Portugal Tour Reviews (Page 8)

Jeanette A.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Wonderful bike tour along the coast of Portugal which included biking through forests and small towns. Having a pre-set GPS made it so much easier when traveling without a guide. Hotels (and breakfasts) were' top notch' and our luggage was always waiting when we arrived. Could easily do his trip all over again but more likely will consider a second one in Portugal (starting in Lisbon and heading south this time). Not only is Portugal an incredibly beautiful country, but the people are friendly and radiate the relaxed atmosphere that makes touring even better.

Katharine S.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

The most memorable part of the trip was arriving at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. After 6 days of cycling over varied and often challenging surfaces it was a thrill to reach our ultimate destination. What a way to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!
Other highlights include turning in our Pilgrim's Passport to receive our certificates of completion, attending Mass in the Cathedral, as well as the magnificent coastal scenery along the way.
Sergio and his team - Tiago, José and Pédro - are real pros. Safety is their number one concern and they are extremely attentive to the needs of their riders. The bicycles were well-maintained and adjusted as required.The support van was a much appreciated added feature.
Our accommodations were top-notch, in fact one place was the nicest in which we have ever stayed. The breakfast selections at every stop were plentiful and varied.
It was enjoyable speaking to the walking pilgrims and finding Read More

Martha
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Silver Coast of Portugal
Portugal

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!

Jill P.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Portugal Atlantic Route
Portugal

We were unfortunate to do this tour when the weather was unseasonably bad. It would be a much better experience with good weather and tail winds! However, the tour providers kept in touch and made the tour as good as it could be under the circumstances.

Jacalyn C.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Cycling on the camino in Portugal and Spain was beautiful at every turn but the most memorable part was the wonderful people we encountered, both those walking or cycling and those who lived along the way.

Michael J.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

All trips with Hennie are always the best experience possible while on 2 wheels!
Thank you very much for all of your hard work in providing the best tours possible!

Carol R.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Algarve
Portugal

Very well organized! Guides very helpful and approachable. I would definitely recommend Tripsite!

Janine B.
6 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

I loved this trip, even tho it rained two days we were riding the Camino. Our guide was very knowledgeable and so patient and kind. My only concern was the bicycle was too large for me and there was no other option in the shop. I am 5' 1" tall and was on the same bike as my husband who is 5' 11". I needed a smaller bicycle. But I managed. It also did a Bike and Barge with Tripsite three years ago and was very pleased.

Ed N.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Algarve
Portugal

As you know from our past two trips, Romantic Road Austria/Germany and Provence, France, we thoroughly enjoyed both of them, both for similar and different reasons. We do enjoy the self guided component on these trips. In France, we found the e-bike addition to be worth the cost. All in all, both trips were great, including the very rideable off road trails and paths.
That brings us to the recent Algarve trip. First of all, the bikes were, by far, the best quality that we have experienced and the staff at Portugal Trails were all very friendly and helpful. Also, the gps addition was great! However, the off road trails were almost unrideable and dangerous with a thick layer of large particle gravel on at least 75% of their length and many deep erosion created gullies. On our two previous trips, as I mentioned above, the trails were in very good condition. The Algarve off road trails were not at all, in our opinion, suited for hybrid bikes, maybe mountain bikes, but not hybrids. In Read More

1 Reply

Mike Tansey
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

I have taken many Tripsite bike/barge tours but this was my first van-supported tour. Sergio and Enrique, did a fantastic job of guiding our group of 9 along the route. The hybrid bikes provided were sturdy and in good condition. As others have noted, the coastal portions are relatively easy and flat - on beach promenades and boardwalks - but, once inland, the difficulty level increases drastically. The 20%+ grades on narrow lanes were a challenge but fun. Well, they were more fun going down than up :) You will ride on every type of surface - good pavement, wooden boardwalks, cobblestones, loose sand, rocks, gravel dirt tracks, forest trails, city streets, dodging traffic in the many roundabouts ... The daily distances are not that long but you are guaranteed to be tired at the end of the day! I would highly recommend this trip to any experienced and fit cyclist! The accommodations and food were first rate all the way. And the fact that we were riding the Camino de Santiago, the same route as the pilgrims walk, make the trip extra special.

Jacalyn C.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

The self-guided cycling tour of the Camino in Portugal and Spain was a great way to experience the Camino with our own small group.

