Portugal North to South

Description

The Perfect Portugal Adventure from North to South

Tour Summary

You’ll be exploring 650 miles and ascending 50,000ft from North to South, without compromise. We’ll climb to the highest point of Continental Portugal, visit and taste the wine areas, marvel at historical cities and villages, soak in the beauty of the natural parks and visit the vibrant city of Porto – in a non-stop road cycling adventure that culminates on a beach in the Algarve, taking in the best this stunning country has to offer.

Immerse in 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. Discover the amazing history, culture and traditions Portugal has to offer.

The Alentejo region 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 undiscovered paradise of one of the most remote areas in Portugal, the Douro International Park, with its beautiful landscapes and vantage points over the river. A UNESCO world heritage site, with its trademark "socalcos" or terraced vineyards, distinctive fields of olives and oranges, river beaches and wildlife. 

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. 

Overview of Route

* Day 4 - Optional Ride to Highest Point in Portugal makes day totals 52 miles with 7354ft ascent

* Tour Totals including this option are 654 miles with 52,063ft

Itinerary

Arrival Day: Monday > Porto

A free day to explore the bustling coastal city of Porto famous for its port wine, colourful architecture and amazing food. Once everyone has arrived at the Hotel we'll meet for a tour briefing and head into the City for a group meal. 

Day 1: Paradela Dam to Modim de Basto

44 miles | 71km | 3995ft | 1218 m

A coach transfer from the Hotel in Porto takes us to the start of our adventure close to the Spanish border in the north of Portugal. We start here so that we can enjoy impressive backdrops of mountain ranges, rides over large dams, deep-ridged gorges and long sweeping downhills.

It also allows us to join up later in the day with the Tamega Trail which is a fantastic disused railway line that has been converted into a traffic free cycling route and takes us to our overnight stop in Modim de Basto. The first few days are hilly but there is over 5500ft of descent on this first day alone for you to enjoy!!

Day 2: Modim de Basto to The Douro River

49 miles | 79km |  4879ft | 1499 m

Today starts back on the stunning Tamega Trail for around 20 miles to Amarante. From here we then pick up what has been voted the best road in Portugal the EN222 which is our gateway to the UNESCO Douro Natural Park and follows the river of the same name, with some of the most wonderful views of vineyard full valleys. This leads us to our relaxing riverside accommodation and where we can sample the very best produce this the region has to offer. 

Day 3: The Douro River to Freixenho

59 miles | 108km |  6175ft | 1973 m

Start the day heading towards the medieval river port village of Peso da Regua with its three impressive bridges that span the Douro. 

We rejoin the EN222 alongside the Douro for another 20km in direction of Pinhão.Taking a turn to Tabuaco (lunch stop) we tackle the long climb to the top with some of the most wonderful views of the tour Douro. At the top, we begin the descent into Freixenho our overnight stop 

Day 4: Freixenho to Gouveia

55 miles | 89km |  4918ft | 1525 m

As we continue along the Côa Valley with its long and gentle hills, there are views from a fa ofr 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, the best place to taste Serra Cheese, a creamy and pungent goat cheese of this mountainous area.

As we enter the natural park you’ll gently start to climb, passing the impressive village of Folgosinho, but rewarded with fantastic 8km descent into our overnight stop of Gouveia with views over the Mondego valley and to the highlands of Beira Alta region on the horizon.

Day 5: Gouveia to Serra de Estrela

34 miles | 55km |  5732ft | 1747m

From our overnight stay we traverse across some of the most dramatic scenery of the tour, with the option to ride up to the highest point of continental Portugal, the snow station of Torre, which sits at 2000m high up the Sierra da Estrella. 

The first part is a long tough climb starting at the Zêzere river, leading you through the beautiful glacier valley and up to the Viriato Lake. After a short downhill section you'll have the option to tackle the remaining 8 km to get to Torre, but you'll be rewarded with amazing views from the top. 

Once you retrace the route back downhill it is not far to our overnight stop in the mountains.

 * Stats for the optional Torre route: 43 miles | 69km |  7390ft | 2252m

Day 6: Serra de Estrela to Castelo Branco

53 miles | 85km |  3329ft | 1018m

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. We'll be leaving the big mountain to get access to the flatter central and south region of the country famed for its Olive groves and Cork trees.

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 to Castelo Branco.

Day 7: Castelo Branco to Marvao

59 miles | 95km |  5403ft | 1688 m

Today we are 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 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.

The scenery becomes increasingly dramatic as we enter the Parque da Serra de S.Mamede, and further into the park you will see up on the hill-top our last climb of the day, the ascent to the magical Marvao, with hopefully plenty of time to explore this historical, hill-top village, one of the best known of Portugal’s “Marble Towns”.

