| Tour | Bike |
|---|---|
| Type | Both |
| Skill | Easy |
| Length | 7 days |
| From | €1360 Rates |
| Tour Reviews |
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Tour Dates
2019
Daily arrivals possible throughout the year
Skill Level
On this 7 day tour, you will cover approximately 243 km on a relatively flat route.
Day-To-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Porto
Day 2: Porto - Furadouro, 29 mi. (47 km)
Day 3: Furadouro - Aveiro, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 4: Aveiro - Praia de Mira, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 5: Praia de Mira - Figueira da Foz, 31 mi. (50 km)
Day 6: Figueira da Foz - Coimbra, 34 mi. (55 km)
Day 7: Departure
Day 1: Porto
Your first day will be spent in Porto, an ancient port city, once an outpost of the Roman Empire, steeped in history and tradition. Located along the Douro River Valley in Northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European cities and its historical center was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1996. Once you settle into your tour hotel, you can make your way to our partner's bike shop for a bike fitting followed by an included guided walking tour of this beautiful city. Three tours are offered daily. 10 am, 3 pm, or 4 pm. This will lead you through the art and tradition, such as the blue and white tiled churches, as well as some contemporary highlights including the bookstore that influenced J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the magnificent Stock Exchange Market.
Day 2: Porto - Furadouro, 29 mi. (47 km)
You exit Porto cycling over one of the most famous bridges in Portugal, the Don Luis I Bridge, entering then the city of Vila Nova de Gaia on the southern side of the Douro River. This town was originally founded as the Roman settlement, Cale. Here you can visit world famous Porto wine cellars. Another highlight is the chapel of Senhor da Pedra located in Miramar Beach. Built on the top of a rock situated right on the shoreline of the Atlantic ocean, you will enjoy amazing views both out to sea and to the white sandy beach stretching in front of it.
Upon arrival to the city of Espinho, famous for its fresh fish, you can sample for yourself the taste of the sea. As you cycle through Ovar next, be sure to taste the famous bread-cake! Bread baking in Portugal is just as an important part of the culture as is wine, cheese, and pastries. You will also have the opportunity to see the famous Chapel of the Steps, which is classified as a National Interest Monuments and many examples of the typical Portuguese tiles “azulejos”, not only on the facades of public buildings but on privately owned houses.
Day 3: Furadouro - Aveiro, 28 mi. (45 km)
Following a coastal route, you will cycle on a secondary road, through several fishing villages including, Torreira, with its long stretch of beautiful beach. You will also cycle through the famous nature reserve of the São Jacinto Dunes, a peaceful 6.7 square kilometer wooded nature reserve, equipped with trails and birdwatching areas.
Via ferry, you will cross to Aveira where you can visit the Monastery of Jesus, observe the tiles of the train station, and take a boat tour of the Ria de Aveiro.
Day 4: Aveiro - Praia de Mira, 25 mi. (40 km)
Today's route will lead through Ílhavo, location of Vista Alegre, Portuguese porcelain manufacture, founded in 1815. You will enjoy the fantastic scenery of the famous Costa Nova do Prado where the beaches are intertwined with the rural farms, creating a unique environment. The enchanting haystack houses splash the waterfront with their vertical multicolored bands.
Day 5: Praia de Mira- Figueira da Foz Route, 31 mi. (50 km)
On your ride today you can visit the little known and beautiful Barrinha Lagoon. The landscape progresses from that of oceanfront and the wide expanse of sand dunes to the lagoon and aromatic pine forests. The Queen of the Silver Coast, Figueira da Foz, is the day's destination. It is here that the beautiful River Mondego meets the Ocean.
Day 6: Figueira da Foz - Coimbra, 34 mi. (55 km)
The final cycling route leads away from the sea, but continues along the Mondego River to end in Coimbra, famous for its University, the oldest in Portugal, and one of the oldest in Europe, which over time has shaped its image to become "the city of students".
Day 7: Departure
Included in your tour price is transportation back to Porto from Coimbra. This will be by van or train depending on number of participants.
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Pricing Information
Travel Details
This tour is run by Sergio Marques.
We value the strong relationship we have with our local partners and the services we provide.
We are not a broker.
We do not inflate tour prices.
We are simply travelers helping travelers.
Would you like to learn more About Us? How about What Makes Us Different than other companies?
Tour Reviews
Liz G. 5 days ago
Bike company and owner Sergio were extremely helpful and particular that we all had a good experience. The bikes were of superior quality...Escorting us out of the center of Porto was greatly appreciated and necessary as we were a group of 12. Accommodations were excellent and GPS’ worked well. Restaurants along the way provided excellent food. The only negatives were the cobbled streets and some of the roads had many potholes so attention had to be paid instead of looking at the scenery. As Portugal becomes a “biking” country, I’m sure this will be addressed in the future. The locals were more courteous to bikers than our drivers at home!!
The abundant storks nesting in one area was a highlight.
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Jeanne W. 5 days ago
Porto was extraordinary as was Aveiro. The bike routes were primitive or sand covered. Local company was extremely nice and accommodating. Portuguese people couldn’t have been friendlier.
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Kathleen B. 6 days ago
Biking along the coast was epic. The vistas were beyond beautiful.
