Portugal Bike Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 268

We did this tour self guided on e-bikes and of the 3 we have done with Tripsite I think this was our best! The tour is so well organised, the partners in Portugal were so helpful! The scenery along the way is spectacular, from long coastal beaches to shady forests, waterfalls and all the little churches along the way. Riding amongst those walking the Camino was very special-- listening to some of the different reasons for doing it and making friends along the way. The hotels were good with two being amazing and one that was very average. We loved exploring the local towns to find somewhere to eat at night and loved the seafood rice on offer, always prepared a little differently. Also the pastel de nata were delicious! The Spanish and Portuguese were very friendly and I would love to do another tour in one of these countries. We had great weather which always makes for a memorable time.

1. The switch backs (hair pins), dirt road, pot holes, gravel road, flat road… various terrain.
2. The hotels and luggage transportation is very helpful. The luggage delivery is on time.
3. The seafood, including clams is yummy.
4. Each fishing town or beach town is unique.
5. Óbidos is a great final destination. We finally can take time to walk around the town.
6. Ferry time-it would be helpful to know the ferry schedule so that we can schedule our time earlier instead of waiting for 50 min.
7. A few roads and bridges are under construction or not for bikes. It would be great to know the updated notes to avoid the unnecessary turns.

Our trip was amazing and one of our favorite tours of the five Tripsite bike trips so far!  The Coastal views along the seashore in Portugal were beautiful, and majestic.  We shared the trails/roads/paths along other hiking Pilgrims, making the experience more communal. Our guides, Miguel and Felipe, planned for our meals with local restaurateurs who served delicious traditional Portuguese foods. They took very good care of us and were attentive to our needs including preparing us for any challenges we would experience along the way.  The hotels, especially the Parador de Baiona Hotel & the Torre do Rio Hotel offered an unforgettable experience overall. 

we only went to Obidos, but part of me wishes we would have done the longer tour to Lisbon!
i loved the route, and the variety of terrain on the route! The Garmin made it easy to not get lost! We loved seeing the Atlantic Ocean so much. we loved the towns... and Obidos being a walled city was something new and different too!
the terrain changed as we headed south.. that was nice. We also had perfect weather and a tailwind every day! we saw other bikers going from South to North and said they had headwinds every day! We loved the town of Costa Nova! we only passed through, but i wish we would have spent more time there!

The scenery and people were amazing. Guides weee incredible . Everything I dreamed of but I would not say the tide was easy to moderate

This trip was completely amazing from the natural beauty to the personalized activities designed by our guide.

The first day we were so excited to be on the coast- rugged beauty and good biking trails.
Our self guided trip relied on the provided GPS and the use of the phone app for better navigation.
Pedralva stood out for its uniqueness but each location chosen for lodging had its charms.
It would be nice to know in advance when food was not available right at the lodging as we might have planned beforehand for that.
We were lucky to avoid rain but did find lots of puddles on a couple of days but really overall, everyone was happy with the route and very glad we went.

The trip was beautiful, unforgettable! We loved the trails along the beaches and forests. Passing through small towns and alleys in old neighborhoods was welcoming. We were very well received in the excellent hotels and restaurants suggested. Walking through the cities we passed through was very pleasant. Taking raincoats was very important for the first day.

Highly recommend this trip ! We rode this self guided tour on our recumbent bikes and loved the ride. The local partner, Sergio and his staff, was very accommodating and flexible so we could use our own bikes, thank you! At the end of the tour, We were about to get stuck with our bikes in Lisbon due to a train labor strike and massive power outage but Sergio saved the day and transported us back to Porto. All of Sergio's team were very helpful, friendly professionals. Thank you to them and the Tripsite crew for such an enjoyable, memorable vacation!

This was a challenging ride, not because of the hills or the ponds we had to get through but because of the rutted sand, rock and gravel surfaces we biked on. I suppose it might be easy mountain biking , but not easy biking. Memorable though and great guides.

Beautiful ocean vistas and sunny weather

Be prepared to have fun and a wonderful experience.

The coast of Portugal is spectacular. The views were amazing and many of
the hotels were right on the ocean.