Kelly .
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

My friend and I rode the Camino de Santiago from Porto the coastal route. Scenery was wonderful!
We did the self-guided tour using the Garmin gps. Once we got familiar with reading the gps the route was fairly easy to follow. We started with only 1 Garmin, but got a second gps on the second day of our tour. I highly recommend having 2! We found it very helpful double checking the route between the two of us.
The accommodations were outstanding! And each hotel had such a nice breakfast each morning!
Everyone we had contact with was helpful and friendly.
The description of the route "easy to moderate" would be accurate for persons who are physically active on a regular basis. Portions of the route could be very difficult for some.
I would suggest more emphasis on long days riding than the mileage. The bikes were very comfortable, but heavy in comparison to the bikes we are accustomed to riding. And the route conditions vary so much along the way that it is slow bicycling.
This was my first cycling trip and I loved it! Would highly recommend it!

Andy Foster
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Silver Coast of Portugal
Portugal

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.

Henry F.
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Portugal’s Wild Coast
Portugal

The Portugal scenery was amazing. But the best part of the trip was the care we received from the local service, Portugal Nature Trails. One of our party fell and broke a rib on the trip, and Sofia at Portugal Nature Trails was all over it. She arranged a trip to the hospital, for many additional taxis, and checked in with us regularly.
Not memorable: the hotel in Comporta. This hotel was not up to the standards of the other hotels, and the breakfast was extremely skimpy. So much so that we had to stop for another breakfast about an hour into our ride that morning. You should not use that hotel again.

Luis Crouch
7 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

This trip was, like others organized by Tripsite, fantastic. The duration was perfect, the rating easy-moderate was correct. Note that there are a few places where you have to dismount and walk your bike. The local partner in Porto was great. My brother's chain snapped, and they organized a repair in the next town before we even got to it, and my brother's bike was fixed within hours.
The local operator clearly care about cycling a lot. They were very organized and friendly and gave us a walking tour of Porto the day before we set out.
The scenery is fantastic, the food is great, take advantage and eat a lot of cod! I wish we had stayed a little longer in Santiago, as it is a wonderful city. The bikes we were provided were excellent. In short, one of the best adventures of my life. I'd recommend it to anyone.

1 Reply

Ivette S.
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

The road from Caminha to Baiona was the most memorable part of trip. The hotel in Caldas dos Reis was beautiful!!
Our guides Pedro and Tiago were very good.

Phyllis T.
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Portugal, Land of Contrasts
Portugal

Matt Butler and Paul Nesti of Adventure Bug were stellar. Enjoyed meeting them and riding with them very much. They did a spectacular job ensuring a wonderful and safe trip. Five stars!

1 Reply

Bruce S.
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Sergio did an excellent job. He provided transfers from the airport and even though flights got seriously delayed, he was there to meet everyone. His bikes were in top condition, he provided the most complete selection of tools and spares that we have ever had, he was very accessible, his restaurant suggestions were very good, and his GPS routing worked flawlessly. When we finished one trip, he made sure the bikes were cleaned up and tuned up before we started the next leg.

The trip notes were very brief but what was provided was accurate and the GPS made up for any gaps. This was an incredible trip provided by an a very well run provider.

Lorne M.
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

I have been on several Tripsite trips over the last few years, and this was one of the best. There were several reasons: The food and wine was fantastic and inexpensive; the scenery was incredible; the hotels were great, and I loved having the route on a GPS. One of the highlights was our walking tour in Porto - Joanna was absolutely terrific - her knowledge and guidance made for one of the best days of the trip. Sergio was great - he looked after us well on the first day, making sure the bikes were properly adjusted and we were all comfortable and he followed up with us via email during both weeks. He also came out to our hotel after the first week and cleaned and serviced the bikes!! The "bonus" was Sergio's restaurant recommendations - each one served authentic local cuisine and were not "touristy". I have already recommended this trip to several friends.

j michael Cunningham
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Paradise in Portugal
Portugal

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.

1 Reply

Marci Cincotta
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Inspirational ride along the Portuguese and Spanish coastline! This trip is truly outstanding. The trip operator's personalized customer service was above and beyond! Though we did a self-guided tour, we felt very supported throughout our entire stay. The package included a walking tour of the city of Porto. Definitely take advantage of this. We had a personalized four hour tour which was rich with information and recommendations for the rest of our stay. Sergio, the owner of the tour operator checked in with us daily and even picked us up at the end to drive us back to the Porto train station to catch an early train to Lisbon. The biking route takes you along beachside boardwalks, many cobblestone roads, some mountain biking as well as some paved roads. You will ride through beaches, forests and vineyards and weave through tiny villages. The route is very well marked, especially in Spain, but the terrain can be challenging at times. While I found this a little Read More

Barbara petersen
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Loved the trip and especially our guides, the hotels, the food., the scenery..The Way was interesting and challenging (some gravel, some sand, beach boardwalks, etc; walked a bit but not because it was too hilly. We actually biked theough vineyards and even under trellises of grapes!! ) If you have a choice don't start the cycling portion on a weekend during beach season. (Dodging beach goers disturbs the scenery and calm). Porto is lovely and interesting too. A great opportunity to slow down and enjoy the countryside. None of us needed to ride in the van!!!

