Portugal, Douro, Portugal
Quiet switchbacks descend through schist vineyard terraces to the meeting of two rivers.
Length
22 km
In miles
13.7 mi
Driving time
33 min
Atlas rating
8.8 / 10
The run
Alijo to Foz Tua, following the N226. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Open year round in normal conditions, with the usual care after rain or frost.
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 2 April 2026
Nearby
21 km away
N222 Douro Valley Road
Voted among the world's best roads, it snakes above terraced vineyards along the Douro.
84 km away
N304 Peneda Geres
Portugal's only national park unfolds in granite crags, waterfalls and wild ponies.
100 km away
Mezio to Lamas de Mouro
A lonely ridge road through the Peneda massif with sweeping views over granite peaks.
101 km away
N339 Serra da Estrela
Mainland Portugal's highest road crosses granite boulder fields to the Torre summit.
226 km away
Puerto de Somiedo
Tight switchbacks climb past bear country lookouts to a windswept pass over 1400 metres.
298 km away
Puerto de Panderrueda
A ribbon of tarmac threading beech forests beneath the jagged western Picos de Europa.
Drive here from