If you ask me, heaven truly exists. Biker heaven, that is, and I'm lucky enough to live right in the middle of it. Catalonia is a region in the north-east of Spain and it has everything: beautiful coasts, twisty mountains, delicious food and cold beer waiting at the end of it all. What else would a biker want? For all those reasons I moved here in 2017 and I'll give you all the ins and outs, so you'll know exactly where to go.
Parc Natural de Montseny
I'll start close to home. Montseny is a mountain range named after one of the villages in the area. About an hour from Barcelona, it's a favorite of bikers in the city. I loved it so much, that I decided to move right next to it, and as a consequence, I often refer to it as 'my backyard'.
Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this area. If you start near Campins and go counter-clockwise, you'll be going up via a road that's nothing short of a race-track: wide roads, smooth pavement, endless curves, some of which are actually banked. The second half gives you amazing views.
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My favorite stops along the way include Avet Blau halfway between Campins and Viladrau, and Restaurante Can Rafael in Seva.
Avet Blau is very popular among bikers. The food is simple but tasty (botifarra, the local sausage, yum!) and they have a big fireplace which is a lifesaver during a winter ride. Make sure to bring cash, as you can't pay by card.
Restaurante Can Rafael in Seva is a traditional restaurant that is especially known for its rice dishes. They have plenty of choices and honestly, pick whatever you like because you can't go wrong.
By the way, rumor has it that there are also countless dirt roads. I haven't tried them yet, but go explore and tell me all about them so I can add it to this list!
Sant Hilari Sacalm to Tavertet
Montseny is where I go when I want a quick ride before or after work, but when I've got all day, Tavertet is my favorite. Road-wise, nothing beats that first half of Montseny if you ask me, but Tavertet wins it on views. Easily!
I would suggest you start in Sant Hilari Sacalm if you come via the C25, or Hostalric if you're coming from Barcelona. Start the day with breakfast at La Pedra Llarga. When you go there on a Saturday or Sunday morning, the roundabout in front of it will be full of motorcycles.
The road from there to Osor is very narrow and I wouldn't recommend it in winter or after rainy days, because it will get slippery. I like it nonetheless because it's like a little canyon next to a small river, you'll often encounter goats, which still amuses me every time, and there is just something about it.
At the end of that road, you could take the C-63 up north, but why would you? Take a d-tour to stay away from the main road as much as possible.
The real fun starts just after Sant Esteve d'en Bas on the C-153. Twists and turns, up, up, up. Don't forget to slow down once in a while to admire the views. You could take a side step to Rupit. It's a very cute village so if it's quiet, go take a look, but it's quite touristic so during the weekends I would avoid it.
Back to the C-153, the way the map is setup below, you'll find a very sharp left turn towards Tavertet. This path is very narrow and the pavement is seriously bad, at least for Spanish standards. If you want to avoid it, you could continue on the C-153 until the roundabout where you go left. Follow the road and go left on the bigger BV-5207. This will lead you to Tavertet as well.
However, I would definitely recommend you to take the 'camí rural' - rural road. It takes you through a bit of a forest, but once you get out of there, you'll get what's one of the best views in Catalonia. With its huge cliffs looking out over the canyon, it's unique in the area. Even more so because it's just so unexpected (maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it at all!). Also, you might be accompanied by cows.
If you've decided to take the other road, simply keep following the road through the town and you'll find the views on the other side of the town.
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I imagine that by now you're hungry - I always am! - so where to eat?
Well, I do have my favorite place there, which is probably my favorite out of this entire blog post. However, the last time I was there (the first weekend after our extremely strict COVID19 lockdown), it was closed. Google told me 'permanently closed'. However, because of this blog I just checked again, and now Google says it's open on Sundays for lunch. I'll have to check that out soon!
The restaurant is called Can Baumes. The food is just absolutely delicious. All very traditional, local dishes, and I often pick something that I haven't tried before. It's all home-made and even the bread is incredible.
In case you arrive and it's closed, go to Can Miguel instead. The same type of food and almost just as good!
After lunch, I'm usually done for the day. Take the road to l'Esquirol and from there to the C-17 to go wherever you're spending the night.
Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac
This is a route I often forget about, which is a shame because it's very fun! The roads have good pavement and plenty of twists. I've only done it twice though, and both times quite a while ago, so I should probably go back in order to tell you more about it (and to take some photos!).
Of course, I do have a tip on a place to eat. Last time I did this route, I went to El Racó del Pou in Calders. The food is similar to Avet Blau and La Pedra Llarga.
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N260 into the Pyrenees
The N-260 starts all the way in the North East at the French border and leads you through the Pyrenees and from Catalonia into the next region, Aragon. This road is still a bit magical to me. Being from The Netherlands - one of the flattest countries in the world - it seemed unbelievable that I could just 'do' them on a sunny Sunday when moving to Spain. And although the possibilities are endless and popping into France is often a good choice too, you could just as well keep it simple by more or less following this one road.
I would suggest, if you're coming from the direction of Girona, to go to Banyoles to start the fun. Take the GI-524 to Olot and from there the N-260a to Ripoll. From there, get onto the main N-260 to Ribes the Freser and make sure to get fuel there if you need, because after Ribes you won't find a gas station for 50 kilometers. This is where it gets really good though. The N-260 has fast sections with wide views, as well as narrow parts going through idyllic Spanish villages.
