Cycling in Portugal: From the Mountains to the Sea

The trip was very well put together going from the mountains to the sea. Each day was different in terms of terrain, scenery and for our trip, the weather too - we had all sorts but luckily, not real rain, only drizzle, but that added to the atmosphere.The trip notes could be improved as in places they were vague e.g. stop for lunch at the quaint cafe (what's the name of it?); you must visit the Our Mother's Church (where is it? which town?). Also on one of the days, on reading the trip notes, it recommended a transfer to a certain location but with no reason or details of how to arrange it.What actually would be great for all self-guided trips is for an online blog of some kind where other travellers can put in their experiences, their recommendations and tips. On this trip, one of the bridges we have to cross is closed and looks like it's closed for a long time, so it would be good to warn future travellers of this...we were helped by a kind Portuguese cycler who also needed to cross the bridge, and we followed him to find another route.

An adventure around every corner, beautiful scenery, amazing food and a real feeling of getting away from it all. Met so many people walking their pilgrimage to Santiago which was amazing and made us feel part of something bigger than just a cycle trip.Some long days in the saddle and a good variation of surfaces to mix things up. The variation in landscape was also great. One day would be zipping down mountain roads listening to cow bells, the next mile would be in vineyards, another day you could cover plenty of miles along smooth cycle paths alongside the mighty Minho river looking across at Spain, the next bumping along cobbles and tracks in fragrant eucalyptus woodland or dodging joggers along the boardwalks next to the Atlantic. Awesome trip!

This is a leisurely trip with some lovely rides in mountains, along rivers and by the coast. There are some nice little villages and quaint towns. The food and local wines were all superb everywhere I went.

A truly fantastic trip passing through the Vinho Verde wine producing region. We started off in the mountains at 950m and ended in the colourful, historic and beautiful city of Porto at the end of our cycling holiday. The trip was a great way to see the rural life of Portugal and I would highly recommend this trip.

From Castro Laboreiro to Porto. 6 days of cycling with stop overs at some wonderful Portuguese villages and towns, sampling the local cuisine and wines along the way. The scenery varied from picturesque mountains to coastal plains with cycle paths and rustic roads (cobbled surfaces so take padded shorts or saddle gel for maximum comfort).The hire bikes were excellent, Specialised Rockhopper 29s and all were fairly new.The transfers and baggage taxiing from hotel to hotel were faultless.One of the best cycling holidays we have had.