Chaves to Viseu via the River Douro Valley
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 12-01-2022
Route Summary
Rural twisty and hilly roads with great views following the River Douro for 60 miles (95 kms)Great roads and a beautiful landscape earn this route 5***** stars.
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Verdict
Duration
6h 8m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
281.37 km
Countries
Bridge over the river Douro at Pinhão.
RouteXpert Review
This route avoids the major roads and takes you on a journey through the Portuguese countryside. It starts and ends at hotels and I will include links to these below this review. From the hotel, it will take approximately 1.5 hrs to reach the River Douro, a little longer if you stop for lots of pictures. You will have noticed that there are no green route point markers that usually indicate places to stop for a nice picture, this is because there are so many nice places that I have left the choice to you.
I have suggested a place to stop for a coffee when you reach the River Douro at Pinhão, park by the railway station and admire the gorgeous blue and white tiles that depict a variety of Portuguese scenes.
Pinhão is a small, sleepy town that just happens to be in the heart of Port wine country. You only have to look around to see that you are literally surrounded by vines, as the climate is ideal for the grapes that make Port wine. While the small town is quiet and calm for most of the year, the autumn harvest always brings a lively bunch of workers and tourists to town.
The Douro Valley has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 2001 and is a majestic wilderness and one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world. The bridge here was designed by Gustav Eiffel (yes that one) and we use it to cross over the Douro and enter the beautiful valley.
The route follows the river for 60 miles (95 kms), quite often at a high level but constantly twisting and turning and always with a view to the river and terraced vineyards, some famous ones too, like the Sandeman Vineyard.
The route finally leaves the river and stops for lunch at a lovely little town called Castelo de Paiva. There is a square here with parking and a good choice of restaurants.
Although the Douro Valley is said to have some of the most beautiful scenery in Portugal, the route after lunch will not disappoint you with its own stunning views and the fantastic twisty N225 that will take you to Castro Daire some 40 miles (65 kms) away. The N225 typifies the reason that bikers love Portugal, almost empty roads with lots of bends and quite a good surface.
The route joins the iconic N2 at Castro Daire, this road runs for the entire length of Portugal, north to south and has been compared to the famous Route 66 but better! After 20 miles on the N2 you will reach the budget hotel at Viseu.
Sandeman Vineyard. In the heart of the Douro Valley.
Geological fault line, known as Falha da Espiunca.
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Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Nearby routes
Porto
About this region
Porto or Oporto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu] (listen)) is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropolitan area, with an estimated population of just 231,962 people in a municipality with only 41.42 km2. Porto's metropolitan area has around 1.7 million people (2021) in an area of 2,395 km2 (925 sq mi), making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. It is recognized as a global city with a Gamma + rating from the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.Located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and its core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar". The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name Portugal, based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. In Portuguese, the name of the city includes a definite article: o Porto ("the port" or "the harbor"), which is where its English name "Oporto" comes from.Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export of fortified wine. In 2014 and 2017, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency. Porto is on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago.
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Along the routes there are more than enough nice places to stop for a short or longer period, these are described in the review and with a waypoint and POI included in the routes.
Have fun reading and planning your next motorcycle vacation.
If you have ridden these routes I would like to hear your feedback.
You drive over beautiful mountain ridges and through beautiful valleys. Along the way you drive through beautiful villages and countless nature reserves, great passes with countless curves, tunnels cut out of the mountains and azure blue reservoirs. The roads are fair to good, sometimes unpaved.
What you get to see along the way;
Spanish Pyrenees
Parc Naturel del Cadi-Moixero
Serra del Cadí
Serra de Moixeró
Pedraforca
Serra del Monsec
Collada de Clarà
Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Collados del Asón Natural Park.
Parque natural Saja-Besaya
Parque natural de Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre
Parque natural de la Montana de Riano y Mampodre
Picos de Europa
El Parque regional Montaña de Riaño y Mampodre
El Parque natural de Redes
The Sierra de la Culebra
Parque natural Montesinho
Along the routes there are more than enough nice places to stop for a short or longer period, these are described in the review and with a waypoint and POI included in the routes.
Have fun reading and planning your next motorcycle vacation.
If you have ridden these routes I would like to hear your feedback.
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