If you are a road cycling enthusiast and would like to know the best of Portugal in one go, this is the tour for you.
You’ll explore the country form North to South, without compromise. We’ll ride along the beaches of the Atlantic coastline, climb to the highest point of Continental Portugal, explore and taste the wine countries, marvel at historical cities and villages, soak in the beauty of the natural parks and visit the most vibrant cities of Portugal – Lisboa and Porto – in a non-stop road cycling adventure, taking in the best our country has to offer. Explore the diversity of landscapes, gastronomies and wines, as well as the different types of terrain, from challenging climbs to rolling hills and flat river roads. Don’t skip anything, including a visit to the two main cities of Porto and Lisboa. – Discover the amazing history, culture and traditions the wine regions have to offer. Alentejo is a picturesque and charming place, where you’ll fall in love with the whitewashed villages, medieval castles, sunbathed plains and the secular traditions and lifestyle. Visit the UNESCO world heritage sites in Évora, the former Palace of the Portuguese Kings and the rural lifestyle of the local homesteads; The Douro’s beautiful landscapes and vantage points over the Douro River, also a UNESCO world heritage, with its trademark “socalcos” or terraced vineyards; The undiscovered paradise of one of the most remote areas in Portugal, the Douro International Park: never-ending olive oil and orange fields, river beaches and animal life. – Ride the never-ending rolling hills, the iconic mountains or the amazing scenery of the terraced vineyards or the bare and lunar mountainous landscape of the inner North. The car-free roads of inland Portugal provide you the conditions, safety and great atmosphere for cycling tours. Its varied topography will challenge you and make you a better cyclist. – Dine and sleep in local charming hotels, once wineries or medieval castles, but now fully equipped hotels with their very own spas and amazing amenities to make you feel comfortable. Climb aboard a boat and sail in the Douro or Alentejo to discover the region from a different perspective – With its trademark gastronomy, wine, and great hotels, this is the bike tour to experience the best of Portugal, where luxury meets tradition. You’ll get to sleep in castles, convents, wine farms and dine in some of the world’s best restaurants, harmonizing every meal with amazing wines;
Day 1 – Arrival in Porto and transfer to Chaves
Pick up in Porto airport or your hotel and transfer to Chaves. Bike setup and briefing of your tour. Free afternoon to explore Chaves historic old town and monuments. Chaves is a very old medieval town on the banks of the Tâmega River and with roots dating back to the Roman Empire where it was known as Aqua Flaviae, due to the thermal baths and name of its Roman ruling family. Vestiges of Roman, Arabic and medieval Christian buildings and bridges are still present all over the old town.
Hotel: Castelo Hotel or Forte de São Francisco (premium option)
Day 2 – Chaves to Régua – 90km and 1000m accumulated climbing
After the breakfast at your hotel you’ll start your 1st ride of this tour. Today you’ll leave Chaves, heading to Peso da Régua, along the N2 road, the oldest road in Portugal, and one that crosses Portugal from the northern tip of the country in Chaves all the way down to the southern tip in Faro, Algarve. You’ll ride most of the day on this road, first along the highlands and going through the thermal baths city of Vidago, followed by Vila Pouca de Aguiar and then Vila Real the region capital of Trás-os-Montes. From Vila Real you will have 1 very long downhill section, interrupted by a short hill, that will be your entrance gate to the magnificent wine country region of the Douro. Enjoy the amazing downhill along the vineyards and that will take you to the Douro River and Peso da Régua the riverside village, important commercial port of this wine country. Check in at your riverside hotel and either relax enjoying the river views or walk to town to visit the Douro museum to learn about the wine heritage and traditions of this region.
