Spain, Basque Country
Green Spain at its best, with Basque mountain roads and the Picos de Europa in reach.
First instinct from Bilbao: head west towards the Picos.
Scored roads in range
12
Nearest great road
97 mi
Best rated nearby
9.4 / 10
Shortest full loop
8 hr 23 min
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 25 April 2026
150 to 400 km from the centre
Leave early, take the long way back and make a day of it.
Roughly 12 hr 26 min of driving if you string the lot together and come back the way you came.
157 mi away · Hautes-Pyrenees, France
The highest paved pass in the Pyrenees and the Tour de France's most storied climb.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.5 / 10
104 mi away · Asturias, Spain
Hairpins climb from the Covadonga basilica into limestone peaks above two glacial lakes.
24 km · 14.9 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
132 mi away · Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France
Cliff cut hairpins and cirque views link two valleys via the dramatic Litor shelf.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.4 / 10
97 mi away · Castilla y Leon, Spain
A ribbon of tarmac threading beech forests beneath the jagged western Picos de Europa.
30 km · 18.6 mi · Atlas rating 9.1 / 10
135 mi away · Aragon Pyrenees, Spain
A long alpine valley run past reservoirs and ski towns to the French border ridge.
45 km · 28 mi · Atlas rating 9.0 / 10
139 mi away · Hautes-Pyrenees, France
A dramatic balcony road along the Litor cliff face connecting straight into the Aubisque.
19 km · 11.8 mi · Atlas rating 9.0 / 10
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