Bike Tour Reviews Portugal's Atlantic Coast
Self guided from EUR € 1405
Self-guided:
Daily: Jan 4 - Dec 15, 2024. (minimum 2 participants)
Description:
Enjoy an authentic Portuguese adventure surrounded by the abounding beauty of the Atlantic Ocean! This unmissable cycling tour along Portugal's Atlantic West Coast will bring you through typical fishing villages like Nazaré, Peniche, and Ericeira, all…
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★★★★★ Clyde Rogers 2 weeks agoA really fun bike trip
We decided to try this tour as a way to see the countryside of Portugal, and it was a great success. We did the self-guided tour, so could stop where and when we wanted, and could set our own pace. We saw so many beautiful places that we never would've seen if we'd rented a car and figured out our own route.
The routes were well curated, avoiding busy roads and difficult trails for the most part, and fit our abilities well. I used a hybrid bike for the low gearing (some of the climbs were steep, and I used the bike's lowest gears), and my wife used an e-bike. The e-bike was geared well for the climbs, and although we were initially worried about running low on battery, she always finished the day with plenty of power to spare.
Our first two riding days were in a moderate steady rain. We had decent rain gear and both bikes had fenders, so we stayed dry and warm enough. We did the hybrid trail the first day, but switched to the paved version on the second because of the rain making the trails too muddy. I'd recommend just doing the paved version on any day with much rain.
We took this ride the beginning of November. The temperatures were pleasant, but the days were short. We stopped where we wanted, looked at lots of interesting scenery and views, and visited off-the-beaten-path locations, but generally arrived at our destination near sundown. We were happy we added a free day for sightseeing in Sintra, and in retrospect, probably should've done the same in Obidos.
We had an excellent trip, highly recommended!
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★★★★★ Katie Goslee 2 months ago
Very enjoyable trip
The trip was great. The apps used were very helpful, both for the route and to provide information about the places we passed or stayed. The route was pleasant (with one very very muddy hiccup, where we got stuck).
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- A few but this was the first with a company
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Kathleen Irvin 2 months ago
Coastal Portugal
The tour was amazing. They’re definitely worth some heels, but the bikes made it a little bit easier. Scenery was very nice. Only occasionally did we have to ride close to traffic on the roads. The bike trails were great.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Oct 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Kevin Conroy 4 months ago
Fun, fun trip
The trip was very well organized. The gps routes were spot on. Lots of turns in a few areas but that’s a small price to pay to stay off main roads.
Paul (our local tour representative) was excellent. His pickup, drop off and bike setup and sizing were efficient and timely. His instructions, recommendations and advice were indispensable. And a fun guy!
So a great ride, seeing small towns and countryside at a relaxing pace. The hotels were all wonderful with very good breakfasts. Our only regret was not having opted for an extra night in Óbidos and Sintra. But we didn’t know that until we were already in the towns.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Kevin Conroy 4 months ago
Fun, fun trip
The trip was very well organized. The gps routes were spot on. Lots of turns in a few areas but that’s a small price to pay to stay off main roads.
Paul (our local tour representative) was excellent. His pickup, drop off and bike setup and sizing were efficient and timely. His instructions, recommendations and advice were indispensable. And a fun guy!
So a great ride, seeing small towns and countryside at a relaxing pace. The hotels were all wonderful with very good breakfasts. Our only regret was not having opted for an extra night in Óbidos and Sintra. But we didn’t know that until we were already in the towns.- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- Two
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Katherine (Kate) Karlson 7 months ago
Memorable and recommended!
Fantastic trip! 197 miles on the hybrid route with e-bikes. Hotels were all top notch and included buffet breakfast was a treat. Recommend wet weather gear if going early season. Skip the gps but bring an external battery pack. Bike tour staff were fantastic and extremely helpful. If you stay in Sintra I recommend you leave as early as possible o avoid the tour buses and other traffic.
