The southern-most region has everything - stunning scenery, great motorcycling roads, wonderful food and tons of culture

Miles of empty tarmac, great weather, fantastic food, cheap beer… we love riding in Andalusia

The land between Granada and the Portuguese border is the sunny heart of Andalusia, where white-painted villages hover in the heat haze, surrounded by olive groves. Let the tourists keep the Costa del Sol while we take to the sierras, shaded by cork groves and revelling in the fantastic roads. The riding in Andalusia is so sublimely, transcendently good that even though it’s a long way away, it’s absolutely worth the effort of getting there.

WHERE TO STAY

ARACENA

A quaint, artsy little town in the hills above the Rio Tinto, with a compact castle and a museum dedicated to ham (with tastings). Routes 78 & 79 Hotel tip Los Castaños

JAÉN

A fabulous city stuffed with great places to visit – the castle, the cathedra, the Arab baths, the Villardompardo Palace… As fascinating as Granada but half the size. Good riding on the doorstep, too. Routes 73 & 74 Hotel tip Hotel Infanta Cristina

MÁLAGA

An easy base with good facilities – especially for fly-ride trips picking up a hire-bike. If you’re there for the Feria (August 11-18) you’re in for a treat. Routes 75 & 76 Hotel tip Hotel Cortijo la Reina

RONDA

A popular destination with loads to see – a great old town, spectacular gorge – and amazing roads in every direction. Route 77 Hotel tip Hotel Sevilla

OFF THE BIKE

ANTEQUERA

Fabulous old town is well worth a visit – but head out into the hills for the spectacular, bizarre, blasted-rock landscape of El Toral - it's worth a look.

CÓRDOBA

Possibly the most charming city in Spain, with palaces and gardens galore, a glorious old town… and the Mezquita: a huge mosque with a cathedral superimposed in the centre. www.mezquitacordoba.org

EL CHORRO

A small village in a giant landscape. Great lakes nearby but the big draw is the Caminito del Rey – a spectacular gorge walk. Book in advance; don’t wear bike gear – you’ll want cool clothing and walking boots. Awesome.

GRAZALEMA

Grazalema is our favourite of the pueblos blancos – the white towns. Full of character and with great restaurants. Perfect lunch stop.

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

The home of sherry – and a MotoGP race – Jerez is a fascinating city. It has an alcázar a huge cathedral and dancing horses. A wonderful place but it's best when there’s no racing.

MONTEFRÍO

A sleepy but stunning village crowned by a ruined castle – the big attraction of Montefrio is the ride here but it repays a bit of exploring.

SEVILLA

Another big Spanish city, Sevilla still manages to have a small-town feel, thanks to the old town’s narrow streets. The Alcázar is spectacular, the cathedral impressive and the Easter parades simply have to be seen to be believed.

TARIFA

Nice beaches, quaint castle, some good cafes… but Tarifa’s about the sea. On one side, the Atlantic; on the other, the Med. It’s a quietly magical place.

Map of motorcycle routes in Andalusia, Spain

OUR ROUTES

73 NOT-SO-PLAIN JAÉN

Start/finish Jaén
Distance 175 miles
Riding time 6 hours
This route through the olive-growing heartland around Jaén is a fantastic day’s ride. Some narrower roads on the first run to Bedmar, broader, flowing roads to Castillo de Locubín, then the amazingly twisty A-6050 to finish.
Route map, Download the GPX file

74 JAÉN’S ADVENTURES

Start/finish Jaén
Distance 230 miles
Riding time 6.5 hours
This long route heads north from Jaén through the wild Sierra de Andújar, looping back past the beautiful town of Úbeda. A full day’s ride with some narrow roads, through mile after mile of unspoilt countryside.
Route map, Download the GPX file

75 MÁLAGA TO MONTEFRIO

Start/finish Málaga
Distance 215 miles
Riding time 7 hours This full day’s ride is the latest evolution of one of our favourite rides in Andalusia – from Málaga to the town of Montefrío and on, through the quiet olive groves and hills on smooth, serpentine roads.
Route map, Download the GPX file

76 MÁLAGA TO RONDA

Start/finish Málaga
Distance 210 miles
Riding time 6.5 hours
This route loops east from Málaga, passing Ronda for lunch by beautiful Lake Zahara, returning past the equally lovely Guadalhorce lakes. Note though that the Garmin maps incorrectly think one stretch of the route is unpaved: it isn’t. This is all tarmac.
Route map, Download the GPX file

77 RONDA AND GRAZALEMA

Start/finish Ronda
Distance 175 miles
Riding time 6 hours All that’s great about riding in Andalusia in one route – it's no wonder so many of these roads are used for bike launches (but not our favourite one – the ultra-tight Las Palomas pass between Grazalema and Zahara). Can get busy at weekends.
Route map, Download the GPX file

78 ARACENA AND THE RIO TINTO

Start/finish Aracena
Distance 155 miles
Riding time 4.5 hours Aracena’s a charming traditional town set in beautiful countryside. But then you ride south and – boom – you’re in an apocalyptic landscape of blasted earth and pools of blood-red water at the Rio Tinto mines. Blink and you’re back in the countryside. Brilliant riding – and views.
Route map, Download the GPX file

79 ARACENA ALTERNATIVE

Start/finish Aracena
Distance 185 miles
Riding time 5 hours This alternative route rides the amazing Rio Tinto road but in the opposite direction, with more of the wide, smooth, scenic roads looping through the wild countryside with its changing nature.
Route map, Download the GPX file

80 ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA

Start/finish Arcos de la Frontera
Distance 220 miles
Riding time 6.5 hours From inland Arcos to the Trafalga lighthouse and then Tarifa – the southern-most tip of Spain – past Gibraltar and then, inland through the spectacular Sierra de Grazalema: what a ride! Must-ride road A-397 San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda Probably the definitive Andalusian mountain road – long, twisty and thrilling. Just don’t ride it at the weekend: too busy.
Route map, Download the GPX file

Please note: This page contains the route files for The RiDE Guide to motorcycle touring in Spain and Portugal which came free with RiDE magazine in July 2018. These website page are not regularly updated, so please check all critical information before you travel. All route files are in .gpx format. Garmin and BMW users can download the main file, which contains all the routes and our recommended hotels as separate waypoints. TomTom users can download the individual routes and use the Tyre software to convert them. For many routes we also have Google Map links. However, as Google Maps will not plot routes over seasonally closed high Alpine passes (such as those in the Pyrenees) when they’re shut, these may not work for every route all year round.