The farthest west I got so far is until Biescas. From there, I went up north via Formigal into France (and there you can go back east for the Col d'Aubisque and the Col du Tourmalet, but I digress and will leave that for another blog). From the N-260 I've also entered France via Viella and the N-230, but that one felt a bit less interesting and more touristic.
Of course, you don't need to go into France. You could just follow the N-260 and then continue to the coast, or you could take any of the roads going south (just avoid the C-16 south because of its expensive toll tunnel).
Let's be honest: it's the Pyrenees. You can't go wrong.
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Some of my favorites along the way include:
Restaurant Ca La Maria Between Ribes and Puigcerda take a short d-tour via Toses to eat at this restaurant. They serve all sorts of delicious food and their steak with cheese sauce is incredible.
Aínsa Although it's not in Catalonia anymore, I definitely want to mention Aínsa. It's an old town with a typical Spanish town square and small streets with bars and restaurants. I still wake up sometimes thinking of the fantastic chuletón from Las Bodegas de Ainsa. I stayed once at Hotel Dos Rios where the staff was very friendly and the room nice and clean, and best of all, they had a parking garage. Another time I stayed at Camping Morillo De Tou, which was fine, except that the ground was very hard which made putting the tent stakes in the ground a frustrating task. However, it is a good location for when you're planning to take the A-138 road south along the water; it's beautiful out there!
Honorable mentions
Other roads that definitely deserve a mention for when you've got time to explore even more include:
Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat The iconic silhouette of Montserrat (meaning 'serrated mountain' in Catalan, like a handsaw) can be seen from afar and the roads going through it will give you plenty of entertainment. If you want to include a bit of culture, visit the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. When you need a break, stop at Restaurante Ca la Iaia, a bikers' favorite.
Muntanyes de Prades Another one of Catalonia's beautiful natural parks. Make sure to ride up to Siurana, walk through the town to the other side, and enjoy the views. If you can, do so for sunset; it's stunning!
Tossa de Mar - Sant Feliu de Guíxols The Costa Brava has a beautiful coastline and with that come beautiful roads. One of them is the road from Tossa de Mar to Sant Feliu de Guíxols. I would recommend staying away during the tourist season, but outside of that, it's great, especially during sunrise. The road from the C-35 to Tossa to get there is full of fast turns and the GIP-6821 is slower and more narrow but comes with some good views.
Costa Brava North The north of the Costa Brava is just as fun. Ride via the GI-614 to Cadaques, walk around, go back and take the GI-613 to El Port de la Selva. There, I can recommend Can Pepitu for a tapas lunch. From there, you can see the peak of Serra de Rodes. Take the GIP-6041 via the Monestary for some more fun. Then take the N-260 to Portbou, which will be a bit less exciting in the beginning, but soon enough it will give you a wide, fast, twisty road with more sea views, all the way up to the French border. Fun fact: this is the start of the N-260 mentioned above!
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HI , HOPE YOUR OK ????? YOUR LAST VIDEO ON THE T700 WAS 3 MONTHS AGO . HOPE YOUR SAFE AND WELL . STEVE FROM SCOTLAND .
Hi Steve,
All good, thanks! Unfortunately video editing takes up a lot of time, so I can only occasionally create YouTube videos, but you can follow me on Instagram for more regular updates 🙂 @NoHighways
Hi Thalassa,
Een comment in het Nederlands 🙂
Op zoek naar mooie routes in noord Spanje graas ik al een tijdje het Internet af. Ik stuitte gisteren op je YouTube-kanaal en vond je website en Instagram-account. Mooie content! Ik ben een beetje jaloers op de reizen die je maakt(e) en de onwijs gave foto’s die je publiceert.
Met name je tips over ‘the best roads in Catalunya’ vind ik waardevol. Ik reis namelijk binnenkort deels door Catalonië en ik had voor dat deel van mijn reis nog geen goede rout(s). Mijn plan is om vanaf begin april gedurende drie maanden op de motor door Europa te reizen. Het eerste doel is om, vanuit Gouda, via België, langs de westkust van Frankrijk, naar Normandië te rijden. Een aantal landing-beaches en begraafplaatsen mogen, als je daar bent, natuurlijk niet ontbreken. Daarna wil ik in zuidoostelijke richting Frankrijk doorkruisen en via de Route Napoleon en de zuid-Franse kust naar Spanje rijden. Vervolgens wil ik van Oost naar West door noord-Spanje. Met name het woestijnachtige gebied van Las Bardenas Reales, een aantal natuurparken en de Picos d’ Europa staan op de planning. Daarna laat ik waarschijnlijk het weer en het landschap grotendeels de route bepalen. Als het lukt om via Italië en Albanië tot in Athene te geraken, zou dat mooi zijn. In de beschikbare tijd moet dat haalbaar zijn.
Hoe dan ook: Dankjewel voor het plaatsen van je tips over routes in Catalonië! Ik denk dat ik (delen van) je routes ga gebruiken op mijn reis!
Veel plezier in het komende motorseizoen, mooie ritten en veel veilige kilometers gewenst!
Groet,
Anton
Hai Anton,
Wat super leuk om te horen en wat een mooie reis heb je in de planning staan! Er zijn zoveel mooie routes in Catalunya, inmiddels kan ik de lijst met gemak verdubbelen. ALbanië heb ik een aantal jaar geleden gereden, dat was ook absoluut fantastisch en voor mij denk ik het meest verrassende land waar ik geweest ben, in de zin dat ik er weinig van verwachtte en het echt Heel Erg Mooi was!
Heel veel plezier & veilige kilometers toegewenst.