D. Blank
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

The trip was really terrific. Super accommodations (especially Torre de Rio), abundant, delicious food ( and a real bonus that it was included in the trip price), varied and interesting scenery. However we feel that the Ebike was most useful (fantastic, really!!!) when there were no rocks or gravel. Fortunately our guides were kind enough to push the very heavy bike up some of the steeper rocky paths when the bike had traction problems. In general, the "moderate" designation for the trip should be explained in more detail, as beginning cyclists think that word means hills - when in fact, for this trip, it means surface. As Pedro said, "this is not a road trip." This is not a good trip for an inexperienced rider (which I'm not, but first time Ebike). Since we've been on many road trips, we didn't quite have the vision of what we were signing up for...although in looking back at the reviews, I now see that others did mention the road conditions but Read More

Rycharde Farah
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Fizemos, eu e minha esposa, em maio/junho de 2016, o Caminho Português da Costa a Santiago de Compostela. Foi fantástico, excelente organização! Recomendo.

J. Sheldrick
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Alentejo Vineyards
Portugal

The accommodation was excellent! (although we weren't very please with the location of our room in Evora at the Pousada Convento dos Loios as we were right next to the eating area which was occupied by diners from 7 am for breakfast and up to 10 pm for dinner)

However, there are two things something that could easily have made the trip more enjoyable: putting kick stands on the bikes and improving the maps and written directions.
It was incredibly annoying not to be able to stand the bikes up as we stopped frequently for pictures and most of the time, there wasn't anything to lean the bikes against. Having to lay them down on the ground sometimes resulted in the rear pannier getting knocked off centre which then meant readjusting it.

Even though a gps was provided and was invaluable, we found the maps to be very poor most of the time, one time even the local tourist office couldn't help us! It would be very helpful if simple written directions were Read More

Sue Wise
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

In a word - FANTASTIC!

The entire trip was incredible. The route is extremely varied and beautiful. Starting in Porto and riding through seaside villages along the coast, then crossing into Spain and continuing along the coast, the riding is mostly flat and the views of the ocean just breathtaking. There are parts where you ride on bike paths, roads, boardwalks, cobblestone farming paths, and even a little single-track mountain biking type trail (which leads to a secluded beach area!). Later, the route takes you directly onto the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) and the riding is more hills and dirt paths, but also through small villages and historic areas. You follow this exclusively for the last 2 and a half days. You'll see many walkers making the pilgrimage - be sure to wish all a "buen camino"!

We opted for the self-guided version, using the GPS. This was perfect for us. We could linger in areas for photos, rest when we wanted to and ride at Read More

mary
8 years ago

Tripsite Staff

Portugal’s Wild Coast
Portugal

Hi everyone! This is Mary from Tripsite. I biked this tour in the fall of 2014 to check it out for all of you. The tour as written is 8% off road and I was challenged but rewarded with incredible cliff top views of the sea. (The tour can be adjusted for more on road riding if you prefer). One of my favorite memories: tackling a steep downhill, off road, I could hear this soft clanging of sorts that got louder and louder the closer I got to the base of the mountain. As I followed the path, I crossed a farmer's backyard, turned a corner, and there was a herd of sheep. The clanging sound were the sheep bells! It was an awesome moment I will never forget. I have to tell you that Portugal is now one of my favorite places! The people are unassuming and genuinely friendly. When I would bike into a town, I would wonder where the "touristy" cafes were...you know the places that overcharge for a coffee. What I found were real cafes and the locals sitting and sipping coffee or a beer. As far as the services, bikes were awesome, biking with a GPS is the way to go, scenery, spectacular!

Margie Hovan
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

Spain & Portugal were delightful but the guides worked so hard at keeping us safe & happy that they made the trip an exceptional experience. I will definitely tell friends that this was a wonderful trip.

Mary Burkhard
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Camino de Santiago E-Bike Tour
Portugal, Spain

I wish I could say more about the route, but unfortunately, because of a biking accident, I was only able to ride the first day. The ebike seemed to be a really good one, but the combination of wet, slippery roads, the boost of power from the ebike, and the urging to use a higher boost mode on the bike was not a good combination. I know it's why I fell.

Marvin R.
8 years ago

Verified Reviewer

Portugal Atlantic Route
Portugal

Terrific time, everything came off without a hitch. Can hardly wait to do another.

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