Hotel: Vila Galé Collection Douro or Quinta da Pacheca (premium option)
Day 3 – Régua – Longroiva – 90km and 1600m accumulated climbing
Breakfast at your hotel. Start your ride entereing the EN222 road that runs along the Douro River for 20km in direction of the village of Pinhão. Just before Pinhão, take a right turn to São João da Pequeira, tackling the 13km climb to the top with some of the most wonderful views of both the Torto and the Douro Rivers, as well as the vineyards full valleys. At the top, continue riding the same EN222 road further inland to the Côa River valley. It will be a bit of up and down ride through the small village of Fonte Longa where you can consider a road side stop for refreshments and the on to Mêda, a short 5km to either of the hotels in Longroiva, where you’ll just ride downhill to arrive at your hotel, or Marialva where you’ll have to tackle and extra climb to the top of the village. In either of the villages take some time to visit the castles and surrounding countryside.
Hotel: Longroiva Thermal Hotel or Casas do Côro (premium option)
Day 4 – Longroiva – Penhas Douradas – 100km and 2200m accumulated climbing
Enjoy a big breakfast because you’ll need to climb plenty to get to Penhas Douradas today! Start your ride along the Côa Valley with its long and gentle hills, seeing from afar Trancoso, with its castle atop of the hill. After Trancoso you the next town will be Celorico da Beira right at the edge of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park and probably the best place to taste the typical and tasty Serra Cheese, a creamy and pungent goat cheese of this mountainous area. Entering the natural park you’ll gently start to climb and as you pass Folgosinho, a nice place to stop and refill, in case you haven’t, you’ll start the long climb to Penhas Douradas. You’ll face a steeper start taking you roughly to 1/3 of the climb and then you’ll have a long flat and then downhill section until you’ll enter the gentler 9km climb taking you to your hotel in Penhas Douradas. Relax and enjoy the views from the top in these spectacular mountain retreats.
Hotel: Casa das Penhas Douradas or Casa de São Lourenço (premium option)
Day 5 – Penhas Douradas – Manteigas – Torre – Covilhã – 61km and 1350m accumulated climbing
After breakfast at the hotel, this day will let you ride up to the highest point of continental Portugal, the snow station of Torre, which sits at 2000m high up the Sierra da Estrela and will let you know the western side of this mountain range. Start by riding the long downhill section from your hotel towards Manteigas and from here ride one of the nicest climbs to the top of the Sierra, up the glacier valley. The first part is is a long tough climb of 9km and 8% average incline starting at the Zêzere river, leading you through the beautiful glacier valley and up to the Viriato Lake. After a short 2km downhill section you'll have to tackle the remaining 8 km to get to Torre, also at an average 8% incline. It’s a tough constant climb that will get you to 2000m high with amazing views from the top. At the top enjoy some coffee and snacks or venture yourself and get the typical and huge prosciutto and serra cheese sandwich they sell at the café because e all the hard work of the day is done. Trace back downhill to the crossing to Covilhã, tackle the 2km uphill section and be ready to start the veeery long 20km downhill section that gets you to Covilhã, the city at the base of the mountain range. Enjoy the restaurants at the city centre and be sure to rest well for the upcoming days.
Hotel: Hotel Pena D'Água or Casa das Muralhas (premium option)
Day 6 – Covilhã – Proença a Nova – 116km and 1600m accumulated climbing
Breakfast at your mountain retreat and start of your day ride. This day's ride has plenty of downhill and rolling hills terrain, but there's also several medium to short 2 to 5 km climbs along the route. On this day you'll be leaving the big mountain to get access to the flatter central and south region of the country. Enjoy the ride along the river valleys and long extensions of forested area as well as the almost car free roads of most of this region. This area of the country has plenty of small villages along the route where you can stop and refill or have a coffee and you should aim to get a stop half-way through the day and be sure to eat to make it through this leg breaking up and down riding. As you get closer to Proença a Nova the terrain starts to get flatter too.
