Motorcycle tour around the Iberian Peninsula
Just like in the past 20 years, we are embarking on another grand motorcycle tour around the Iberian Peninsula in 2025. This year, our journey will take us down to Gibraltar, westwards along the south coast to Cabo Sao Vicente, northwards to Porto, on the north coast of Spain eastwards into the Pyrenees and back to Nuremberg.
One of the goals of this Motorcycle tour around the Iberian Peninsula is to fulfill a long-held wish of our Horst. Every time we return home from a long ride to the far north of Europe, he regularly says: “Come on, let’s keep going straight to Gibraltar. Then we will have crossed Europe from the North Cape to its southernmost tip!”
He’s not entirely correct, as the southernmost point of the continent is Punta de Tarifa (36°0′24″N). It is located on the island of Isla de Las Palomas, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Tarifa Point is the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula and continental Europe. It lies in the province of Cádiz and the autonomous community of Andalusia at the Atlantic end of the Strait of Gibraltar.
By the way: Just a few arcseconds further north is Cape Tenaro (36° 23.17’N) in Greece, which we have also “experienced.”
Nevertheless, we will refer to Gibraltar as the “southernmost” point of the tour. Other extremes on this journey include:
- The southwesternmost corner of mainland Europe: Cabo Sao Vicente and the “Last Bratwurst Before America.”
- The westernmost point of the continent: Cabo da Roca, near Sintra.
With this, we will have visited the northernmost, westernmost, and southernmost mainland points of Europe. If we consider the southeasternmost point to be Cape Malea in Greece, we have already been there as well. What few people know: Cape Tainaron, at the southern tip of the Mani Peninsula, is almost on the same latitude as Tarifa Point!
But this is all about the motorcycle tour around the Iberian Peninsula! If you’re interested in reading reports about this wild adventure, check out the Nordkappen website, where each day of the journey is described in text and images. Unfortunately it is only in German language. Alternatively, you can click directly on individual days and travel reports:
Route of the Motorcycle Tour Around the Iberian Peninsula
- Day 1 – After starting at Café Hofmann, we will mostly ride on highways (terrible—but sometimes necessary for travel!) until near Lyon. Overnight stay at Château de Varambon. Distance: ~770 km.
- Day 2 – From Lyon to Tossa de Mar – 650 km – Overnight at Delfin Hotel.
- Day 3 – From Tossa de Mar to Cañete – 550 km – Overnight at Hostal Restaurante La Muralla.
- Day 4 – From Cañete to Ardales – 600 km – Overnight at Hotel Posada Del Conde.
- Day 5 – Today’s plan includes a hike on the Caminito del Rey. We’ll see if it works out, as tickets are hard to get. We will stay another night at Posada del Conde (didn’t work out 🙁 so we did a round trip around Ardales instead).
- Day 6 – From Ardales to Castillo del Castellar – 210 km – Overnight at Hotel Tugasa Castillo de Castellar.
- Day 7 – From Castillo del Castellar to Gibraltar – 50 km – Overnight at Bristol Hotel.
- Day 8 – From Gibraltar to Lagos, Portugal – 500 km – Overnight at Top City Hotel Lagos.
- Day 9 – From Lagos via Cabo San Vicente and Lisbon to Baleal – 470 km – Overnight at Casa das Mares.
- Day 10 – From Baleal via Nazare to Porto – 300 km – Overnight at Nh Porto Jardim.
- Day 11 – From Porto to La Pola de Gordón – 460 km – Overnight at Hotel Restaurante Bicis & Vacas.
- Day 12 – From La Pola de Gordón to Bilbao – 380 km – Overnight at Nh Villa de Bilbao.
- Day 13 – From Bilbao to Laruns, France – 415 km – Overnight at La Caverne.
- Day 14 – From Les Eaux Chaudes to Viaduct de Millau – 450 km – Overnight at The Tavern.
- Day 15 – From Castelnau-Pegayrols to Chalon sur Saône – 500 km – Overnight at Hotel Saint Jean.
- Day 16 – From Chalon sur Saône to Strasbourg – 400 km – Overnight at Hotel de L’Europe.
- Day 17 – From Strasbourg to Eckental – 360 km – Overnight in our own beds. 🙂