Portugal Bike

This is a landscape tour that takes place along the south coast of Portugal. You will start in Sagres, which is the place from where our brave forefathers sailed on their caravels seeking new peoples and continents. Cape S. Vicente is the start point, the south-westernmost point in Continental Europe - the place where the land ends and the sea begins. And you will always ride eastwards towards the Spanish border.

You will start your tour in Marvão, a small medieval town on the top of the hill, surrounded by walls and with a majestic castle that defended this small town from the Spanish people many times. There you can admire a spectacular view and then ride down along a medieval narrow road with ancient stone walls.

SW Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park extends itself along the Portuguese coast and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. This SW landscape is 300 million years old and it is one of the most preserved landscapes all over Europe; human intervention has been less visible throughout its history. Once submerged (about 2 million years ago), this is a vast area with many different coastal habitats and countless beaches and cliffs.

This is a gorgeous Road Bike Tour (on which you can also use a Hybrid Bike) which takes you to several Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Convents; these magnificent places were once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings of Portugal and now are converted into exquisite lodgings, which we call POUSADAS.

Starting in Sesimbra, you will ride to a winery where you will learn about the famous Moscatel wine and also taste it. Then you will enter one of the lushest areas south of Lisbon - the Natural Park of Arrabida. On one side of the park, you'll admire beautiful Mediterranean landscapes and at the other side, the gorgeous coast with accessible beaches where the fine sand and clear sea waters provide a strong contrast of unusual colours. You will ride along the coast to Setubal and after crossing the Sado river, you'll reach Troia and then Sines where the Natural Park of SW Alentejo and Vicentine Coast begins. It extends itself along the Portuguese coast and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

This is a gorgeous region and it is one of the most well preserved regions in Portugal still maintaining many Portuguese ancient traditions and the small and traditional villages made of granitic stones.

Alentejo is the perfect set for riding a bicycle and experiencing an unforgettable adventure. One of the most typical sights in this region is a vast field with some cork oak trees here and there (the so-called Montado) and the herds (sometimes sheep, sometimes pigs or cows) usually enjoying the shade of the trees. The villages with their whitewashed one-floor houses are a picturesque landscape in Alentejo. The people here are very proud of their heritage and they preserve the ancient buildings and also the ancient practices. This is a region that has a very rich handicraft tradition - pottery, embroideries, hand-painted furniture, wrought-iron works, etc. The local gastronomy is varied and quite tasty and perfectly matches the famous local wines. This tour starts in Elvas, an old border town which is classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. You visit the capital of marble in Portugal and you can see marble everywhere, even the sidewalks are made of marble. You visit the Marble Museum where you can see how they work in the quarries now and how they used to do it in the past.

This is a gorgeous Hybrid Bike Tour which takes you to several Manor Houses, Palaces and Monasteries; these magnificent places were once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings of Portugal and now are converted into exquisite lodgings, which we call POUSADAS. This Tour starts in Valença do Minho which is a historic village in Northern Portugal located near the Spanish border; the border line is the beautiful river Minho and the village is surrounded by walls. There is a fortress with two towers and double walls, several manor houses and small palaces and several churches too. Then we will ride to Viana do Castelo, a town founded in the 13th century and whose port was one of the main ports from which the Portuguese explorers set sail, due to the Discoveries in the 16th century. We will cycle along the river Lima to Ponte de Lima, admiring an astonishing view and luxuriant vegetation. Ponte de Lima is a beautiful small town whose name derives from the bridge (ponte) which was the only safe way to cross Lima river. We will cross the hills in Gerês and will stay in a 12th century Monastery converted into a charming hotel. Next stop will be in a Nature hotel located in the heart of Peneda/Gerês National Park with a breathtaking view over the river and the peaceful Caniçada dam. On our last day we will ride to Guimarães which is traditionally known as the birthplace of the Portuguese nation. You can visit the medieval historic centre, the castle and the palace nearby and feel the medieval atmosphere around you. We will stay in a Convent dated of the 12 century.

This Portugal Bike Tour begins in Fatima, the most sacred place in Portugal. This is the place where it is said that Our Lady appeared to three children while they were herding their sheep in 1917. Since then it is a world-known pilgrimage place that was visited several times by more than one Pope. You will see several castles and an amazing Monastery. You will ride along the sea admiring the beautiful and well preserved long coast known by the Silver Coast, and you will ride along agrarian fields with different crops and different colours.

This is THE PORTUGUESE PILGRIM'S WAY to Santiago de Compostela. Camino de Santiago de Compostela (The Way of St James) is a tour that is different from all the other Portugal Bike Tours. This is the Medieval Way to get Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. On this tour we follow the way to Santiago de Compostela, a city located in Galicia, a province in the north of Spain. This way is very mystic, full of positive energy, of belief and of faith. This is a way that has been covered by thousands and thousands of pilgrims along the centuries since the 9th century. We cannot say that there is only 'one' way ('camino') to Santiago de Compostela. There are several, because the idea is to get to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. This way was originally covered on foot by devote pilgrims, beggars, clergymen and nobles; it is still covered today not only on foot but also by bicycle by people from all over the world and for many different reasons. It follows off-road trails, narrow roads and footpaths, always in a straight line when possible in order to make the way as short as possible to get to Santiago de Compostela. You will ride on many different types of pavements and will see very diverse landscape.