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★★★★★ Kat McDonald 7 months ago
Great scenery, great towns, very steep hills
Overall, an excellent vacation. Of the four bike tours I've done, it's #1 for scenery, #1 for food, tied for hotel quality, #1 for quality of bikes, #1 for travel partner service (documents, pickup/drop off, timeliness), and #4 for route finding. There are some times on busy roads but the drivers were exceptionally courteous. Travelers should note how hilly it is -- very difficult on a road bike and still quite challenging on an electric bike. Route finding is a problem. I understand the local partner is adding step by step navigation, but I believe additional steps (such as stickers on signs) will also be necessary.
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★★★★★ Michael Coulson 7 months ago
Terrific time, on and off the bikes!
Great way to see the country, and the people, food, hotels, was all fantastic.
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★★★★★ Joanne Nordeen 7 months ago
Variety and views
Wonerful way to experience a vaiety of towns, scenery, coastlines, hills, lodging, food and Portuguese hospitality. Local operator set us with high quality road bikes and all the info and support we needed for a smooth self guided trip. Some steep hills.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Regan Wilder November 17, 2023
A wonderful adventure!
Bike Tours was incredibly helpful and their support staff was amazing. We had a few rough days, but they swooped in and assisted us. The local knowledge and recommendations on the tour guide were perfect choices for us. I can't recommend this tour enough for adventure seekers. Even with rain and wind it was still a great adventure! I do recommend getting hybrid bikes if you want to sight see vs a work out for this ride. The hybrid routes were fun and challenging. You see a side of the country few others will. It was difficult to not spend the whole day stopping at all the landmarks and each cafe you pass. Hotels and food everywhere were the best.
- What was the date of your tour?
- November 2nd
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first one and likely hard to beat! I would recommend hybrid bikes for anyone who does not regularly cycle longer distances.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Nancy Lewis October 25, 2023
Very scenic
Great route and hotels. It would be better if the GPS had verbal cues as well since you can't see your phone in the rain. Also detailed paper maps would help especially if raining. Tour operator was excellent.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 25, 2023
Hello Nancy, thank you for your valuable feedback! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the route and hotels. We'll certainly consider adding verbal GPS cues and providing detailed paper maps for rainy conditions in the future. Looking forward to having you on another adventure with us!
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★★★★★ Yael NOy October 18, 2023
Beautiful sea coast with great views.
The sea coast was lovely. Hotels were conveniently located, comfortable and staff was extremely gracious. Fishermen villages along the way were not exactly as picturesque as expected. That part of the trip was a bit disappointing .
The local company was amazing any questions we had along the way were immediately addressed .- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Steven Fuglestad September 27, 2023
Wonderful Way to Tour Portugal
Portugal's Atlantic Coast bike tour is a wonderful way to visit and tour Portugal. The route is mostly along the ocean and there are many awesome views along the way. The distance of the each day's biking is reasonable, although there are many challenging hills to climb. The hotels were excellent, and each night we were on the coast we received an ocean view room. The service with airport pickup and drop off was prompt, friendly and efficient. The only negative was a poor quality GPS with difficult to read screen (the Ride with GPS app for one's phone, with the downloaded route, was much easier to navigate with). I recommend staying a few extra days to tour the beautiful and historic city of Lisbon. This was my first bike tour and it was an awesome experience! The itinerary, hotels, and service were all excellent!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Diane and Bob June 2, 2023
Amazing Historical sights as well as beautifu lAtlantic coast scenery.
This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. We added extra nights at several of the towns, so we could enjoy many of the gorgeous seaside towns and sights. We upgraded for ocean views and it was spectacular. Although we were not prepared for the strenuous climbs on several of the days nor the difficulty on the hybrid route.The hybrid route was more like mountain biking. I strongly recommend e bikes. two iphones and a back up battery power pak to ensure you don't run out of power before you arrive at each town. This gives you offline excellent directions. Miriam was our planner with bike tours and she spent many hours answering questions in a timely manner and helping us plan lots of the details. I would highly recommend her as an agent with Bike Tours. We have done most of our 10 European trips with Bike Tours and it is by far the best company we have used. Our next couple trips will be Scotland,the Danube to Budapest or the Rhine. If you want to enjoy smaller less crowded towns, go on a bike trip. Start or end with a larger more commercial city.
