Motorcycle Dream Portugal

Eleven nights through northern Portugal and over into western Spain, on roads that are among the emptiest in western Europe. Lisbon starts it and the coast comes first.

Nazare is the opening stop, and it is worth knowing why. The underwater canyon offshore focuses Atlantic swell into some of the biggest rideable waves anywhere in the world, and in winter the headland fills with people watching surfers take on faces the height of buildings. Coimbra follows, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, and Fatima is on the route as well, the most visited pilgrimage destination on the continent.

Porto provides the rest day, with the Douro Valley and the Port vineyards terraced into the hillsides above the river. The roads along the Douro are the best in the country, and the valley is a working wine region rather than a theme park. After that the route turns north to Melgaco through the mountainous border hinterland, which is sparsely populated to the point of emptiness, then crosses into Spain for Salamanca and its sandstone old town.

Edelweiss include a choice of BMW motorcycle, eleven nights in comfortable middle-range hotels, a guide and a tour book, with flights separate and the inclusions not itemised in full on the operator’s page. Prices are per person for 2026. Portugal is cheaper, quieter and considerably warmer in shoulder season than the Alps, and the surfacing on its mountain roads is often better. For riders who want a long tour without the summer traffic of central Europe, this is the one to weigh up.