Hotel: Amoras Country House (upgrade to superior room in premium option)
Day 7 –Proença a Nova – Estremoz – 150km and 1900m accumulated climbing
Breakfast at your hotel and start of your ride, leaving the highlands towards the rolling hills of Alto Alentejo. Your ride starts with a long downhill section to get you to the Tagus River and then climb from the banks of the Tejo River to the surrounding hills and to the village of Nisa. Once you get to Nisa you are already in Alentejo and in rolling hills terrain, which will constitute most to today’s ride. You’ll ride through Alpalhão, Flor da Rosa, Crato, Alter do Chão and Fronteira, all small villages where you can stop and enjoy a coffee, refill you water bottles and grab a bite while noticing the different architecture and slower pace of this province. The landscape, trees and terrain will be quite different also, as if you entered a new country. After the short climb to Fronteira the rest of the route will be in flat-ish roads with a very gentle climbing approach to Estremoz and then the short and sharp hill to get you to the top of the village. If you’re staying in Estremoz enjoy the views from the top of the Castle Tower and make sure to visit the great restaurants in town. If you’re staying at the Convento de São Paulo you still have to ride 18km more to your mountain retreat in the Ossa Sierra, a beautiful old convent now a hotel. From Estremoz you’ll ride downhill to the base of the mountain and then tackle the remaining 7km at 6% incline that will lead you to your hotel. Relax by the pool and have dinner at the great restaurant in the Convent Courtyard.
Hotel: Convento de São Paulo or Pousada de Estremoz (premium option)
Day 8 – Estremoz – Vale do Gaio or Alvito – 107km and 800m accumulated climbing
Enjoy your breakfast in either of the the high ceiling dining rooms of both historical buildings and head out to ride the plains and rolling hills of Alentejo. If you haven’t ridden it the day before you will ride it today, up the Serra D’Ossa and then down to Redondo, a long 7km climb and then a 5km downhill section. If you stated at Convento de São Paulo you just have to roll downhill and then ride the flat area till Redondo. From here you’ll enter the rolling hills and plains of Alentejo, riding really quiet roads and passing the very small villages of São Manços and Torre de Coelheiros, before going through the more populated Viana do Alentejo. If you are staying at Pousada do Alvito the latter is only 10km from this historic castle and hotel. If you’re staying in Vale do Gaio then you still have 35km of you ride to complete it, mostly in gentle downhill roads that will take you to this hotel just at the edge of the Vale do Gaio reservoir. Relax at the pool and enjoy dinner outside if the weather is favourable.
Hotel: Pousada do Alvito or Hotel Vale do Gaio (premium option)
Day 9 – Vale do Gaio – Vila Nova de Milfontes – 103km and 600m accumulated climbing
After your breakfast at the hotel, you’ll start your ride that will take you from the plains to the coast and the beaches of Alentejo. Exiting your hotel you’ll have a downhill section to take you to the banks of the Sado River and its rice fields. After a short sharp climb from the river bank you’ll enter a long flat section that will take you to the village of Grândola, a good place to stop at a café and refill your water bottles. Once you leave Grandola you’ll have to head up the Grandola Sierra, riding the plateau to Santiago do Cacém and then the downhill section to Morgavel Reservoir and thus entering the protected area of the Vicentina Coast, or Southwest Coast as we call it. From here the terrain is flat, in a road parallel to the Coast, passing near Porto Covo and the arriving in Vila Nova de Milfontes, where your seaside or riverside hotel is located.
Hotel: HS Milfontes Hotel or Monte do Zambujeiro (premium option)
Day 10 – Vila Nova de Milfontes – Sagres – 100km and 800m accumulated climbing
Breakfast at your hotel and start of the last ride of this tour that will take you to the southwestern most point of Portugal, Sagres, full of significance due to the Nautical School said to be founded there in the 15th Century a.C. by D. Henrique while preparing expeditions to the African coast. Today’s route is mostly flat with a couple of short climbs along the way as you approach the coast and then get back inland. From Vila Nova de Milfontes you’ll ride south to Odeceixe, where a detour to the beach is highly recommended, it’s just an amazing view the confluence of the beach, the Seixe river mouth and the rugged coastal cliffs of this area. From here you continue to Aljezur, where a stop for coffee or snacks might be in order as you’ll have to ride up the last climb of the tour, a 3km climb that will take you to Vila do Bispo. From here it’s all flat or downhill until the edge of the continent at St. Vincent’s Lighthouse. Trace back to Sagres and check-in at your hotel. Relax and enjoy the city and don’t forget to visit one of the local restaurant to enjoy the marvellous fresh fish and seafood of this coast.
