N222 · Portugal

N222 Douro Valley Road

A riverside road through the terraced vineyards of the Douro valley in northern Portugal, between Peso da Régua and Pinhão.

StartFinishHairpin

25.5 kmLength

75Pace-note calls

4Hairpins

9Tight corners (1–2)

↑80 ↓70Climb and drop, m

≈120 mHighest point

Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.

Where is the N222 Douro Valley Road?

The N222 Douro Valley Road is in Portugal, on the N222. Also known as EN222 or Estrada Nacional 222. The route on this page: Peso da Régua to Pinhão, along the south bank of the Douro, 25.5 km.

Why the N222 Douro Valley Road is famous

In 2015 a study for the car-hire firm Avis, based on the balance of bends and straights, named this 27 km stretch the best driving road in the world. The Alto Douro wine region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

N222 Douro Valley Road hairpins

Over 25.5 km Turini calls 4 hairpins, 1 square corner and 49 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 2 crests and 4 dips. That is 75 calls in all, one every 340 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

HP4

410

613

N222 Douro Valley Road elevation profile

From 59 m at the start to 78 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 120 m. Red marks are the hairpins.

200 m0 m

0 km12.8 km25.5 km

N222 Douro Valley Road pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

300 mRoundabout, first exit

540 mLeft 6

690 mRight 4

735 mLeft 5

840 mRoundabout, first exit

845 mBig crest

885 mBridge

1.14 kmDip

1.23 kmBig crest

1.29 kmHairpin right

1.34 kmRoundabout

1.42 kmHairpin right

2.09 kmLeft 4

2.33 kmRight 4

2.69 kmLeft 6

3.37 kmRight 6

4.11 kmRight 6

4.18 kmLeft 5

4.66 kmLeft 6

5.04 kmLeft 6

5.58 kmLeft 6

8.64 kmBridge

8.71 kmLeft 4

10.49 kmCamera

10.59 kmLights

That takes you to 10.59 km. 50 more calls follow over the remaining 14.9 km.

Before you drive the N222 Douro Valley Road

Open all year. The grape harvest in September and October brings extra traffic.

It is a narrow two-lane road with tight bends, local traffic and, at harvest time, slow farm vehicles.

How to drive the N222 Douro Valley Road with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

More roads like the N222 Douro Valley Road

Sa CalobraSpain12.6 km · 118 calls · 24 hairpins

Gorges du VerdonFrance24.8 km · 241 calls · 6 hairpins

Route NapoléonFrance23.6 km · 109 calls · 6 hairpins

Best driving roads in Europe · All famous roads · How to read pace notes

Sources: Wikipedia (pt): Estrada Nacional 222, theportugalnews.com.

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