Best of the Algarve by Road Bike

Name: Best of the Algarve by Road Bike
Brand: BikeTours.com
SKU: bt48x1346
Rating: 4.9 (7 reviews)

“The Algarve was outstanding: a perfect place to tour by bike.” —Carol

★★★★★★4.9/5 (7)

7 nights | 38 miles/day
Self guided from EUR € 795
Bike tour in Portugal

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Best of the Algarve

The road bike tour is designed as an easy/intermediate tour of places of interest around the Algarve.

It is designed as a self-guided riding experience, covering 60-70km every day, taking advantage of a fantastic network of quiet tarmac roads that stretch across the whole of the Algarve. It can be adapted to suit your individual needs.
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Highlights
- Tavira, an elegant old town dating back to Roman times
- Vila Real de Santo Antonio
- Loule, an explorer's haven with its narrow cobbled streets, tiny shops and hidden away bars and restaurants
- Ancient old town of Silves, home to the best preserved castle in the Algarve
- Cape St. Vincent, southernmost tip of Portugal and Europe
- Aljezur, an ancient Moorish town
- Market town of Monchique
- Historical old port of Lagos
- Beautiful beaches of Armacao de Pera
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Learn more about self-guided tours.
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Best of the Algarve

Tour Description Daily Program
Daily program

Note: You may start this tour on any date, year-round (minimum of 2 participants). Prices shown are for Apr-Sep, 2023. If you wish to book a tour starting in Jan-Mar or Oct-Dec, please inquire for prices.

Day 1: Arrival
Upon your arrival in the Algarve, we will collect you from the Faro airport and take you to your first destination, Vila Real de Santo Antonio, an interesting old town on the banks of the Guadiana river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal.
Overnight in Vila Real de San Antonio.

Day 2: Vila Real de Santo Antonio – Loule (40 miles/65km)
After breakfast, you will receive your bike and briefing for the tour. Your first day’s cycling starts with a gentle run along the coast towards Tavira, an elegant old town dating back to Roman times. From there you will head inland through unspoiled countryside, where few tourists venture, to São Bras de Alportel – a typical Algarvian working town, which offers a mixture of old and new. Then it is only a short stretch on to the market town of Loule, an explorer’s haven with its narrow cobbled streets.
Overnight in Loule.

Day 3: Loule – Silves (38 miles/60km)
Venturing north into the rolling hills, you will find some fabulous winding roads leading to the hill-top village of Querença, a great coffee stop with splendid views. Passing through Alte, famous for its white painted houses and fresh water springs, you can head towards the barragens (reservoirs) before aiming for Silves. Once the Moorish capital, Silves is steeped with history and home to the best-preserved castle in the Algarve.
Overnight in Silves.

Day 4: Silves – Sagres (45 miles/70km)
Heading west towards the southern tip of Portugal, there are some hills and very often headwinds, so this can be a challenging ride. But it is well worth it to experience the dramatic scenery as you approach the rugged coastline around the fortress at Sagres and the high cliffs at Cape St Vincent (the southernmost tip of Portugal and Europe).
Overnight in Sagres.

Day 5: Sagres – Aljezur (37 miles/61km)
This is a fabulous day’s riding, northwards up the unspoiled western coast of Portugal to Aljezur, an ancient Moorish town situated in a lush green valley and built on either side of a river that runs through the valley. Starting out from Sagres, there is the option to visit Cape St Vincent the furthest south-western point of Europe, This is around 12kms detour but well worth it and a gentle warm-up for the ride ahead. Passing through Vila do Bispo and then on towards Carrapateira where another detour (around 5 kms) to the Pontal headland makes a great viewpoint and also a great mid-journey cafe/lunch stop. The road ahead to Aljezur is straight forward and with a few hills but pleasant scenery along the way.
Overnight in Aljezur.

Day 6: Aljezur – Monchique (22 miles/35km)
Today's ride is not about the distance but all about the climb, initially steep up towards pedascas and then more gradual towards Marmelete and beyond. Monchique is a market town up in the Serra de Monchique, which is a thickly wooded mountain range separating the Algarve from the winelands of the Alentejo. The journey up to Monchique offers spectacular views and is totally different from coastal Algarve. Arriving in the town of Monchique presents a moment for refreshment, but our chosen hotel is a little further up the hill on the way to the summit of Foia. Its a climb, but the scenery and the superb setting of the hotel makes it all worthwhile.
Overnight in Monchique.

Day 7: Monchique – Albufeira (43 miles/70km)
There are many options for the route down to the coast today, our recommendation is not the shortest or the longest option, but it will give you some great scenery and more quiet roads. Passing through Silves again and then onto some small villages along the way, your final destination is Albufeira, a bustling tourist town with lots to see and do, and some great bars and restaurants where you can celebrate the end of your cycling trip! You will be staying in a good quality 4-star hotel within walking distance of the old town so the nightlife and restaurants are close by but not too close.
Overnight in Albufeira.