Hotel: Pousada de Sagres or Memmo Baleeira Hotel (premium option)
Day 11 – Transfer to Lisbon
Enjoy your breakfast at your hotel and after check in you’ll be transferred to Lisbon airport or your hotel in the city. End of the tour.
This tour takes cyclists through a diverse array of landscapes, offering a mix of rolling hills, challenging climbs, and scenic descents, while crossing Portugal from the northern highlands to the southern coast. The journey begins in the mountainous Trás-os-Montes region, with long downhill sections and gradual climbs as you enter the Douro Valley's terraced vineyards. As the route progresses, you’ll face steeper ascents in the Serra da Estrela, including climbs to Penhas Douradas and Torre, the highest point in mainland Portugal, offering spectacular views and rugged terrain.
Further south, the landscape transitions to rolling hills and forested valleys, with smoother roads and less elevation gain in central Portugal. Reaching Alentejo, the terrain flattens out into open plains and gentle inclines, lined with cork oak groves, olive trees, and quaint villages. The final stages lead to the Atlantic coastline, where flat coastal roads and occasional short climbs bring you to the cliffs and beaches of the Vicentina Coast, culminating at the southwestern tip of Sagres. This journey blends technical challenges, cultural richness, and stunning natural beauty.
Private rides:
If you are looking for a different, exclusive experience, you can make this ride private for your group. Just choose any open trip date, get your group together and contact us to know the private trip listing.
Customized rides:
If you represent a group and want to schedule a different date than the ones listed, we are available to customize this and other experiences to better suit your needs and availability. Please contact us for more information.
AT YOUR SERVICE
Our team is composed of portuguese tourist guides and bike riders, in love with our country and proud to present the best landscapes, gastronomy, history, culture and experiences to anyone who chooses to ride in Portugal.
For the last five years, our team has been involved in the making of over 200 bike-related events in Portugal, from Granfondos to casual mountain bike rides, throughout the country. We are seasoned travelers and riders, able to tap into our local knowledge to provide great experiences to our guests.
Our team is composed of dedicated guides and riders. We make sure our guests’ cycling holidays run smoothly and exceed their expectations.
We work with Specialized to equip our tours with high-performance bicycles designed for comfort, reliability and exceptional riding experiences on Portugal’s most beautiful cycling routes.
Road Bikes - Specialized Tarmac SL8
For our road cycling tours, we use the Specialized Tarmac SL8, one of the most advanced performance road bikes available today. These lightweight carbon bikes are designed for speed and efficiency, whether climbing mountain roads or cruising along Portugal’s scenic coastal routes.
Equipped with Shimano 105 Di2 electronic shifting and hydraulic disc brakes, the Tarmac SL8 offers precise gear changes, excellent control, and exceptional ride quality.
Click to learn more about our road bike fleet.
Gravel Bikes - Specialized Diverge
Our gravel bike fleet features the Specialized Diverge, a versatile bike built for adventure and mixed terrain riding. With its Future Shock front suspension, carbon fork, and stable geometry, the Diverge delivers comfort and confidence on both paved roads and gravel tracks.
This makes it the ideal choice for exploring Portugal’s quiet countryside roads, coastal paths and scenic gravel routes.
Click to learn more about our gravel bike fleet.
Electric Touring Bikes - Specialized Turbo Vado
For riders looking for extra assistance on hills or longer distances, our electric touring fleet features the Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 IGH Step-Through.
These comfortable e-bikes combine smooth pedal assistance with a powerful motor and long-range battery, allowing riders to enjoy Portugal’s landscapes with ease while still experiencing the joy of cycling.
Click to learn more about our electric touring bike fleet.
E-Road & E-Gravel Bikes - Specialized Turbo Creo
Our Specialized Turbo Creo fleet offers the perfect balance between performance and electric assistance. Designed as a lightweight e-road and e-gravel bike, the Creo provides subtle motor support while maintaining the feel and agility of a traditional performance bicycle.
This makes it an excellent option for riders who want to tackle longer routes and climbs while still enjoying a dynamic cycling experience.
