
+        bool operator()(Geometry1 const& geometry1) const
+        {
+            return touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>::apply(geometry1, m_geometry2);
+        }
+    };
+
+    static inline bool
+    apply(boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T)> const& geometry1,
+          Geometry2 const& geometry2)
+    {
+        return boost::apply_visitor(visitor(geometry2), geometry1);
+    }
+};
+
+template <typename Geometry1, BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(typename T)>
+struct touches<Geometry1, boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T)> >
+{
+    struct visitor: boost::static_visitor<bool>
+    {
+        Geometry1 const& m_geometry1;
+
+        visitor(Geometry1 const& geometry1): m_geometry1(geometry1) {}
+
+        template <typename Geometry2>
+        bool operator()(Geometry2 const& geometry2) const
+        {
+            return touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>::apply(m_geometry1, geometry2);
+        }
+    };
+
+    static inline bool
+    apply(Geometry1 const& geometry1,
+          boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T)> const& geometry2)
+    {
+        return boost::apply_visitor(visitor(geometry1), geometry2);
+    }
+};
+
+template <BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(typename T1),
+          BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(typename T2)>
+struct touches<boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T1)>,
+               boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T2)> >
+{
+    struct visitor: boost::static_visitor<bool>
+    {
+        template <typename Geometry1, typename Geometry2>
+        bool operator()(Geometry1 const& geometry1,
+                        Geometry2 const& geometry2) const
+        {
+            return touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>::apply(geometry1, geometry2);
+        }
+    };
+
+    static inline bool
+    apply(boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T1)> const& geometry1,
+          boost::variant<BOOST_VARIANT_ENUM_PARAMS(T2)> const& geometry2)
+    {
+        return boost::apply_visitor(visitor(), geometry1, geometry2);
+    }
+};
+
+} // namespace resolve_variant
+
+
 /*!
 \brief \brief_check{has at least one touching point (self-tangency)}
 \note This function can be called for one geometry (self-tangency) and
@@ -543,10 +635,7 @@ inline bool touches(Geometry const& geometry)
 template <typename Geometry1, typename Geometry2>
 inline bool touches(Geometry1 const& geometry1, Geometry2 const& geometry2)
 {
-    concept::check<Geometry1 const>();
-    concept::check<Geometry2 const>();
-
-    return dispatch::touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>::apply(geometry1, geometry2);
+    return resolve_variant::touches<Geometry1, Geometry2>::apply(geometry1, geometry2);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/test/algorithms/test_touches.hpp b/test/algorithms/test_touches.hpp
index 5df70fbfe..97b7a4df0 100644
--- a/test/algorithms/test_touches.hpp
+++ b/test/algorithms/test_touches.hpp
@@ -35,16 +35,15 @@
 
 #include <boost/geometry/multi/io/wkt/read.hpp>
 
+#include <boost/variant/variant.hpp>
+
 template <typename Geometry1, typename Geometry2>
-void test_touches(std::string const& wkt1,
-        std::string const& wkt2, bool expected)
+void check_touches(Geometry1 const& geometry1,
+                   Geometry2 const& geometry2,
+                   std::string const& wkt1,
+                   std::string const& wkt2,
+                   bool expected)
 {
-    Geometry1 geometry1;
-    Geometry2 geometry2;
-
-    bg::read_wkt(wkt1, geometry1);
-    bg::read_wkt(wkt2, geometry2);
-
     bool detected = bg::touches(geometry1, geometry2);
 
     BOOST_CHECK_MESSAGE(detected == expected,
@@ -62,6 +61,25 @@ void test_touches(std::string const& wkt1,
         << " detected: " << detected);
 }
 
+template <typename Geometry1, typename Geometry2>
+void test_touches(std::string const& wkt1,
+        std::string const& wkt2, bool expected)
+{
+    Geometry1 geometry1;
+    Geometry2 geometry2;
+
+    bg::read_wkt(wkt1, geometry1);
+    bg::read_wkt(wkt2, geometry2);
+
+    boost::variant<Geometry1> v1(geometry1);
+    boost::variant<Geometry2> v2(geometry2);
+
+    check_touches(geometry1, geometry2, wkt1, wkt2, expected);
+    check_touches(v1, geometry2, wkt1, wkt2, expected);
+    check_touches(geometry1, v2, wkt1, wkt2, expected);
+    check_touches(v1, v2, wkt1, wkt2, expected);
+}
+
 
 template <typename Geometry>
 void test_self_touches(std::string const& wkt, bool expected)