Iberia by Motorcycle: A 10-Day Loop Through Galicia, the Picos, and Northern Portugal

This is the trip we build for first-time visitors who want one ride that covers everything: the Galician coast, the Atlantic limestone peaks of Picos de Europa, the wine canyons of the Ribeira Sacra, and the granite mountains and river valleys of Northern Portugal. Ten riding days, two countries, around 2,400 km on small back roads with very few long stretches of motorway. You start and end in Vigo.

Hotels listed are mid-range and biker-friendly (covered parking, lock-up garages, English spoken). Distances are the actual ride, not Google Maps point-to-point. Time estimates assume long lunches, the occasional viewpoint, and you taking a wrong turn at least once a day, because you will.

Day 1 · Vigo to Ourense via the Ribeira Sacra (160 km)

Pick up the bike at the Vigo garage, get the briefing, gas up, and ride east. You will leave the coast immediately for the Mino river valley. Lunch in Ourense — eat at Tapa Negra or any of the bars in the old town off Rua do Vilar.

Afternoon: from Ourense, take the OU-536 south then the OU-1004 into the Ribeira Sacra. Visit the Santo Estevo monastery (parador, gorgeous), then ride the canyon road along the south side of the Sil river. Overnight at Parador de Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil if you can swing the booking; otherwise Casa Grande de Cristosende is a beautifully restored rural house.

Day 2 · Ribeira Sacra to Leon (270 km)

Ride east out of the Ribeira Sacra into the province of Lugo, then onto the LU-651 and N-VI through the village of O Cebreiro, where the Camino de Santiago crosses the mountain ridge. Stop at O Cebreiro for the photographs and a coffee. Then drop down into the Bierzo wine country (worth a stop at Cacabelos for a tasting of Mencia) and on to Leon.

Leon is one of the most under-rated cities in Spain. The Romanesque cathedral and the Real Basilica de San Isidoro are worth the visit. Eat tapas in the Barrio Humedo. Overnight at NH Plaza Mayor or Hotel Real Colegiata San Isidoro.

Day 3 · Leon to Potes via the Picos (210 km)

This is the day you have been waiting for. Out of Leon north on the N-621, through the Tarna pass, into the southern face of the Picos de Europa. Lunch at Riaño with views of the reservoir and the Picos behind it.

From Riaño, take the N-621 north over the Pandetrave pass and into Potes. This road is one of the great motorcycle roads of Europe — switchback after switchback, light traffic, limestone walls. Park the bike at the Potes parking square and walk the medieval old town. Overnight at Hotel Picos de Valdecoro or Hospederia Pena Cabarga.

Day 4 · The Potes Triangle (150 km · rest day for the body, full day for the bike)

The Potes Triangle loop: Potes → Espinama → Fuente De cable car → Riaño → Cangas de Onis → back to Potes via the Cares river road. Light kilometres, heavy scenery. Take the cable car at Fuente De up to the mountain plateau (the bike stays parked at the base). Stop at the Cares river gorge for the walk.

Eat lunch at Casa Cipriano in Sotres (the Asturian lamb) or at El Naranjo de Bulnes in Bulnes. Get back to Potes for the second night.

Day 5 · Potes to Santander via the Atlantic coast (180 km)

Ride out of the Picos via the coast at San Vicente de la Barquera (eat fresh anchovies and white wine at one of the harbour bars). Then ride east along the Cantabrian coast, with stops at Santillana del Mar (the medieval town, not the modern one), the Altamira cave museum (replica of the cave paintings), and the beach at Comillas.

Overnight in Santander itself — eat dinner at La Bombi for the best seafood in the city. Stay at Hotel Bahia overlooking the bay.

Day 6 · Santander to Bilbao to San Sebastian (240 km)

You will probably ride faster today because the road is straighter. Bilbao for lunch at the Mercado de la Ribera. Half an hour at the Guggenheim if you have the energy. Then ride the coast road east through Getaria (the village where Cristobal Balenciaga was born) to San Sebastian for the night.

San Sebastian is, on a per-capita basis, probably the best place to eat dinner on the Iberian peninsula. Do the pintxos crawl in the Parte Vieja — Bar Borda Berri, La Cuchara de San Telmo, Atari. Three small plates and a glass of txakoli at each. Overnight at Hotel de Londres on the beach.

Day 7 · San Sebastian to Burgos via the Sierra de la Demanda (260 km)

Inland day. Ride south through the Basque country into La Rioja for lunch at Asador Echaurren in Ezcaray (Michelin-starred lamb chops over coals) and then on through the Sierra de la Demanda mountains to Burgos. Stop at the monastery of Yuso in San Millan de la Cogolla — the birthplace of the written Spanish language.

Burgos is the second great Gothic cathedral city in Spain (the first is Toledo). Overnight at Hotel Cordon in the old town. Dinner at Casa Ojeda: roast suckling lamb, served the way it was when El Cid was born here.

Day 8 · Burgos to Porto via the Douro Valley (430 km)

The longest riding day. Out of Burgos south then west, into the Duero Valley wine country (this is the river that becomes the Douro when it crosses into Portugal). Stop at Penafiel for the castle on the hill above the town. Cross the border around midday.

Then comes the ride you have been hearing about: the N222 between Regua and Pinhao. Voted Most Scenic Drive in the World by Avis in 2015, and not contested by any sensible motorcyclist since. Sweeping curves above terraced vineyards that hang off the hillsides like patient pieces of impossible engineering.

Overnight in Porto. Stay at The Yeatman on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river for the view of the city. Have dinner at Cantinho do Avillez.

Day 9 · Porto to Peneda-Geres National Park (220 km)

Half-day morning in Porto if you can stand to leave: walk the riverfront, drink port at one of the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia. Then ride north into the Peneda-Geres national park. Stop at Braga (the religious capital of Portugal) and the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary above it.

Geres itself is a wild place — granite mountains, peat bogs, ancient oak forests. Ride the N308-1 through the heart of the park. Overnight at Pousada de Geres or Pousada Caniçada.

Day 10 · Geres back to Vigo (140 km)

Quiet ride back across the border into Galicia and home. Stop in Tui for lunch on the Spanish side of the river. Drop the bike at the Vigo garage by mid-afternoon. Spend the last night in Vigo proper — go down to O Berbes near the harbour for a final plate of octopus and a bottle of Albarino.

What it costs

Approximate budget for two riders, two bikes, 10 days, mid-range hotels, all the listed restaurants:

Bike rental: €114 × 2 × 10 = €2,280
Hotels: ~€1,400 (€140 average per room per night, twin)
Food and fuel: ~€1,800 (€90 per rider per day)
Pickup from Porto/Santiago if not Vigo: €110
Gear rentals if you fly in without: helmet/jacket/gloves €170 per rider for the trip

Total: ~€5,700 for two riders, all in, not counting flights.

How to book this trip

You can build this trip yourself if you want. We have the GPX files for every day on our Routes page, free for any customer.

If you would rather not handle the hotels, restaurant reservations, and timing yourself, this is exactly the kind of trip our Full concierge tier is built for. €250 planning fee on top of the rental — we book every hotel, every dinner, every winery visit, and we are one WhatsApp message away the entire trip. If anything changes (weather, hotel cancellation, sudden mood for a different route) we re-route in the moment.

Plan this trip with us →