Click to learn more about our E-road and E-gravel bike fleet.
Mountain & Touring Bikes - Specialized Rockhopper
For adventure rides and mixed terrain routes, we offer the Specialized Rockhopper Comp, a recreational mountain bike designed for stability and comfort.
With its relaxed geometry, front suspension and wide tires, the Rockhopper is perfect for exploring countryside trails, natural parks and scenic rural roads.
Click to learn more about our mountain and touring bike fleet.
Professionally Maintained and Fitted to Every Rider
All bikes are carefully prepared and adjusted for each guest before the start of the tour. Our team ensures every rider enjoys the correct bike fit for maximum comfort and efficiency during the trip.
The exact bike model used on your tour may vary depending on availability. All bicycles in our fleet are carefully maintained and prepared by our mechanics to ensure reliability and performance. At the start of your tour, each bike is individually fitted to every rider for optimal comfort and efficiency. If you have a specific bike preference or special request, please feel free to contact us.
RIDE SUPPORT AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES
In our cycling holidays, you’ll be accompanied by our always present staff and vehicles. They will provide for all the services you need for the best biking experience in Portugal.
At your service, you’ll have a fleet of premium equipped vehicles with several amenities for your comfort.
/Mechanical assistance during the bike tours;
/Luggage and bike transfer between hotels;
/Transfer to and from hotels/airports;
/Premium passenger transport and assistance during the rides, at your disposal;
Bike touring at it's best!
AFTER A GREAT DAY IN THE SADDLE, IT'S TIME TO RELAX.
We work with the best hotels and SPA's, to guarantee you full-access to great relaxing experiences and a good night's sleep after your bike tour.
/ Acess to the best SPAs;
/ Free time for sightseeing;
/ Experience adapted to your own pace and holiday style;
We strive to provide our guests with time to relax and immerse into the atmosphere, providing a balance between great activities and well deserved “me time” on your cycling holidays Portugal!
CYCLING HOLIDAYS FOR EVERY TYPE OF RIDER
While planning your cycling holidays, our staff may contact you to ask for further details to better design a bike tour more suited to you. However, all our tours are built to adapt to groups with different riding experience, having shorter and longer options. For "expert" riders, we provide additional cycling challenges. On the other hand we invite all our guests to simply hop into our premium equipped vans if they feel so or just enjoy a recovery day without using their bike.
RIDER TYPES:
1 BEGINNER
/ I ride my bike on a regular basis, for fitness, commuting or out with friends. I prefer rolling terrain but enjoy reaching my goals and enjoy an active lifestyle. I like to overcome some challenges on my bike, but mostly enjoy the landscapes and atmosphere during group rides.
You will get to ride at your own pace, in moderate distances and hop on our premium van if you so desire or, you can challenge yourself when you feel comfortable! You’ll get to ride in a peloton with like-minded people and always accompanied by our guides. If you want an extra "help" on your rides, you can also request an e-bike.
2 INTERMEDIATE
/ Riding is a great part of my life, and I ride my bike regularly with my friends. I am comfortable with rides of 2 to 3 hours, or even more at a relatively strong pace. I like to be challenged and to surpass obstacles or just ride smoothly in a peloton.
You will get to feel different riding experiences, from tougher climbs to rolling along in great company. You’ll have time to enjoy the great landscapes, gain speed in the descents and also push yourself and climb those tough hills. You’ll enjoy the variety of terrain, riding in a peloton and pushing a little harder just before the stop at the café.
3 EXPERT
/ I ride my bike an average of 100 kilometres or more per week and enjoy a fast paced ride for an extended period of time. I love to train, improve and be challenged by other riders. I enjoy all riding experiences, from big climbs to long, technical descents, especially the ones that allow me to push my limits and make long lasting memories.
You’ll get to ride in a peloton along with your peers but also challenge them on the long climbs. Lead the pack and take on the special extra-challenges we have in store for you – try to keep up with our guides as you go for the extra mile just before your well deserved rest and massage at the hotel!
Cycling holidays Portugal for all.