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Patricia S. 7 days ago
Our Silver Coast of Portugal trip was splendid. Our guides, the food, our hotels and our group had a lovely time. We've done over 10 cycling trips and this was one of the best overall trips we've had.
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Richard F. 7 days ago
Our self-guided Bruge/Amsterdam had given us a detailed book as well as GPS. This was [portugal coast] only GPS and one road was not usable due to a rock slide, so we had to go around a mountain with no real help with map. Also, they warned us of bad road conditions due to fire last year in their big forest. They were surely right as 15 miles of solid potholes and loose rock were what we got.
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Steven 4 weeks ago
The Portugal Silver Coast bike tour was one of my favorite vacations ever! I and 7 other people took the guided version of the tour in early June 2019. The more urban sight-seeing highlights included the city of Porto, with its very unique architecture and charming neighborhoods and cityscapes that cascade down the walls of both sides of the beautiful river valley, providing memorable photo-ops everywhere you turn. We toured a port distillery and tasted. Also noteworthy was the town of Aveiro, with its canals inhabited by gondolas and its colorfully tiled town center. And finally the university town of Coimbra, with its extraordinary 16th century library and its charming town square where groups of university students wearing darkest black perform splendid music (instruments and vocals) in various Portuguese traditions, such as Fado. Rural high-lights included beautiful beaches, pine forests, and amazing villages of stork nests, some constructed on high-voltage power Read more… distribution towers.
Food highlights included a seafood and rice stew served at a little café in Miramar right near the chapel on the beach. Also, standout was a sports bar named Núcleo Sportinguista in Figueira da Foz where we feasted on sardines. Our server was a gem! She was so friendly and patient with our rowdy group that she deserves some sort of prize! And on the final night, we enjoyed a really extraordinary meal of lovely tapas and wines at Taberna Urbana in Coimbra. Just excellent!
Many thanks to our guides, Sergio and Henrique, for their generous hospitality and flawless attention to detail. It was a joy to have them along on the trip!
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Ann and Patrice 1 month ago
We loved our bike trip and will definitely go back to Portugal. We would love to do another bike trip supported by Sergio and his team - we highly recommend them!
Our trip was in April 2019 and from the moment we arrived we were warmly welcomed - with an airport pick up. We were given the best walking tour we have had which was done in conversation style allowing us to both learn about the rich history of Porto and to ask questions vs. being "talked at". A port tasting and tour was also included and was equally well done. Sergio and his staff treated us with incredible care all along the trip even though we were self guided. The bikes and Garmin GPS were top! The suggested restaurants along the way provided delicious food (that says a lot because we live in France and we are quite selective). Hotels were very comfortable some with spa facilities which were appreciated after being in the saddle. The route was varied - mostly coastal yet some forests. We Read more… enjoyed the visit to Vista Allegra to see the porcelain factory including the artists at work hand painting porcelain. We saw many birds along the route including nesting storks. The surface for cycling varied from paved bike routes, dirt trails and sometimes a bit of sand covering the route due to some wind. We strongly encourage you to treat yourself to this trip!
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Leigh & Pat 2 months ago
Just completed this tour - May, 2019. We were a group of 12 (Canadians) and were looking for a reasonably easy bike journey. The terrain was - as advertised - very flat and never strayed very far from the beautiful shorelines of Portugal. (one significant hill - character builder) Early to mid-May worked well and we could only imagine how crowded the beaches and communities would be if the trip were taken in high summer months. Many of the small towns we passed through were almost dormant - very little life or activity, and many shops seemed closed . If you take the trip - be aware of Sunday closings and fewer selections of restaurants in Portugal. Sergio, the organizer and supporter, was helpful in every way with the organization of the trip, gps devices and bikes. He was available at all times if needed. We did not require that sort of support - and we were non-guided. The actual surfaces of land that we biked upon were variable - ranging from excellent bike Read more… paths to rural, remote dirt roads - but all very passable.
Not enough can be said about the hospitality and consideration of the Portuguese people we encountered. Bike travel is not as abundant in Portugal, and not as much a part of the culture, as elsewhere in Europe - but the gentle ways of the Portuguese are a pleasure to encounter. lb
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Marjorie S. 1 year ago
We loved this trip. The route was scenic and easily navigated, the bikes were well maintained and the customer service was impeccable. It was an easy trip with the exception of one leg at the end, but electric bikes made it doable. Absolutely recommended. The only point of confusion was occasionally the GPS would point us in 2 different directions. One was the main route and the other was an optional side trip. At times it was confusing as to which way to go. Otherwise, things were exceptionally well planned. See this wonderful part of Portugal while it’s still less visited by tourists.
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Gloria 1 year ago
Did a self-guided tour with a group of 5 women - had a blast. Flat terrain, beautiful scenery. Glad we built in time to explore Porto and Coimbra, both fabulous cities. Sergio was a pleasure to work with, highly recommend this trip.
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Martha 1 year ago
Very nice bike tour - great scenery and nice hotels. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Sergio is wonderful to work with and very responsive to our questions and requests. Wonderful trip!
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Andy Foster 2 years ago
A wonderful time. A hands off unguided tour down that beautiful coast just my friend and I. Thanks to Sergio and the gang for excellent guidance and suggestions, and his GPS, we never got lost and were able to stay on bike paths most of the way. All hotels were waiting for us, our bags already pre arrived. Thanks again Sergio! Highly recommended.
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