Day 8: Departure
We will transfer you from your accommodation to the Faro airport for your journey home.

Surface and terrain

This tour features mostly quiet tarmac roads that take you through coastal towns and hilltop villages. The tour includes generally rolling or hilly terrain with average daily distances between 60-70km.

Hotels

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

Hotel Apolo, Vila Real de Santo Antonio
www.apolo-hotel.com

Loule Jardim Hotel, Loule
www.loulejardimhotel.com

Colina dos Mouros, Silves
www.colinahotels.com

Mareta View, Sagres
www.maretaview.com

Hotel Vicentina, Aljezur
www.vicentinahotel.com

Monchique resort & Spa, Monchique
www.monchiqueresort.com

Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa, Albufeira
www.vilagale.com

How to get there

Tour start and end
Nearest airport: Faro, Portugal
Nearest train station: Loule, Portugal

The tour operator will arrange pick-up from airport in Faro. They can also do pick-ups from the Loule train station, located a convenient 1 km from the bike fitting shop.

Tips on getting to and from your tour

Best of the Algarve

Tour Photos Dates & Prices
Dates
Daily: Jan 1 - Sep 19; Oct 9 - Dec 31, 2023 (minimum 2 persons)
Off season: Jan 01, 2023 - Mar 31, 2023; Oct 01, 2023 - Dec 31, 2023

Season A: Apr 01, 2023 - Apr 30, 2023

Season B: May 01, 2023 - May 31, 2023

Season C: Jun 01, 2023 - Jun 30, 2023

Season D: Jul 01, 2023 - Jul 31, 2023

Season E: Aug 01, 2023 - Aug 31, 2023

Season F: Sep 01, 2023 - Sep 30, 2023

Prices

Tour package

Season A Season B Season C Season D Season E Season F
Per person, double occupancy €975 €1000 €1165 €1275 €1375 €1295
*For Off Season pricing, please contact us for more information.
*Single rooms are available for a surcharge. The surcharge is dependent on your travel dates, please contact us prior to booking for more details.

Bike Rentals

Carbon fiber road bike rental €175
SPD pedal rental €15
Helmet €15
Included services
- 7 nights accommodation
- Breakfasts
- Luggage transfer
- Quality maps, GPS tracks, and route suggestions
- Route assistance where necessary
- Transfers to/from start and end of route
- Garmin GPS navigation system (1 per group)
Bike rentals

Bikes available to rent (must be reserved at time of booking) include:
- TREK carbon fiber road bike (ultra light-weight)
Pedals
The bikes will have flat pedals, however SPD pedals are also available for a surcharge. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.

Helmets
Helmets are available for a surcharge. However, we recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes.

Tour Company
Best of the Algarve

Daily program Route Map
Route Map

Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

Best of the Algarve

Dates & Prices Tour Reviews
Reviews

Write a review
- ★★★★★ Peggy Lister 3 hours ago
  
  Algarve self guided bike tour
  
  Great experience! The accommodations and the daily breakfasts were all top notch!
- ★★★★★ Karla Frank 6 hours ago
  
  Perfect Portugal Cycling
  
  We can’t say enough about how wonderful this trip was! It was perfect in every way. Our holidays always include cycling so this was the perfect way for us to see the Algarve region of Portugal. Algarve Bike Tours was top notch in every way. They arranged everything for the trip including hotels, cycling routes, bike rentals, and luggage transfers. Everything went off without a hitch. The hotels were all different styles, and included a fantastic breakfast to fuel our ride for the day. The cycling routes were just the right amount of distance and climb to challenge us but not exhaust us. The bicycles were in good condition and met all our needs. We brought our own pedals, clips, shoes, saddles and helmets. Also, we never had one flat! Our luggage was always at the hotel when we arrived and the hotels were happy to accommodate us if we arrived a little before check in time.
  We can’t say enough about the Algarve region! The roads were nice, the people friendly, the scenery beautiful, the food and coffee plentiful and delicious! Motorists were very considerate of bicycles, even in the busier city areas.
  We have done many cycling holidays and this rates at the top, if not the top of all our trips!
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  May 2023
  How many tours have you completed?
  This is our first with biketours.com. We have done over 20 bike holidays.
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  As expected
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 5/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 5/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Jamie PRORACKI 5 months ago
  
  First bike trip experience
  
  Great first trip of this type. Also first time to mainland Europe. This was a great way to experience the land and meet and interact with so many people. The food was amazing and most of the accommodations were top notch.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  December 2022
  How many tours have you completed?
  1
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 4/5 Value
  - 4/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Timothy Libassi 7 months ago
  
