Douro Valley N222 by Motorcycle: Régua to Pinhão and the Port Wine Roads

The N222 along the Douro is one of those roads riders hear about long before they ride it. The famous part is short, about 27 kilometres between Peso da Régua and Pinhão, but every one of those kilometres is a bend. The road hugs the south bank of the river, the vineyards climb the valley walls in terraces above you, and the water sits close on your left the whole way. It is not a fast road and it is not meant to be. Ride it at an easy pace and it is one of the most beautiful rides in southern Europe.

This guide turns the famous stretch into a two-day trip of around 260 kilometres from a base in the valley, so you ride the N222 in both directions and add the hill roads on either side.

Getting to the Douro

Porto is the gateway. From the city it is about an hour and a half east to Peso da Régua on the A4 and A24 motorways, or a slower, prettier half day on the old national roads through Amarante. Riders coming from Spain usually enter the north of Portugal through Galicia or via Zamora and Bragança, then drop south into the valley. Portuguese motorways carry tolls, and several of them use electronic gantries only, with no booth to pay at. Foreign-registered bikes need to register a card or buy a prepaid toll option before using them; Portugal's toll operators explain the options, so check before you cross the border rather than after.

Day one: the N222 and Pinhão (about 110km)

Peso da Régua to Pinhão on the N222 (about 27km). Leave Régua on the south side of the river and pick up the N222 east. Within a few minutes the road settles into its rhythm: left, right, left, with the river on one side and stone terrace walls on the other. Lines of sight are short because the road follows every fold of the valley, so keep your speed where you can stop in what you can see. There are small pull-ins where you can stop for photographs of the river and the quintas on the far bank. Pinhão sits where the Pinhão river meets the Douro, and its railway station is decorated with blue and white tile panels of the wine harvest. It is a natural coffee stop.

Into the hills above Pinhão (about 40km). Cross the bridge at Pinhão and climb north into the vineyard hills toward Sabrosa and Alijó. These roads are narrower and steeper than the N222, with hairpins up through the terraces and big views back down to the river. Surfaces vary from fresh tarmac to patched village lanes, and tractors work the vines most of the year.

Back to Régua (about 45km). Return to the river and ride the N222 west to Régua. It is a different road in this direction, with the evening light coming down the valley in front of you. If you have time, the Douro Museum in Régua tells the story of the port wine trade.

Day two: the N2, Vila Real and Lamego (about 150km)

North on the N2 to Vila Real (about 25km). The N2 runs the length of Portugal, from Chaves near the Spanish border to Faro on the Algarve, and it passes right through the Douro at Régua. North of Régua it climbs out of the valley in a long series of bends through vineyards and pine woods to Vila Real. Just outside Vila Real, the Mateus palace, the one on the old rosé wine label, is worth a stop.

Vila Real into the Marão hills (about 50km). From Vila Real, ride the minor roads west into the hills of the Serra do Marão and back down toward the river. This is wilder country than the valley floor, with granite, heather and pine, and very little traffic.

Régua south to Lamego and back along the river (about 75km). Cross the river at Régua and ride the N2 south to Lamego, about 12 kilometres of climbing bends. Lamego's sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios sits at the top of a huge baroque stairway; ride up to the top for the view. From Lamego, take the small roads east through the vineyards and drop back to the river toward Pinhão for one last run of the N222.

The roads

The N222 itself is well surfaced and well cambered, but it is narrow in places and lined by stone walls with no run-off. Tour coaches and wine estate vans use it, and on the tighter bends a coach takes the whole road. The hill roads above the valley are steeper and more broken, with gravel at junctions and estate entrances. During the harvest, usually September into early October, tractors pulling grape trailers are everywhere, and they leave juice and mud on the road. Watch for it on the bends.

Fuel is easy to find in Régua, Pinhão, Vila Real and Lamego, but the hill villages often have no station at all. Fill up before you leave the river.

When to go

Spring (March to June) and autumn (September to November) are the best times. In spring the vines are fresh green and the almond trees flower on the higher slopes; in autumn the valley turns red and gold after the harvest. July and August are very hot in the valley, often well over 35°C in the afternoon, and the riding is far better in the early morning. Winter is mild but wet, and the terraces are bare.

Riding in Portugal

Portugal drives on the right. Motorcycles must use dipped headlights, and helmets are compulsory for rider and pillion. Speed limits are generally 50km/h in towns, 90km/h on ordinary roads and 120km/h on motorways, unless signed otherwise. Rules change, so check the Portuguese road safety authority (ANSR) before you travel.

Combining the Douro with the rest of the north

The Douro sits at the heart of a very good riding region. The Peneda-Gerês national park is about two hours north-west, with granite mountain roads and almost no traffic. The Serra da Estrela, mainland Portugal's highest mountains, is about two hours south. A week could run Porto, the Douro, the Serra da Estrela and back to the coast with barely a motorway. Coming from Spain, the Picos de Europa makes a strong first stop on the way down.

Where to stay in the Douro

Stay on the river. Peso da Régua is the practical base, with fuel, food and the most rooms; Pinhão is smaller and quieter, and many of the wine estates (quintas) in the valley take guests, often with a courtyard where a bike can stand overnight. Ask about parking when you book: some quintas are reached by steep gravel tracks. See our northern Portugal biker hotels for places that welcome riders.