June 7, 2023
As winter was drawing to an end in the mountains, spring was already well underway in Spain. We booked flights to Madrid, rented a couple Africa Twins and plotted a general route that would take us about 2 weeks.
There were only 2 of us on this trip. Gene and I decided to explore the southern region of Spain, Andalucia. We wanted a route that would allow us to see several cities, but at a leisurely pace that would give us plenty of time to explore. We started drafting a route in January, concentrating on some of the main places we wanted to see and building from there. We also searched the web for recommendations on great motorcycle roads. By the beginning of April, we had what looked like a pretty good loop complete with GPS tracks. We booked a hotel for 3 nights in Madrid before picking up our bikes, and for the first 3 nights of the ride. By only booking a night or two ahead of our stops, we had the flexibility to change our plans as we went.
After arriving in Madrid, we explored sites including the Parque de El Retiro, Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace and the cathedral. The next morning, we went on a free walking tour, which was a great way to get to see many of the important and historical parts of the city and learn a little about them. It was also a great way to learn where and what to eat while in town. We also learned there was going to be a bullfight that night, so we bought tickets for that as well.
Day One
The next morning we picked up our bikes at the Hertz Ride office to start the ride. Getting out of the city was not difficult, and we began our journey by heading west.
Continuing west, we rode to the town of Plasencia. Plasencia has a beautiful cathedral that looks absolutely enormous as you ride into town due to the way it sits high on a hill. The city is also known for its old city wall, town square and aqueduct.
Leaving Plasencia, we turned south toward Caceres, which is where we spent the first night. Caceres is an amazing town with a very well-preserved Medieval old town. The old town reminded me a bit of some of the Croatian towns we visited on the Balkans tour without the crowds. We had a fantastic meal right on the town square and walked through some of the small streets after dinner.
Day Two
Day Two took us south to Sevilla. We passed through Badajoz near the border with Portugal and continued through several small towns dotted with castle ruins. While we did not stop, there was a big castle in Aracena that looked like it would have been fun to explore. Maybe next time! As we came into Sevilla, we hit a ton of traffic. Many of the streets were all closed for the spring Feria. Eventually, we navigated our way to our apartment and set out to explore the city.
All through the city we saw people dressed up for the Feria. Men were wearing suits or traditional clothing, and women were wearing flamenco dresses with flowers in their hair. The Feria goes on for a week, and in the fairgrounds, there are 1,000 tents, or casetas, with food, drinks, music and dancing. Locals partied well into the morning. It was an impressive sight to see!
Day Three
On our second day in Sevilla, we took time to walk around the monument district and visit the Alcazar. We sampled more local food and even went to a flamenco show. None of the photos I took do justice to this magnificent city. It is definitely a must see destination.
Day Four
After a great stay in Sevilla, we saddled up and headed toward the coast. We wound our way down to Arcos de la Frontera, one of the Pueblos Blancos, or white towns. Here, we rode through steep, narrow cobblestone streets and took in some great views.
Next, we headed west toward Jerez de la Frontera which is known for its sherry houses. We arrived in time to get a tour at Bodegas Lustau. It was a very interesting tour and tasting.
After leaving Jerez de la Fontera, we rode through the town of Puerto de Santa Maria, which is the port where Christopher Columbus departed on his voyage to the New World. After that, we finally made it to the coast, stopping for the night in Cadiz, the oldest city in Western Europe. There were great beaches right in town and I wish we had booked 2 nights here!
Day Five
On day five, we skirted the coast and made our way to Tarifa, the southermost city in Europe. Tarifa is known as a kite surfing destination, and there were several people in the water kite surfing when we arrived.
From Tarifa, we took the short ride to Gibraltar, where we would spend the night. Gibraltar is a British territory. To cross into Gibraltar, you actually leave Spain, crossing an international border. We left our bikes at a hotel on the Spanish side and took a taxi to the border. After crossing, we walked through town to get to “The Rock”. The Rock has several attractions and you could easily spend the better part of a day here. We took a gondola to the top and spent a couple hours walking around, but most of the attractions were about to close by the time we arrived.
Day Six
We left Gibraltar and took a beautiful ride toward Ronda through some of Andalucia’s national parks. The roads and scenery were amazing. Along the way, there were a few caves with prehistoric paintings, including Cueva de la Pileta. Unfortunately, we arrived during siesta, so we did not get a tour, but that would be an interesting roadside stop.
Ronda was an interesting city with great views. Here, you can check out the oldest bullring in Spain or stroll the streets and check out the shops and restaurants. A ride or hike down below the city is worth the view.
From Ronda, we rode to the town of Ubrique, another Pueblo Blanco, for the night.
Day Seven
Leaving Ubrique, we headed to El Bosque and had a fantastic ride on the A372 and CA9104 toward Zahara de la Sierra. These roads were great motorcycle roads.
Several small roads took us east to El Torcal de Antequera, a national park with some interesting rock formations and nice views on our way to Granada, where we would spend the next 2 nights.
Day Eight
We spent a whole day exploring Granada. It is a beautiful city with many monuments and a great tapa scene. Be sure to book tickets for La Alhambra ahead of time.
Day Nine
After Granada, we decided to head back south to the coast for some more beach time. The route we took south on the A4050 was spectacular. Twisty, twisty, twisty!
The beach town of Nerja was our stop for 2 nights. The area around Nerja has several beaches and some nice hills to explore.
Day Ten
We spent day ten in Nerja, taking a ride up into the hills north of town and logging some beach time.
Days Eleven-Twelve
From Nerja, we worked our way up to Cordoba for 2 nights. We stayed right in the center of town near the mosque/cathedral.
Day Thirteen
We left Cordoba, making our way toward Toledo via Ciudad Real and Consuegra. The windmills in Consuegra are worth the visit!
Day Fourteen
We spent day fourteen exploring Toledo. Toledo has a lot to see packed into a small area. It is known as the “City of Three Cultures” due to the influence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish residents. The city is so hilly that it has several outdoor covered escalators to make walking around easier.
Day Fifteen
On day fifteen, we saddled up and headed back to Madrid to return our bikes and fly back. These pictures really don’t do justice to the trip. I would highly recommend southern Spain as a great motorcycle trip with tons of history and culture. Anyone interested in checking out northern Spain next year???