What are the most spectacular roads in Portugal?

Tucked away on the Iberian Peninsula, in the southwestern part of Europe, the roads of Portugal offer the best way to discover the country’s diverse topography. The country hosts stunning mountain roads, such as the wild climb to Alto de Torre-Serra da Estrela, the highest point of Mainland Portugal, climbing up to 1.996m (6,548ft) above sea level on the boundary between the Guarda and Castelo Branco districts. It's one of the highest roads in the country.

The geography of the country, with extensive beaches and cliffs, offers stunning coastal routes. One of the most scenic drives is ER101 Antiga, a free car wash road in Madeira. Due to Madeira's dramatic coastline, the road boasts many curves, narrow passages, and steep climbs and descents. It's rugged, slow, and old, making it one of the most scenic drives in the world.

If you prefer scenic drives, you can’t skip the National Road 222. The road, running between Peso da Régua and Pinhão, was awarded the title of the world's best road in 2015.

While most drivers stay on the asphalt of the A22, the real challenge of Southern Portugal lies in the rugged interior of the Algarve. Leaving the tourist hubs of Albufeira behind means facing the Serra de Monchique and the Serra do Caldeirão, where the roads turn into narrow, crumbling ribbons of asphalt and loose gravel. This is a landscape of steep gradients and blind hairpins where mechanical endurance and braking power are the only things that matter.

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