The best time to go on a motorbike trip in Spain is possibly… all year round!! With an average of between 2500 and 3000 hours of sunshine per year, making it the sunniest region in Europe, and the Valencian community is also the winner in Spain and Europe with an average of 350 hours of sunshine per month!!
To give some reference figures, the United Kingdom has between 1200 and 1600 hours of full sunlight per year, while in Scotland, they have less than 1,200 hours of sunlight per year. They are below the average of 3.3 hours per day.
Here you can see a map with the data on sunshine hours in Europe, where the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) are the great beneficiaries. On average, we enjoy more than 8.2 hours per day in Spain.
Although Spain receives the most motorcycle tourism in spring, summer and autumn, this does not mean that the other seasons are not good, depending on the area of the country where you plan to travel at each time of year.
In the north of the country the average number of hours of sunshine is 1,600 to 2,000 hours. While the sunniest areas are the areas of the Valencian and Andalusian communities, along with the Balearic and Canary Islands, which exceed 2,500 hours.
Here you can see a map with the hours of sunshine in Spain.
This means that depending on the time of year you want to take a motorcycle trip through Spain, it is advisable to see which area you are interested in exploring more. Since taking a motorcycle route through Spain in its northern area in winter is not very advisable, apart from the cold, rain is very likely to be your travel companion during your tour. While in Andalusia or Valencia you will enjoy a more benevolent climate with the motorcycle.
Roads in Spain for riding a motorcycle
Spain is a country with good health in terms of communications, it has more than 165,375 kilometers of roads in good condition, good asphalt, excellent signage and many kilometers of curves and bends with landscapes that will make you fall in love. Combined with thousands of historical places to visit, a gastronomy with a well-deserved reputation wherever you go, with a wide variety of typical dishes depending on the region.
The types of roads in Spain are these:
Highway and dual carriageways
Highway are one of the most used roads by Spaniards to travel on long journeys, they usually have several lanes and most of them are toll roads (mostly expensive), the maximum speed is 120 km/h
Dual carriageways are very similar to Highways in every way, but with one big difference: They are free!! They usually have a minimum of two lanes in each direction and the speed limit is also 120 km/h
Regional roads
This includes national, provincial and local roads. They are roads that link towns and give access to less populated areas. They are in good condition, with healthy and safe asphalt for riding a motorcycle, and of course our favourites on all our tours!! They have excellent signage both for accident prevention and information. And if you choose the routes well, you will discover magical and unforgettable places.
Road conditions according to the time of year.
Not much to say, if you are a motorcyclist, you know perfectly well that your motorcycle wheels like the sun, dry and well-paved roads, with many curves, clean and without dirt, oil or anything that makes them slide. Spanish roads offer you safety all year round, although in winter and in the coldest areas they are dangerous due to snow, rain and layers of ice. That is why in winter we recommend that you choose to take a tour or travel through the Valencian Community or Andalusia where it is very difficult to find snow and in Valencia in particular, also rain, since it usually has few days of rain per year, generally at the end of summer and autumn and they are torrential rains, very rare but with abundant water.
High and low season in the hotel industry
Important according to your budget, although conditioned by your availability to travel. In general, low season is considered to be from November 1st to March 31st and high season from April 1st to October 31st.
However, as always, it all depends on where you want to travel, because if what you are looking for is a destination of square, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands have good weather all year round without needing to go in high season, as is the case with the south of the peninsula in Andalusia
In Valencia, high season is considered:
From March 15th to 19th (Fallas), Easter, from June 1st to 30th to September 30th, from December 24th to January 6th.
The price difference in hotels is not usually much, with luck you can find a price difference of 10 to 20% less in low season, but it is noticeable in the attention you will receive.
Where in Spain to travel by motorbike in summer?
Preferably the north of Spain, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Pyrenees, and Asturias. The climate is milder and more bearable.
Avoid Andalusia and central Spain as temperatures are very high, exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
We always recommend Valencia regardless of the time of year, due to its wonderful climate, which even in summer has an average of between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius.
Where in Spain to travel by motorbike in winter?
Definitely Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands or Canary Islands. The rest of Spain is very cold, rainy, or snowy, and the roads become dangerous. In Valencia, our routes are pleasant at that time of year, the climate is cold but not unpleasant, by mid-morning the sun is already out strongly and the days are generally spring-like. And there are thousands of amazing places to visit, not to mention that the province of Castellón is the second most mountainous province in Spain with excellent roads, not to mention the stunning beaches of the Valencian community, its gastronomy (Paella valenciana), its history and the gigantic amount of cultural and tourist places to visit.
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