| Tour | Bike |
|---|---|
| Type | Both |
| Skill | Moderate |
| Length | 4–8 days |
| From | €275 Rates |
| Client Reviews |
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Tour Dates
Arrival possible any day, all year long.
*Not recommended for July and August as average high temperatures are close to 90° F.
Day-To-Day Itinerary
There are many options for your cycling itineraries. You can enjoy short days or longer days, you can reserve transfers so that you can linger longer at the place that interests you the most. Upon arrival, you will be fully informed and can design your own unique itinerary.
ROUTE 1 - Megalithic Monuments
An optional morning transfer will take you to Guadalupe (if you prefer you can cycle) from which you return by bike. A longer ride is possible as well. The trail is easy, with gentle rolling dirt roads, and goes through the beautiful Holm oak forest and grazing land. Cultural and historical highlights include a visit to the Dolmen of Zambujeiro (the largest dolmen in Europe), the Cromelech of Almendres, with a beautiful view over Évora, the Menhir of Almendres, the Church of Mitra and the Roman Ruins of Nossa Srª da Tourega. In the afternoon, you cycle in the city of Évora and discover the amazing history of this beautiful city.
You can visit the surreal Chapel of Bones and the impressive cathedral, originally from the 13th century. The Chapel of Bones is literally what the name implies, a 16th Century chapel decorated with bones, skulls, and entire bodies hanging from the wall!
Finish your day on this bicycle tour in Portugal with wine tasting in Évora.
Distance:
With morning transfer: 22 or 28 mi. (35 or 45 km)
Without transfer 44 mi. (70 km)
Level: Easy
ROUTE 2 - The Famous Carpets
This suggested itinerary is an easy loop ride from the guesthouse to Arraiolos and then back, following the "green lane", or a rails to trails path. This is a peaceful ride on gentle rolling hills, 10 km of which is on dirt roads. You will cycle past small farms, eventually reaching Graça do Divor, a beautiful and well-preserved white and blue village. This is a wonderful place to stop for a drink and try delicious (and famous) meat pies. Following your refreshment, you continue to the the village of Arraiolos, famous for its rich historical center, castle, and embroidered wool rugs and carpets which have been made since the middle ages. A local delicacy that you must sample is the delicious Pastéis de Toucinho. There is opportunity to visit a winery (€6), and a cheese farm that also produces local liqueurs. (Sampling here is €11.) From the cheese farm, you can order an optional transfer back to the farmhouse. If you cycle back to the guesthouse, you pass Divor dam and its lovely lake. You can shorten the daily mileage by 12 km if you do not visit the cheese farm.
Distance:
22 mi. (36 km) all visits described and transfer from cheese farm back to hotel
28 - 33 mi. (45 - 53 km) to winery and back
43 mi. (69 km) to winery and cheese farm and return by same route
47 mi. (75 km) to winery and cheese farm and back a different route
Level: easy to moderate, depending option and if you purchase transfers. You will cycle on gentle rolling hills which included approx. 15 kms of dirt roads
ROUTE 3 - Conquest of Valongo Castle
The day begins on a road lined with olive groves, with gentle ups and downs until Nossa Senhora de Machede. There is opportunity to visit a traditional leather factory and, if traveling in October or November, an olive oil mill. If traveling off-season, it could still be possible to arrange a tour subject to availability.
Valongo Castle, dating from 1283, is on the agenda as well. Located in the solitary surroundings of Montoito, it stands alone and surreal. Following then a dirt road, through the country at its best, you reach Alcaide Water Mill and continue along the river passing several mills until reaching the main road. If you want to extend your cycling itinerary, you can add an extra 10 km and cycle to the Ervideira winery (supplement of €8). At the end of your cycling day, there is an included transfer back to the farmhouse.
Distance:
25 mi., 31 mi., or 37 mi. (40, 50, or 60 km)
Level: easy with gentle rolling hills. The last 6 km is on dirt road which you can avoid if you request to be transferred early.
ROUTE 4 - The Medieval Village
A morning transfer will take you to Reguengos from which you cycle to medieval Monsaraz, perched high on a hill, overlooking the Guadiana River. The view spreads below for miles. As you enter the village, surrounded by castle walls, it is as though you have stepped back in time. The houses are made of white Schist with blinding white walls. In the area surrounding Monsaraz are several fascinating megalith and dolman monuments. These symbolic remains date back to between 4.000 and 2.000 years BC. Another highlight is the famous pottery village of S. Pedro do Corval. At the end of the day, there is a return transfer to the farm.