The bike paths were VARIED. Regular bike paths but also dirt and gravel, cobblestone streets,
secondary and main highways. I am very glad that I had an e bike ,a couple of the days are long
plus it's hilly in places and windy. The one small thing that would be nice is to have a day of rest in
the middle. To spend two days somewhere.

It was a beautiful trip and I highly recommend it.

What a way to experience Portugal! Riding along the spectacular coastline, through farmlands, vineyards, small villages, visiting historic attractions and so much more. Seafood and Portuguese pastries were daily treats. Some parts of the tour were challenging with cobblestones, rough trails, and many long hills to climb. This was offset with lovely cycling paths through forests and along the coast. We loved the e-bikes and accommodations arranged for us were first class. Our only disappointment was that we could not spend more time exploring the towns and the beautiful beaches along the way.

Hello, Just a comment about the hotel in Porto. Most of us on the tour are two people staying together. This is usually two women but could be two men or a man and a woman who are only friends. The hotel in Porto was a room divided into a shower and toilet using glass partians. You can see everything and hear everything. Not good if you and your roomy are not in a relationship. But, the hotel was very close to the partner office and otherwise was good.

Porto hotel was only suitable for husband and wife.

Loved the route- everything from back country trails to highways.

The coastline of Portugal, the cities, towns and villages were a feast for the eyes. This trip gives you everything for cycling- cobblestone streets, cycling paths,dirt roads, forests, lagoons, and challenging hills. The e-bikes were terrific and accommodations excellent. Highly recommended!

The trip was fantastic. We really enjoyed the different little towns along the journey and the variety of landscapes and various terrain despite the fact that some of them were a little challenging at times. Each little town had something different and wonderful to offer. The only thing we would change is maybe a couple free days of riding in order to enjoy some of the little towns, such as Sintra and Nazare. The staff was very courteous and professional, and provided us with all the information we needed for the journey. They were prompt to our requests and readily available to address all of our concerns.

Bret and Ginette

The beautiful scenery and smells biking through forests of pine and eucalyptus trees as I’m a nature lover. Impressive long sand beaches with varying sized waves. Our last leg from Sintra was exceptionally spectacular.
I would like to have spent two days in Sintra and maybe some other small towns.

We did this trip in late September on hybrid bikes, self-guided. We had great weather! The routes were varied and enjoyable. Some along the coast, some along backroads farther inland. Most of the riding was not on paved roads, but on gravel and sandy roads, some two track and some trails. Some of the paved sections had very little car traffic while some were more heavily trafficked. The Trek hybrid bikes worked great, were sturdy and comfortable. The most memorable parts were riding down into the villages, the varied routes on all kinds of surfaces, the stunning scenery and the swimming pools at the end of most days. Going self guided allowed us to experience the feeling of discovering things on our own. We used our Ride with GPS app for viewing the downloaded routes that the company sent to us. The local partner stayed in touch with us throughout the trip to make sure things were going well. You can plan on pushing your bike through a little sand at least once on this trip. It is minimal and just part of the experience. All in all a great trip!

There were so many memorable parts of this trip! Two of us, in our upper 60s, rode hybrid bikes on the self-guided 8-day tour. The local partner provided us with GPS maps that we downloaded onto our phones. Then we used the Ride with GPS app for viewing the routes. Distances per day were 20 to 31 miles, which was perfect for us. The scenery, including the dramatic coastal cliffs and beaches, pastoral fields and pine groves, and the incredibly quaint and picturesque villages was fantastic! I would rate the skill level required as easy to moderate. There were smooth roads, sandy and gravel roads and trails and some small sections of mountain biking. It was a nice combination of flat and hilly sections. The hills were not extreme, although we did choose to walk portions of them occasionally. The routes were well chosen. We enjoyed the variety of surfaces and views and we always trusted where the routes would take us. The hotel choices were always comfortable and lovely! The local partner kept in touch with us via WhatsApp to make sure things were going okay throughout the tour. Thank you for a grand memorable trip!

Pro:The selected routes and the varied countryside. VERY GOOD that a guide led us out of Porto

Con: often difficult for the lead to navigate out of the larger centers.

Communication at start and end could be improved. I called for times, locations and details that the whole group wondered what the plan was.