  Beautiful road biking through the Algarve countryside
  
  Beautiful tour through the countryside of the Algarve. The routes provided kept you on quite almost car free roads for the most part and where it couldn’t you are still on well maintained secondary roads with a good shoulder to ride on. The weather was great, not too hot during the day and no rain while we were riding. The carbon fiber road bikes were high quality, well-tuned and setup for us on the first day. The hotels were good to great, we stayed an extra night in Sagres, which was not only a great way to break up the trip but also the nicest hotel on the tour. The Garmin provided worked fine, we had one glitch where it sent us to the wrong hotel, but since we had also downloaded the tours to our phone, we worked it out quickly. Communication was great with biketours.com and even better with the local tour company who kept track of my bag which the airline had lost and had it to me just in time for the first day of riding. Overall a fun trip, I would go back to Portugal in a heartbeat.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  october 2022
  How many tours have you completed?
  1
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  As expected
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 3/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 4/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Timr November 23, 2019
  
  Castles, Orange Groves and Sea
  
  Delightful tour through this beautiful and fascinating part of Portugal. Bikes provided were quality, carbon frame road bikes. Accommodations were good to very good. Navigation was clear—the Garmin provided worked just fine. The countryside was lovely. Recommend especially in September to November when temperatures are better.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  November 2019
  How many tours have you completed?
  11
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat easier
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 4/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 5/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Tuck October 27, 2019
  
  Great trip!
  
  Six of us did an unguided trip using the bike shop's GPS on our Garmin 520 and Iphone "Ride with GPS" app. We would have been miserably lost without it! The route took us thru the back roads of southern Portugal with beautiful orchards of oranges, pomegranates, lemons, vineyards as well as to the southern most tip of Europe and north along the Atlantic ocean coast. We stopped at little cafes for lunch and cappuccino's and stayed in lovely towns at 3 and 4 star hotels. It was simply a fantastic trip. The bike shop provided new carbon fiber road bikes, set us up with the proper adjustments, installed our pedals and left us with plenty of extra parts, tools and tubes to do any repairs. We had one flat tire. They were available anytime and only a phone call away. Addee and BikeTours.com were very helpful on getting us prepped on what to take and made the arrangements for us to be picked up and dropped off at the end of our tour. A few things to note:
  * This is a #3 out of 4 difficulty rated bike tour so come prepared and properly trained.
  * We went the 2nd week of Oct. with perfect weather, 72°F (22°C) for a high and down to 62°F (16°C) at the start of the day. One ½ hour of rain the entire 6 days but it would be very hot during the summer months.
  * There were a lot of hills and a total elevation gain of around 13,000' (over 4000 meters) so be prepared.
  * Download the GPS coordinates and routes to your Garmin or Iphone before leaving home as the internet connections are dicey at best.
  * There is 6 days in a row of riding with no breaks in between so the last day or two can be a bit tiring.
  * Do take a mirror for your helmet or to clamp onto your bike as well as a small bike bag (or day pack) to install on the bike for your cash, passport (needed to check into your hotel), energy bars, sun screen, etc... as there is only one under the saddle small bag that is filled with tools, extra tube, etc...
  * The bike shop provided us with a complimentary water bottle but take a 2nd bottle as the bikes had 2 bottle cages on them and you will be glad you have them.
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  Oct. 10-17, 2019
  How many tours have you completed?
  one
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Solo travelers
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 5/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 3/5 Ease of navigation
  - 4/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Cara November 20, 2018
  
  Beautiful way to see this country!
  
  We booked the self-guided tour, and loved it! Bikes, maps, GPS, panniers, and lots of tips were all provided! The routes were beautiful, the hotels were great, and I would go back to Portugal in a heartbeat!
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  10/8/18-10/15/18
  How many tours have you completed?
  this was the first
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat easier
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 4/5 Value
  - 3/5 Included meals
  - 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 4/5 Route selection
- ★★★★★ Algarve July 9, 2017
  
  Algarve Road Trip
  
  Cycling through the Algarve was outstanding. What a perfect place to tour by bike. The people are kind and the scenery is outstanding. The challenge of riding made the trip better than I expected. Every day was different scenery and terrain. The accommodations were fabulous. I wish we had planned to stay longer. Thank you BikeTours.com for making this so memorable and easy to take the trip!
  
  What was the date of your tour?
  June 25 to July 2
  How many tours have you completed?
  2
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  Somewhat harder
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 5/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 5/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 5/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
  - 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
- ★★★★★ Marcus k October 3, 2015
  
  Fantastic trip through Algarve
  
  We took the 10 day version in 2014. Absolutely loved it. Paul took great care of us. All equipment was excellent. Hotels were good. Best of all Paul was able to accommodate some changes along the way.
  
  How many tours have you completed?
  1
  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
  As expected
  Who is this tour suitable for?
  Families with teens, Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists
  Do you recommend this tour?
  Yes
  - 5/5 Value
  - 5/5 Included meals
  - 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  - 4/5 Hotels or boat
  - 5/5 Scenery
  - 4/5 Ease of navigation
  - 3/5 Tour documents
  - 5/5 Local tour company services
  - 5/5 Route selection
Best of the Algarve

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