Motorcycle Barcelona: Penedès Wine Region Tour
One of the great things about owning a motorcycle in Barcelona is the access to the varied landscapes that surround the city: mountains, sea or the plains of wine regions. In this self-guided tour, we are featuring the Penedès Wine Region just an hour from the city. You can make this a fun day of riding if you're on holiday in Barcelona or incorporate this into your itinerary if you're planning a wider motorcycle tour of Spain. We've curated a route itinerary informed by the weekend rides of our community of Barcelona-based riders and we've sprinkled in some unique experiences along the route.
Ride Specs
Distance: 240 km (~150 mi)
Duration: 5 hr (not including stops)
Difficulty level: Medium to Difficult
Best season: May/June, September
Insider Tip: If taking the tour over the weekend, Saturdays are preferable as cyclists are out in full force on Sunday mornings, and many of the roads are narrow.
Insider Tip: For those needing to rent a bike, a simple online search will overwhelm you with irrelevant results of bicycle and scooter rentals, here are the companies that rent motorcycles in Barcelona that are geared toward your type of exploration.
Mediterranean Coastal Road
First Sector
Sector Specs
Main Roads: C-31, BV-2115
Distance: 36 km
Duration: 45 min
Connecting the suburban beach town of Castelldefels and the famous coastal village of Sitges is a narrow roadway cut into the cliff face 100m above sea level, offering amazing views of the Mediterranean. This 16 km stretch of the C-31 highway is one of the few sections of the coastline around Barcelona that’s worth riding, as most of the coastline lacks the mountainous geography needed for twists and turns.
The scenic stretch of the C-31 ends in Sitges. Our tour continues to the next checkpoint, but if you want to spend a couple of hours in Sitges, refer to our Sitges City Guide to help plan your visit.
Insider Tip: This bit of the C-31 can get congested with motorists avoiding the adjacent toll road, so if you’re able to ride on a weekend morning before 10 a.m., it’s a preferable experience. Even better if you can make the morning "Golden Hour," when the light off the Mediterranean Sea is unreal.
After Sitges, a 10-minute motorway stretch connects us to BV-2115. The BV-2115 links the sea with Penedès, offering well-paved tarmac with challenging turn angles and open sight lines, so you can push your riding skills with confidence. The highlight of this road is a right turn that reveals Castellet, a hilltop village of 250 inhabitants, overlooking a reservoir. The town gives you a taste of the region’s medieval past, for the history buffs, there are several great examples of well-preserved medieval villages near Barcelona, less than 100 km.
Castellet is a regular stop for motorcyclists, with one restaurant and one cafe. The small cafe is run by a friendly woman who moved to the town from Portugal with her daughter. They’re fluent in English and enjoy practicing with visitors. This spot is about an hour into the ride, so you could make a quick coffee stop or continue to the next small town in 30-40 minutes for a break.
Finca Viladellops Winery
Sitges Boardwalk
Sitges Boardwalk
Finca Viladellops Winery
Castellet, Main Square
BV-2115, Castellet
Penedès Wine Region
Second Sector
Sector Specs
Main Roads: BP-1101, BP-1103, BP-1121
Distance: 104 km
Duration: 2h
As the hill town of Castellet and its modest castle pass on our right, we cross into the Penedès wine region of Catalunya. Famous for its Cava, the region also produces other major wine varieties. The vineyards sit atop sloping hills, offering expansive views and gentle, winding curves. Riding between vineyards won’t challenge your riding skills much, but it does provide a relaxing ride with scenic views.
As we reach the northern edge of the vineyards, we gain altitude, encounter tighter turns, and the Mediterranean Sea comes back into view. Heading towards Aiguaviva at the intersection of TP-2442 and TV-2443, you’ll find a town so secluded it’s almost a secret. Its single road, lined with white homes and flowered window sills, ends with a single restaurant offering traditional Catalan recipes. It’s a good place for lunch if the schedule permits (about 1.5 hours into the ride).
After Aiguaviva, the Penedès section wraps up with a country road that feels less restrictive than previous routes. Here, you’ll find wider curves and room to take in the surroundings as you ride through a deep valley. This 40-minute stretch culminates in a view of the Montserrat mountain range, a preview of the next section.
Vineyards worth a stop: Great thing with Spanish wineries, you can stop by for one glass as if it were a cafe. No need for a full tasting committment. Here are the top wineries worth stopping for!
Montserrat Mountain Ride
Third Sector
Sector Specs
Main Roads: BP-1103, BP-1415
Distance: 90 km
Duration: 2h10m
Suggested Stops
Montserrat Monastery
Sant Cugat historic center
View Point: Barcelona skyline
We’re now just under the 3-hour mark of the ride, not including stops. The tour continues along the Montserrat mountain range, an area now popular with local Barcelona hikers and tourists. Historically, Montserrat served as a refuge for monks, with hermitages carved into the mountainside, and the Santa Maria Monastery, first built in 1025, protected monks during the Franco era.
Montserrat—rising 1,200 meters above sea level—is famous among local motorcycle riders for its aggressive cornering opportunities and proximity to Barcelona (less than 40 minutes away).
The final stretch of the tour takes us past Sant Cugat, a wealthy suburb of Barcelona with its own impressive monastery. We then descend via the BP-1415, which offers expansive views of Barcelona’s skyline, including landmarks like the W Hotel and the Sagrada Familia.
