How to Plan a Motorcycle Route in Southern Spain

It’s hard to find a better year-round motorcycling destination than Southern Spain in Europe. Andalusia is famous for its mild climate even in the winter months, and its stunning mountain twisties and coastal roads make for a fantastic motorcycle playground. But how to plan a motorcycle route in Southern Spain, and where do you begin?

Here are some handy ideas:

The Desert Challenge

Route: Granada – Baza via Gorafe
Distance: 203 km
Duration: 4 hours
Scenic stops: Granada, Guadix, Gorafe

Southern Spain is a wild and diverse country, and depending on your preferences, you can opt for a wide variety of different landscapes and roads. One of the most fascinating destinations in Andalusia, however, is the Tabernas Desert (also known as the Gorafe Desert). Situated just a little east of Granada, a city best-known for its majestic Alhambra fortress worth a visit, the Tabernas Desert looks so surreal it’s hard to believe you’re still in Europe.

Tabernas Desert, Andalusia

Looking uncannily like the red rock badlands of Arizona or Utah, Tabernas boasts red, pink, and beige sandstone canyons and rocks, jaw-dropping rock formations, and dammed turquoise blue lakes contrasting sharply with the ochre hues of the dry land.

Backcountry roads of Southern Spain

The Tabernas Desert resembles the American Wild West landscape so much that Hollywood had moved some of its Western movie productions here, and you can still visit a ghost town in Tabernas built solely for the purposes of shooting spaghetti Westerns.

In addition, the Granada – Baza route has some interesting stops along the way. The little town of Guadix is well-known for its cave homes: thousands of years ago, locals started carving out dwellings out of rocks and canyon walls. A lot of these dwellings are still used today, and if you have the time, be sure to spend a night or two in an authentic cave home in Guadix. Gorafe, a small village located right in the heart of Tabernas, offers incredible views and quirky accommodation.

This route can be ridden in a day, but you can also easily divide it into two or three days if you stay in Guadix and Gorafe and explore locally. The roads here are narrow, twisty backcountry routes ideal for motorcycling, and you’ll always have the stunning backdrop of snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. If you ride here in spring, the landscape comes alive with pink almond tree blossoms making it look like a Dalí painting.

Southern Spain motorcycle roads

The Hemingway Route

Route: Alhama de Granada – San Pedro de Alcantara
Distance: 253 km
Duration: 5 hours
Scenic stops: Montes de Malaga, El Chorro, Caminito del Rey, Sierra de Las Nieves, Ronda

Leaving the desert badlands behind, you’ll head westward and enter the Montes de Malaga Natural Park. This is an exceptionally beautiful area with lush green scenery and glimpses of the bay of Malaga from above. The roads here are beloved by local motorcyclists, and for good reason: these routes are small, quiet, and rural boasting so many twists and turns you’re guaranteed to get your fill of leaning into the curves. Once you hit the outskirts of Malaga and turn north, the backcountry roads will take you to El Chorro, an area of bright blue dammed lakes, rolling hills, and quiet Andalusian countryside.

Caminito del Rey, Ardales

Near Ardales, you may choose to park your bike and do the Caminito del Rey hike. Caminito del Rey is an ancient footpath connecting local villages, and it’s a system of wooden planks and rails cut into the living rock of the canyon. If you’re afraid of heights, tread carefully – oftentimes, the Caminito clings to steep, vertigo-inducing canyon walls. The views, however, are nothing short of spectacular.

Ronda, Southern Spain

Finally, the route will take you around the Sierra de Las Nieves national park famous for its excellent mountain views and the road to Ronda, Ernest Hemingway’s favorite town in Spain. “That is where you should go if you ever go to Spain on a honeymoon or if you ever bolt with anyone”, Hemingway has famously said about Ronda, and the best part is, the road to town is just as spectacular as the place itself. It’s twists and turns all the way, and you’ll see plenty of biker cafes on the roadside if you want to hang out with local riders.

When you hit the coast again, see if you can add Gibraltar to your route and enjoy the meandering coastal roads, or head back to Malaga to catch your flight.

Both of these routes can be combined or modified depending on how much time you have, what you’d like to see or visit, and what sort of roads appeal to you the most. Andalusia is the second largest region in Spain, and you can easily spend weeks exploring this magnificent wild country from Granada all the way to Cadiz. Bear in mind that Southern Spain sees very hot temperatures during the summer months, so your best bet is to ride here in spring or fall.

Eglé Gerulaityté is a motorcycle journalist and author. She works for calimoto's partner MOTOURISMO, the world's largest booking portal and online travel agency for motorcycle tours, training, and shipping. There you'll find many travel options quickly and easily, including Southern Spain motorcycle tour options.