Pyrenees by motorcycle — best roads and how to get there

If you haven't ridden the Pyrenees yet, put it on your list. Seriously. The mountain range stretching from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean along the French-Spanish border has some of the best motorcycle roads anywhere in Europe — and a fraction of the traffic you'd find in the Alps. Let's talk specifics. Col du Tourmalet on the French side is a legendary Tour de France climb, and on a bike it's absolutely brilliant — long sweepers with massive views. Port de la Bonaigua in the Spanish Val d'Aran is a high-altitude pass with perfect tarmac and almost no cars outside August. Col d'Aubisque gives you that exposed mountain-ridge feeling, proper edge-of-the-world stuff. And Puerto de Somport on the old pilgrim route has wide, flowing bends that let you settle into a rhythm. Best time to go? June through September. The highest passes can still have snow patches in early June, and by mid-October some are closed. July and August bring more traffic and heat on the Spanish side, so June and September are the sweet spot. We transport bikes to Barcelona, which puts you about 2-3 hours from the eastern Pyrenees. If you want the western end, we also deliver to the Santander-Bilbao area. Either way, you skip the boring motorway slog and start your trip where the fun begins. Most of our customers do a loop — fly into Barcelona, ride west through the Pyrenees, cross into France, come back east along the French side, and return to Barcelona. Ten days is perfect. You could rush it in a week, but why would you?