Global Motorcycle Tours

TOUR INFORMATION

Your adventure gets under way as soon as you roll off the ferry in Santander. Within the hour, you will be enjoying the quiet, open roads of the Picos de Europa National Park, experiencing some of the finest motorcycle routes in Europe. This theme continues throughout the tour as you cross the Spanish regions of Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia, and Castilla y León, alongside the Portuguese provinces of Minho, Douro Litoral, Beira Alta, and Trás-os-Montes.

This tour features balanced, sensible daily mileages without excessively long transit legs, making it suitable for a wide range of riders. While the mountain roads offer plenty of rewarding, technical riding, competent first-timers and seasoned touring veterans alike will find this route comfortable and deeply enjoyable. Filled with incredible scenery, smooth twisties, and superb hand-picked accommodation, this tour offers an unforgettable self-guided experience.

This itinerary is designed around the Plymouth to Santander sailing, which provides the ideal 24-hour crossing time to align seamlessly with the tour schedule. While longer two-night crossings from Portsmouth (to Bilbao or Santander) are available if you prefer a more extended sea voyage, Plymouth to Santander remains our strongly recommended and preferred option.

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 1: Plymouth to Santander (Ferry Crossing)

Your tour begins in Plymouth as you board the flagship of the Brittany Ferries fleet, the Pont-Aven. Featuring an à la carte restaurant, lounge and cocktail bars, and an on-board cinema, it provides the perfect environment to relax and unwind before your riding begins. Unless otherwise requested, we reserve a 4-berth en-suite cabin for two people sharing, or a 2-berth cabin for solo riders. Cabin upgrades (including Outside, Club, or Deluxe options) are available upon request.

Day 2: 62 miles

Your afternoon arrival in Santander allows plenty of time to enjoy a short, scenic opening ride. Leaving the port, you follow the coast along the Bay of Biscay toward the Picos Mountains, which soon rise impressively in the distance. Before long, you join the northern stretch of the famous "Potes and Panes" circuit en route to your first overnight hotel. Nestled in a picturesque mountain village, the hotel features an outdoor swimming pool and sits just a short stroll from authentic local tapas bars and restaurants.

Day 3: 210 miles

Stepping out of the hotel, you are immediately transported into a motorcyclist’s vision of paradise. The southern flanks of the Picos offer mile after mile of flawless tarmac and breathtaking scenery. The sweeping route encircling the Picos de Europa National Park is affectionately known by local riders as the "Potes and Panes" circuit, named after the two gateway towns at its eastern and northern tips. Heading west through the Mampodre Nature Reserve, you ride miles of quiet, scenic back roads before arriving at your next stopover in the historic town of Ponferrada.

Day 4: 190 miles

Continuing west, you enter Galicia—Spain's "land of a thousand rivers"—riding through verdant valleys and mountain passes before crossing into Portugal through the Peneda-Gerês National Park. Your destination for the evening is Guimarães. As the original capital of Portugal and the birthplace of the nation's first king, Guimarães is one of the country's most historic cities. Its well-preserved medieval centre, historic plazas, and atmospheric streets make it a delightful place to explore, dine, and relax.

Day 5: 185 miles

Today the route turns south into the UNESCO-listed Douro Valley, home to Portugal's famous terraced vineyards. Riding high along the ridges above the Douro River, the views across the valley floor are magnificent. Crossing into central Portugal, you reach the Serra da Estrela National Park—a region of extraordinary natural contrast, where heavily forested slopes give way to high-altitude, granite lunar landscapes and sweeping, alpine tarmac.

Day 6: Ride or Rest Day (Optional Route: 100 miles)

Today is a ride or rest day in the heart of the Serra da Estrela. If you choose to take the bike out, a suggested circular route takes you along quiet, lesser-known mountain roads, climbing to the Torre monument—the highest point in mainland Portugal at 1,993 metres. Alternatively, you can take a rest off the bike, enjoy the hotel facilities, and explore the nearby mountain villages at your leisure.

Day 7: 230 miles

Leaving the Serra da Estrela behind, you begin your journey back northwards. The route rejoins the Douro River, following the dramatic river gorge that forms the natural border between Portugal and Spain. Crossing back into Spain, you ride through the Sierra de la Culebra nature reserve—located along the southern fringes of the Cantabrian Mountains—to your overnight stop near the medieval castle town of Puebla de Sanabria.

Day 8: 140 miles

Your day opens across the province of León, characterized by rolling hills, forested peaks, and quiet, stone-built villages. Heading north toward the Cantabrian Range, you stop by the striking reservoir lake at Riaño, where sharp limestone peaks rise dramatically out of the water. Re-entering the Picos de Europa National Park via the eastern arm of the "Potes and Panes" route, you finish the day at your final hotel, set in the heart of the beautiful Liébana Valley.

Day 9: (Ferry Crossing) – 85 miles

Although this is your final riding leg before reaching the ferry, it is far from a simple transit run. The incredible roads continue to the very end as you carve through the magnificent Hermida Gorge (Desfiladero de La Hermida), following the canyon walls back down to Santander for your afternoon Brittany Ferries crossing back to Plymouth.

Day 10: Arrival in Plymouth

Arrive back at Plymouth Ferry Port for your onward journey home.

INSURANCE
If you have not already secured adequate travel insurance, we strongly recommend doing so as soon as possible.

Travel insurance is vital not only for your time on tour, but also to protect you beforehand against unforeseen circumstances such as personal or family illness, or tour cancellation.

MOTORCYCLE HIRE

We do not hire bikes directly but if you wish to take any of our self guided tours and require motorcycle hire click HERE for detail of companies we recommend.

"The hotel accommodation was excellent, the riding routes were well planned and your combined local knowledge made mine and fellow bikers experience memorable. I would highly recommend Global Tours to anyone"  

David ~ Southern Spain & Portugal 2014

"Just wanted to say we enjoyed the northern Spain & Portugal tour immensely. You really put in maximum effort to ensure everyone is looked after. Routes, Hotels, food, company was first class"
Neil & Dianne ~ Northern Spain & Portugal 2021