Day 8: Marvao to Elvas

58 miles | 93km |  2747ft | 837m

Today sees us riding through the gorgeous Parque da Serra de S.Mamede. We make a slight border crossing into Spain and back to keep us on the best roads. Later in the day, we approach Elvas (overnight stop) with impressive views of the viaducts and fortifications surrounding this small town, which are the largest group of dry ditched land fortifications in the world! 

Day 9: Elvas to Moura

75 miles | 122km |  4220ft | 1301m

We continue through the lovely Alentejo region today. A very pleasant morning’s ride through gently undulating countryside gives way to a short, steep climb up to dramatic marble-lined Monsaraz for a superb lunch spot with lots of lovely little tavernas.

Following a lazy lunch we head across from the Evora to Beja district, which is known as the Lake District of Portugal, crossing a few large bodies of water before heading to the well-preserved old Moorish village of Moura.

Day 10: Moura to Mertola

66 miles | 106km |  1916ft | 584m

Easier day elevation wise today sees us soaking up the peace and tranquility of this beautiful area in splendid isolation. We later begin to see some signs of settlement as we skirt the edge of the Vale do Guadiana park on our way to a superb descent into our evening’s accommodation with enough time to wander the ancient cobbled streets of medieval Mertola.

Day 11: Mertola to Tavira

58 miles | 93km |  4294ft | 1309 m

With the last few days having been more sedate, your legs should be nice and ready for the last dramatic day as we head through the low altitude Caldeirao mountain range today. We eventually pop out on the other side to a lovely descent followed by our final approach to the sea and the end of our journey at one of the Algarve’s most charming towns, Tavira, which is regarded as the 'Venice' of Portugal.

Stunning views await as we wind down towards the sea and the finish point where your guides will be waiting to cheer you and pop the corks as you complete your North to South Portugal tour.

What's included

   12 Nights Bed & Breakfast Accommodation

We stay in good quality Hotels many of which will have swimming pools and Spa facilities. Where ever it is possible we all stay together in the same accommodation as a group. No need to check in Pedal Britain team will have done that for you, just collect your key and relax. Bikes are either locked in a secure area of the hotel or in your room. Breakfasts are all included.

 Fully Supported Tour 

The Pedal Britain support vans are never far away to provide any assistance you need, be it access to your day bag, resolve a mechanical issue, report a first aid problem or just have a morale boosting chat. Just phone the driver or tap helmet as we pass if you need anything and we'll stop for you.  

Daily Luggage Transfer

The support vehicle moves all of your luggage between each nights accommodation. Also we recommend leaving a day bag in the support van to further reduce what you need to carry on the bike.

Includes Lunch and Brew Stop Refreshments 

Lunches are a mix of picnics in a very scenic spot and local cafe/restaurants. The famous Pedal Britain pop up café delivers welcome brew stops at strategic points along the route to keep energy levels up providing you with water, tea, coffee, fruit, biscuits, cake etc.. and anything else you specifically request.

Expert Cycling and Tour Guides

Pedal Britain prides itself on having staff with a 'can-do' attitude, their entire focus is on ensuring they attend to your every need, to ensure that you have the best experience possible. They have detailed knowledge of the route, are first aid qualified and decent mechanics - but most importantly they care about you. When asked 'What makes Pedal Britain better than others?' quite simply it is our amazing staff - the one thing our competition cannot copy.

Pedal Britain Tour App & Detailed Route Notes

From here you can download the relevant file format for the daily route maps - GPX, TCX etc.. These can then easily be transferred to whatever GPS unit you are using such as a Garmin or Wahoo.

Don't have a GPS unit? No problem, just download our APP and it turns your Smart Phone into a GPS unit with turn by turn route navigation.

We also provide very detailed route notes which act as both information about the days cycling and back up to your electronic gadgets.

Live Tracking App

Pedal Britain Live Tracker app allows family and friends to see how well your progressing. The same tracker also helps us keep you safe and also ensure your following the route!!

WhatsApp Tour Groups

We will invite you to join a closed WhatsApp group for your specific tour. This enables you to get to know people before the holiday and provides a platform to share training experiences or any questions, concerns you may have before the tour.

Not Included

Evening Meals - although group bookings will be made at local restaurants attendance is optional, however payment isn’t!!

Travel Insurance - We highly recommend you take out insurance 

Transport to Start at Porto or home from the End in Tavira

Easy Bike Transfer (Available for a Fee or Free if dropping & collecting)

Single Room Option (Limited number available)

Travel logistics

Getting to the Start - Porto

Air

Most UK airports will offer direct flights to Porto. This is our recommended method of travel. 

