Portugal

Portugal packs an unusual amount of variety into a small country. The N222 through the Douro Valley is regularly called one of the best driving roads in the world, and the argument holds up: it curls along terraced vineyard slopes above the river for kilometre after kilometre with almost no straight sections and very little traffic.

Inland, the Serra da Estrela climbs onto a bare granite plateau that feels closer to Iceland than Iberia, while the Peneda Geres national park in the north hides narrow boulder strewn roads around reservoirs. Down south, the hills behind the Algarve coast are quiet, warm and open long after the Alps have closed for the season.

Madeira deserves its own trip. The road to Pico do Arieiro climbs above the clouds in about forty minutes from sea level, and the older mountain roads across the island are as intense as anything on the mainland.