Distance:
19, 27, 31 mi. (30, 43, 50 km)
Level: easy with the majority of the itinerary on flat roads, however, there is a moderate 2 km climb to Monsaraz
ROUTE 5 - The Wine and Cork Route,
Leaving the farm, the cycling leads through the country in the direction of Igrejinha, a very "white village" where all houses have stripes of different colors, like a striking painting. There is a lovely winery here that can be visited. From Igrehinha, you cycle to the cork factory to learn how cork is transformed. This will be a highlight of your day. In the same village, you can visit a knife factory and see the process of making kitchen knives, cork cutting knives and others. Nearby there is a wonderful sanctuary with murals from floor to ceiling. Next on the agenda is the village of S. Miguel de Machede where you can stop for refreshments.
Level: easy will rolling hills (270 m of climbing with transfer, 430 m without).
Distance:
27 mi. (42km) - with transfer back to farm.
46 mi. (74 km) without transfer
4 days/3 nights
1st day: Arrival. Accommodation and dinner at our guesthouse.
2nd and 3rd day: Cycling Route 1 and 2
4th day: Departure.
If you want to choose one of the other cycling routes, which have transfers, the transfer service will be charged separately.
5 days/4 nights
1st day: Arrival. Accommodation and dinner at our guesthouse.
2nd - 4th day: Cycling route 1, 2 and 3. One more dinner at the farm on one of the nights.
5th day: Departure.
If you want to choose one of the other cycling routes, which have transfers, the transfer service will be charged separately.
6 days/5 nights
1st day: Arrival. Accommodation and dinner at our guesthouse.
2nd - 4th day: Cycling route 1, 2, 3 and 4. Two more dinners at the farm in two of the nights.
5th day: Departure.
If you want to choose one of the other cycling routes, which have transfers, the transfer service will be charged separately.
8 days/7 nights
1st day: Arrival. Accommodation and dinner at our guesthouse.
2nd – 7th day: 5 cycling routes - one free day. Two more dinners at the farm on two of the nights.
8th day: Departure.
On one of the nights you can enjoy a Cooking Class on Alentejo food. You will be taught to prepare a delicious Alentejo meal, using fresh and readily available ingredients.
Check out this video for a closer look at the beautiful country of Portugal!
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Email or Call 800-951-4384 +1 570-965-2064
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Pricing Information
Travel Details
Travel
Fly to Lisbon International Airport.
Local Travel
Transfers from Lisbon airport to Evora are available for a supplement. There is a bus transfer from Evora bus station included in the tour price. Take a taxi from the airport to Lisbon bus station and from there, bus to Evora. Time of travel is about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Climate
Please check local conditions before your arrival. A good website to research average high/low temperatures and average rainfall is weatherbase.com.
Remarks
Do note that you are expected to change your own flat tire and do basic bike maintenance if needed on your ride. You will be charged a fee if you need assistance for basic services. Emergency assistance will be a phone call away.
Tour Operator
This tour is operated by Portugal Best Cycling. We do not run these tours ourselves, we never have. We work from the commission the European tour operators offer us plus a small administration fee of €20. We pride ourselves on the strong working relationship we have with all our tour operators and the services we provide.
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Customer Feedback
j michael Cunningham 8 months ago
My wife, I and two friends took this trip in September. The farmhouse was a wonderful place to stay and rooms and common areas are very comfortable. Pool and grounds are lovely. The farm's owner has a classic car collection that is an added bonus if you are able to see it. Breakfasts are excellent. The staff we dealt with --Maria, Manuela and Johanna--were beyond great. They consistently went out of their way to make sure we had the best trip possible. Bikes were well maintained and appropriate for the terrain. I have been on three self-guided bike trips in Europe and the daily directions here were excellent--the best I have seen. The only caveat I have about the trip is that the difficulty level should be moderate and not easy. Daily trips were challenging beyond an easy category. In fact, four of the five days riding instructions listed the route as a medium bike ride. Other than that a great trip and good value. I gave the trip four stars rather than five due to the difficulty level.
Reply
Jehiel 4 months ago
Thank you for submitting this feedback. Based on your detailed feedback, we have changed the difficulty level to easy-moderate. With this tour being a based tour, there are many possible cycling routes to chose from and with varying degrees of difficulty.
Thanks again for your input. We hope to help you plan your next trip!
Reply
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