Once you arrive at the airport you have a few options of getting into the City to our Hotel: 

1. Metro - this about a 5 min walk from arrivals. Trains leave every 20-30 minutes and takes 40 mins costing less than €2 for the journey. 

2. Bus - Operated by Get Bus there are 8 departures daily, take around 25 minutes and cost €2.80. However the bus stops 1.4km outside the Old Town leaving a long walk to the Hotel (unless you get an onward Taxi from here)

3. Taxi - whilst much more expensive at €20-25 than Bus or Metro it will take you direct to the Hotel in around 20-30 mins. We'll attempt to co-ordinate 'groups' arriving at the airport at the same time so that transport to the Hotel can be shared. 

Obviously with the tour starting on Monday there is the option to arrive a few days earlier and explore everything Porto has to offer. Just let us know if this is your plan.

Getting Home from Tavira via Faro

Air 

There are regular and relatively cheap flights from Faro Airport back to most main airports in the UK.

Getting to there from Tavira:

Taxi - Which costs €60 for up to 4 people and €80 euro for 8. Again we can ensure that people are organised in to groups to help. 

Train - Which runs direct to Faro Airport from Tavira 10 times a day and would cost €3 and take around 45 minutes. 

Bike transfer

Getting Your Bike to Porto & from Tavira

Procedures for taking our vans full of equipment and bikes into the EU changed from 1st January 2022. There are now many extra pieces of paperwork that we need to complete, but the one that affects customers joining our European tours is called an ATA carnet.

This document details every item and piece of equipment that we take into the EU, for customs this has to be the same when we return to the UK and has to be completed for every van that we take to/from the EU.

Good News

We can still take bicycles, helmets and saddle bags over into the EU.

Bad News

I'm afraid that we can no longer take your personal luggage.

A further restriction is what we take out has to be exactly the same as what we bring back, so there is no flexibility to offer one way transport for your bike. If that did happen then we would be subject to a 20% charge of the value of the bike.

Each ATA carnet is subject to a fee and also a security bond payment which is dependent on the value of the bikes that we are carrying over in each van. You will be requested 8 weeks prior to the trip to complete a customs declaration form that we use on the ATA Carnet. 

It is for this reason that sadly we can no longer take bikes to/from the EU for free and will have to charge £50 per bike to cover the additional charges (covers both ways) which is in addition to any charges listed below for bike transfers and will be added to your balance invoice. 

Option 1: Customer Drop Off / Collection

FREE of Charge

If you can bring your bike to our offices in Northamptonshire then we will take your bike Free of Charge. No need to dismantle we'll take it fully assembled and safely secure it in the support vehicle for transporting to Porto and Pedal Britain will bring your bike back from Tavira.

Option 2: Bike Collection or Delivery - Pedal Britain Support Van

Cost for this service is £75.00 per bike - One Way to Start or From the End

On the Tuesday and Wednesday before a tour starts and in the week after a tour end, based on geographical location of clients that have signed up for this service, Pedal Britain's support van will come to an address of your choosing, which could be work, home or cycle shop to collect / deliver your bike. This means our van will transport your bike to Porto for the start, and will bring your bike back from Tavira then deliver to you in week after.

No need for dismantling we'll take it fully assembled and safely secure in the support vehicle for transporting. 

Option 3: Bike Collection or Delivery - Transport Partner

Cost for this service is £75.00 per bike - One Way to Start or From the End

If you happen to fall outside the geographical area being covered by the support van prior to the tour then do not despair we have an alternative solution.

On the Monday before a tour starts we'll arrange for our trusted transport partner to collect your bike from an address of your choosing, which could be work, home or cycle shop and deliver your bike to Pedal Britain.

Clients will need to securely package up their own bike in a Medium size (150 x 22 x 90 cm) cardboard bike box. A local bike shop will for free or small fee provide a suitable box and much of the packing material you will need for this. Pedal Britain will bring your bike back from Nice and return your bike to you the same way in the week after a tour ends.

We cannot via this service accept helmets or any day bags packed inside the boxes.

Bike Transfer Service: Both Ways

Total Cost is £150.00 per bike 

Terms & Conditions of Bike Transfer Service

• Pedal Britain cannot be held responsible for any damage that occurs in transit - although we will obviously take great care of bikes in transit
• Where a third party is being used Pedal Britain cannot be held responsible for any damage in transit
• We recommend that you have insurance in place to cover you for any accidental damage or theft during transit