Bike and Cook Portugal

Bike and Cook lets you be a cyclist and a chef in the same week. Designed for travellers wanting a balanced mix of nature, heritage and Portuguese cuisine, it combines daily rides with three cooking classes led by local chefs, where you learn traditional dishes using simple ingredients and regional recipes.

The tour starts in the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, staying at a design hotel hidden in a 300 m deep valley, with the Santo António limestone caves and the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça. It then moves to the operator's farm near Évora for the wine and cork route, Arraiolos and Évora's UNESCO-listed centre.

The final ride heads from Santiago do Cacém to the Atlantic coast at Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes. The mountain days are the hardest the operator offers, so they recommend an e-bike for less fit riders. Massages can be booked at the end of most days.

Highlights

• Three hands-on cooking classes with local chefs
• Santo António limestone caves in the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park
• UNESCO-listed Monastery of Batalha and the Alcobaça Monastery
• Wineries, a cork factory and a prickly pear farm around Évora
• Évora's Roman Temple, cathedral and Chapel of Bones
• Atlantic coast from Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes

Surface and terrain
Mostly asphalt with some ecotrail and dirt roads. Days 2 and 3 in the mountains have long, steep climbs (560 to 800 m), described as the operator's hardest riding. The Alentejo days are gently rolling, and the coast is mostly flat after two climbs.

Weather
The limestone mountains are cooler and can be wet outside summer. The Alentejo interior is hot and dry in July and August, and the coast stays mild with sea breezes. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable for riding.

Suitable for
Reasonably fit riders and food lovers wanting culture, cooking and varied scenery. The mountain stages are challenging on a standard bike, so an e-bike is recommended for less fit riders. Suits couples and small groups.