Breakfast although always the same were very delicious at each stop. Of the towns visited Sintra was historic with beautiful castle and palace, but Ericeria was beautiful seaside experience. Be sure you book an extra night in Peniche and arrange to go to Berlengas via boat. Well worth it and take the glass bottom boat there or rent a kayak and paddle around. Good little restaurant there also.
All around this trip was a 10!!!! Will post a few pictures in the next week. I have over 1,000 so want to post the best ones.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ JORGE VARGAS May 13, 2023
Great scenery and perfect routes!
This is a tour that was made by cyclists for cyclists. The routes chosen will give you the best scenery and taste of Portugal’s Atlantic Coast and Villages. It was a wonderful experience.
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★★★★★ Ellen Steury October 16, 2022
Fantastic touring company and lovely scenery
My husband and I took an unguided trip of 6 days, along with a younger woman (age 50) who was on her first time bike tour. The preparatory information the company provided, and the interactions we had with various staff both before and during the trip put this local bike tour company in a class of it’s own — first rate. The company has put together a great information packet to help you maximize your enjoyment on the trip — recommending sites and restaurants — and loaded it on apps for your mobile device. During the trip, they provided true 24 hour assistance. They immediately pick up the phone. I know this because I had a couple of mishaps (unrelated to the biking or the equipment) and I twice contacted the company for assistance. The response was immediate, to the point, and without hesitation, even when it incurred private transportation to take me from one hotel to the next. The person who met us to deliver the bikes and fit them to us did an excellent job. He covered all the details and answered all the questions. The hotels were an interesting mix of spacious-modern and historic-antique, with only one (in a small beach town) a little worn. All in all, this was the most smoothly run bike trip with the most accessible and responsive staff that my husband and I have encountered in our 10 bike trips over 8 years. Their attention to detail and focus on giving the client a good experience shows. It’s real. My compliments to the local tour company. At our ages (83 and 70), the hills with heavy electric bikes was a bit challenging, but this is disclosed by the tour advertising. For our 50 year old friend on her first long distance bike trek, it was a piece of cake. She handled it with ease and wants to do more such trips.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ SALLY ROTH October 11, 2022
Great mix of countryside villages, rolling hills, and coastal towns
The hotels were all comfortable and quiet and convenient to restaurants and sightseeing.
Nuno and Bernardo with Portugal Nature Trails were very helpful in setting us up before the trip and shuttling us at the end and provided interesting information about the areas we were in. I also appreciated the extra accommodation made to collect us and drop us before and after the trip in locations different than the standard trip (collect at Porto airbnb and deliver to Lisbon hotel which saved us travel time)
We were expecting paper maps based on prior trips through biketours and while the app on our smartphones worked for navigation, they made it hard to take photos along the bike trip and to preserve our phone power. It would have been helpful to know in advance so that we could prepare accordingly. Hotels weren't always prepared for charging batteries but we worked it out.
The gps contradicted itself often with confusing left and right turns but the map lines worked.
The only surprise extended climb was heading up to Sintra which was tough even with electric assist but I probably didn't pay close attention.
This is my second biketours trip and I would recommend them wholeheartedly.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 self-guided through biketours and 1 self-guided with campgear coast to coast in US
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Melissa Dubois October 7, 2022
Beautiful trip
Traveling down the coast was beautiful. The hotels were all great quality. We were all glad that we had e-bikes due to the high mileage and the steep hills on this trip.
Some downsides- several of the roads were quite busy with cars and tour buses and the gps app really drained my phone battery which made it hard to also take photos. Having the option to have an actual gps rather than the app would have been helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ ActionCyclist2 April 13, 2016
History, Culture and Beauty!
Wonderfully organized self-guided experience (with luggage transfer added). Our transfers by vehicle to the start and from the finish were seamless and informative with an insiders view of general and specifics of our tour, Portugal and bikes provided by Kico. The maps, Garmin, and rental bikes worked perfectly for our tour. The riding on this tour is scenic and varied as the route passes through forests, coastlines, villages, working towns, and tourist destinations. The hotels likewise provided varied experiences as well, each with its own unique charm and amenities. We rode in early April which was too cold for the hotel's outdoor pools, but provided excellent riding conditions.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 - 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