Beautiful route along the coast with reasonable distances each day. Hotels were all wonderful and GPS guide worked great.

Things to improve…. Include chain lube with the bike bag of equipment. Ride the route in advance. Some of the trails were very had to identify and parts were un rideable and required hiking your bike up steep hills or thru rivers. Some detours took us off a very nice gravel road onto a very small single track with thorn bushes blocking the trail, only to meet back up with the very nice gravel road in a few meters.

This was a well thought out bike tour! The route was beautiful with amazing views. There were many “wow” moments. There was a great mix of trails, secondary roads and dirt tracks. The hotels were fantastic!! The whole tour was memorable… Even the odd time we got lost added to the whole experience!

costal vistas were incredible! The back roads were well selected and mostly easy to navigate. Hotels were all wonderful, especially the breakfasts. Mileage each day was just about right…. Not too challenging, but not a lazy day ride either. We loved southern Portugal and plan to return again soon.

This trip showcases the great gravel riding in southern Portugal. Our group really enjoyed the tour.

The bike company was great to deal with, starting with having a pick up at the airport to take us into Porto. They provided us with way more gear than any other bike company we've dealt with over the years (e.g. chain repair link, 4 inner tubes) in part because the Douro valley does not have any bike shops to help us out if we ran into problems. Navigation was by a programmed Garmin GPS they provided, with a backup on Ride with GPS on my own phone. The best innovation was having a WhatsApp group with the bike team so that we could reach out to them quickly if problems arose. (Note: Have an eSim so you have a digital signal -- wifi is only at hotels).

Other reviews about this trip said the eBikes make it easy. Well, that's not quite the case ... there are some loooong days (80 km the first day!) and there are a lot of long, steep hills. And while it's easier biking up a hill with an eBike, when the hill is 15 km long, that is still a big hill. So do make sure you are in good shape, especially your tush!

The hotels/B&Bs chosen were pretty quirky, with great staff. And when we had one bad weather day (howling gale!) the Top Bike folks arranged for a taxi to take us and our eBikes to the next stop -- at their expense, since it would be unreasonable to expect us to bike in that weather. We really appreciated their attitude!

We had a couple of technical challenges that harshed our mellow. The GPS provided did not have the route for one day of our trip properly loaded. Because we had the Ride with GPS backup, we made it work, but still .... You do need to watch your battery charge on long days. And then on our last day, for the last few km, the GPS was not clear as to the route and it was quite frustrating. Because we could WhatsApp for help, solutions were found.

If you're used to biking around France seeing little towns with bistros every few km, then be aware that the Douro Valley is quite different. On one 70 km day, there was only one rest stop where we could get a hot chocolate and a snack. And if you want to pack a lunch, you will find it hard to get supplies. We appreciated the opportunity to see a very different side of Portugal, however, far from the madding crowds of Porto and Lisbon.

Excellent trip - Baiona and Santiago de Compostela were definite highlights.

So many highlights! The route select was incredible, keeping us on quiet dirt roads or bike paths for much of the time. The hotels were also all amazing, boutique style hotels with excellent service and in one case watching the sunset over the Atlantic from a warm rooftop pool! The ride from Nazare to Obidos was my favorite, with spectacular views up as we climbed out of Nazare, a fun descent for lunch to the Salgado Beach, and then beautiful views above the coast for miles after that!

The entire trip was memorable. We loved that most of the biking were on beautiful coastal trails. The views were phenomenal and the people from Portugal are so warm and friendly. I would recommend this bike trip to anyone wanting to do coastal trip.

There were so many memorable parts to our trip it is hard to choose one. We loved riding along the incredibly beautiful seashore of Portugal. We stayed in some amazing hotels. We ate the local food of Galicia and tried so many foods that we never would have ordered at home. We rode on every kind of surface imaginable and enjoyed seeing all the walking pilgrims. On arrival in Santiago Compostela we found the cathedral magnificent. It was a fabulous trip. Thank you to our superb guides!

The off road biking was the most memorable. The GPS worked perfectly!
The e-bikes are essential for a comfortable ride! Our luggage always arrived ahead of us an usually already in our room!