Portugal: the N2, Estrela and the Douro

6 days · 4 driving roads · 540 miles of them · best April–June, September–October

The length of the country on the old national road, with two mountain spurs. The N2 runs Chaves to Faro, 460 miles of it; Serra da Estrela's N339 is the high road to Torre; the N222 is the Douro terrace from Régua to Pinhão; Minho's N101 finishes you in the north if you start at Faro and work up, or the other way round. Six days is moving.

Getting there

⛴ Plymouth – Santander — Brittany Ferries, about 20 h, weekly+. Check sailings.

Worth knowing: The N2 is Portugal's Route 66: towns, 50 limits, and a yellow line. Six days for 540 miles of driving roads plus transit from Santander is honest; a week is kinder. Serra da Estrela has snow and a one-way system at Torre in season. The Douro N222 is a terrace wall with river cruise coaches. Fuel is in every town on the N2 and thinner in the serra. Santander is the natural landfall; then a day's run west.

The roads, in order

1. Estrada Nacional 2 N2 · Chaves → Faro · 460 mi · 4–6 days 📷 Ponte de Trajano · ☕ Pastelaria Maria · 📷 Sé de Viseu · 🍽️ Casa do Alentejo · 📷 Arco da Vila
2. Serra da Estrela High Road N339 · Manteigas → Torre · 18 mi · 50 min ⚠ Summit can close briefly in winter snow ⛽ Alves Bandeira Manteigas · 🍽️ Restaurante A Torre · 📷 Torre
3. N222 — Douro Valley N222 · Peso da Régua → Pinhão · 17 mi · 40 min ⛽ Galp Régua · 🍽️ DOC Rui Paula · ☕ Quinta do Seixo · 🍽️ Vintage House Hotel
4. Minho Vinho Verde Road N101 · Braga → Monção · 45 mi · 1 h 30 min 📷 Sé de Braga · 📷 Ponte Medieval de Ponte de Lima · 🍽️ A Carvalheira · 📷 Fortaleza de Monção

Drive it

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