The N222 between Peso da Régua and Pinhão is 27 km (17 miles) of road with 93 bends, following the north bank of the Douro through terraced vineyards, and it is routinely called the best driving road in the world. That label comes from one specific place: a 2015 study commissioned by the car rental company Avis, which worked with physicist Mark Hadley of the University of Warwick to build an index weighing corners, acceleration, straights and braking, and put this stretch of the N222 at the top. It is a marketing-funded exercise rather than an independent survey, and worth taking as such — but the road itself genuinely is very good, and the landscape it runs through is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
What 27 km and 93 bends actually feels like
This is not a mountain road. There is no pass, no altitude, no snow gate. The N222 works because it is pinned to the side of a river valley whose slopes are cut into terraces, so the road has to follow every fold in the hillside — which is where the bend count comes from. Corners arrive at a steady rhythm, mostly second and third gear, with the river appearing and disappearing below you and vine terraces stacked overhead like contour lines.
What it is not is a road for speed. It is narrow in places, the surface is good but not perfect, and it carries local traffic including agricultural vehicles. The pleasure is in flow rather than pace, and the view does a lot of the work. Riders who arrive expecting a technical challenge tend to be underwhelmed; riders who arrive expecting a beautiful hour on a bike are not.
Route at a glance
| Length | 27 km / 17 miles, Peso da Régua to Pinhão |
| Bends | 93, on the Avis study's count |
| The claim | Named best driving road in the world in a 2015 study commissioned by Avis |
| Landscape status | Alto Douro Wine Region, UNESCO World Heritage since 2001 |
| Wine region | Douro demarcated 1756, among the first regulated wine regions in the world |
| Riding time | 45–60 minutes one way at a sane pace, half a day with stops |
| Season | Rideable year-round; wet and misty in winter, hot and busy at harvest |
| Nearest base | Peso da Régua or Pinhão, both on the river and on the railway |
Open the N222 in Google Maps — Peso da Régua to Pinhão, ready to send to your navigation before you set off.
The valley the road runs through
The Douro is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge, rising in the Spanish province of Soria and running west into northern Portugal. What makes this stretch of it unlike anywhere else is what humans did to the slopes. The Douro was formally demarcated as a wine region in 1756, one of the first regulated wine regions anywhere, with the vineyards marked out by granite posts known as marcos de feitoria. The terracing that resulted has been rebuilt and extended for more than two and a half centuries, and in 2001 UNESCO inscribed the Alto Douro Wine Region as a living, evolving cultural landscape.
Peso da Régua is the practical capital of all this. The town rose to prominence after the Marquess of Pombal's demarcation and the founding of the Companhia Geral das Vinhas do Alto Douro in 1756, which made it the commercial centre for the region's wine. Today it has around 17,000 inhabitants across its municipality and is where most riders start.
Riding it in each direction
West to east, Régua to Pinhão, is the direction the study measured and the direction most people ride. You leave Régua climbing gently away from the bridge, and the valley opens progressively as you go — the best-known viewpoints come in the second half, and Pinhão at the end makes a natural stop, with its railway station covered in blue azulejo tile panels showing the wine harvest.
East to west, the reverse, is quieter and puts the sun behind you in the afternoon. Riders report it as the better photographic direction in late light. If you have half a day, ride it both ways — at 27 km each way that costs you an hour and doubles the good bit.
Beyond Pinhão the N222 continues toward São João da Pesqueira and eventually Vila Nova de Foz Côa, and this continuation is worth adding: less famous, less traffic, and arguably more spectacular as the valley narrows. If you have a full day, take the road on past Pinhão rather than turning around at the town.
Harvest, weather and the times to avoid
Two seasons change the character of this road completely. The wine harvest, in September and early October, fills the valley with tractors, grape trailers and slow-moving farm traffic, and every viewpoint car park with tour buses. The scenery is at its best and the riding at its most frustrating. Winter goes the other way: the valley holds fog and low cloud for days at a time, the terraces are bare, and the road surface stays damp under the terrace walls where the sun never reaches.
Late spring and early summer are the compromise: green terraces, long daylight, dry roads, and none of the harvest traffic. Summer afternoons in the valley get genuinely hot — the Douro is a sheltered inland valley and holds heat the way the coast does not.
Practical details
Getting there. Most riders come from Porto, about 100 km west. The fast route is the A4 motorway and the direct one is the N108 along the south bank of the river, which is slower, prettier and free. Approaching from Spain, the natural entry is via Bragança or Vilar Formoso. If you are building a longer trip, the Douro slots naturally into a north-to-south run — see our overview of the best motorcycle roads in Portugal for how it links to the Serra da Estrela and the south.
Tolls. Portugal's motorway network is tolled, and several routes use electronic-only gantries with no booths, which means foreign-registered vehicles need to register a payment method before using them. Motorcycles fall into the lowest vehicle class and a 2025 law created a separate toll category for two- and three-wheelers; the exact treatment and rates change, so check the current arrangements with the motorway operator and the electronic toll service before you ride. The N222 itself is toll-free.
Fuel. Peso da Régua and Pinhão both have fuel. The N222 between them, and the continuation east toward São João da Pesqueira, does not have much. Fill before you commit to the eastern extension.
Wine. This is a region built entirely around alcohol, and most quintas offer tastings. On a motorcycle that is a problem rather than an opportunity — Portugal's drink-driving limits are strict and enforced. Plan the tasting for the day you are not riding, or spit.
Surface and hazards. The road is well maintained but narrow, with stone walls close on the uphill side and drops on the other. Local drivers cut corners. Damp patches persist under terrace shade long after rain, and there is often grit at the mouths of the vineyard access tracks that join the road.
Gear notes for the Douro
The Douro is a valley where the road numbers stop being useful — the N222, N323, N101 and a web of unnumbered quinta roads all interconnect, junctions are signed for villages rather than routes, and mobile coverage between the terrace walls is patchy. Having the run and the extension loaded before you leave, on a navigation setup that works offline, means you can take an unplanned turn without losing the thread; a JADO S6 riding system puts it on a screen you can read at a junction in full sun. Because the valley runs hot and the road is almost all corners, tyre temperature and pressure move more here than the short distance suggests — our tyre pressure guide covers what that changes, and a TPMS sensor shows it as you ride rather than at the next stop. For riders basing themselves in a rural quinta with one accessible socket, an MT100 bi-directional charger covers the whole kit overnight.
FAQ
Is the N222 really the best driving road in the world?
It won that title in a 2015 study commissioned by Avis and carried out with a University of Warwick physicist, scoring the road on corners, acceleration, straights and braking. It is a well-publicised marketing study rather than an independent ranking. The road is excellent; the superlative is a claim with a specific and commercial origin.
How long does the N222 take on a motorcycle?
The 27 km from Peso da Régua to Pinhão takes 45–60 minutes at a relaxed pace. Riding it both ways with viewpoint stops fills a half day; adding the continuation east of Pinhão makes it a full one.
When is the best time to ride the Douro valley?
Late spring to early summer. September and early October bring the harvest, which is the most beautiful and the most congested time of year. Winter is often fogged in.
Is the road suitable for a large touring bike?
Yes. It is narrow in places but fully two-lane and well surfaced. The constraint is other traffic and blind corners rather than the road itself.
Where should you stay?
Peso da Régua for services and transport links, Pinhão for the setting. Both are small, and both fill up fast during the harvest — book well ahead if you are riding in September.
