Cycling in Portugal: From the Mountains to the Sea

7 nights spent in an array of diverse and comfortable accommodations, chosen for their character and/or location. Highlights includean eco-friendly design hotel, a traditional seafront hotel in Porto with great views from the roof-top pool terrace and an ultra-modern design boutique hotel with a rustic-style restaurant featuring local produce.

A typical hotel breakfast consists of: toast/bread with jam,or honey, cheese and ham, served with coffee, tea, milk, orange juice, fruit, cake and yoghurt. Portuguese people are very proud of their cuisine, and the deliciously fresh seafood is a real highlight. You will find fresh fish on most menus, usually sardines, sea bream, hake, sea bass and sole, cooked in a variety of ways. Bacalhau (cured codfish) is a national dish although it can vary depending on the region - there are up to 365 recipes to cook it! Caldo Verde (green soup) is made with potatoes, olive oil and salt, sometimes with garlic and onion, and is typical in the northern region of Portugal. For meat lovers the barrosã meat (steak) is often served grilled and roasted just to it's naturally delicious flavour. There are also several stew dishes to sample, delicacies being Tripas à Moda do Porto (tripe & white bean stew) and Rojões à Minhota (chunks of pork usually cooked with potatoes). 'Francesinha' is an iconic dish originating from Porto and involves layers of different meats (usually beef, ham, grilled pork, linguiça (smoke cured pork sausage) and sausage), between two slices of bread, covered by melted cheese and immersed in a spicy beer & tomato sauce, often topped with a fried egg and surrounded by chips. It is not for the faint hearted! To drink you will find plenty of the local Sagres and Superbock beer. Vinho Verde is available from the supermarket and directly from the producers. It is a young, medium alcohol white wine with an almost carbonated quality. Port needs no introduction and a glass (or two) of the fortified wine will generally follow a hearty Portuguese meal!

vegetarian, vegan, meat

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. Your luggage is transferred and route notes and maps are provided. The route notes contain a 24hr emergency assistance telephone number. In emergency, the local representative is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

Luggage transfers

Local bike hire

Your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel for you. Airport transfer will either be in a minibus or taxi.

A shared airport transfer (arrival and departure) is included in the trip cost. Please book a flight that arrives in Porto airport before 2.20pm in order to take advantage of this transfer. (Please meet at the 'meeting point' area in the airport). If you arrive at the airport earlier than the shared transfer time, Porto airport has luggage storage facilities if you need to use these. If you arrive after 2.20pm (or if you would prefer not to wait) we can offer a private transfer to take you to the start accommodation at a supplement. All those taking advantage of the free airport transfers must provide full flight details for both arrival and departure in advance. Unless specified otherwise, the return transfer will be from the end hotel at 3pm (transfers from other hotels in the same city may attract an extra charge). Air prices include our standard flights/transfersOut: TAP Air Portugal Gatwick to Porto 12:00/14:20 then transfer to hotel 1 hour 45 mins. Return: Transfer to airport 20 mins then TAP Air Portugal Porto to Gatwick 17:50/20:05. Alternative Air TravelAlternative flights, onward rail to your holiday area, and connecting private transfers can be arranged from most UK airports. If you would like to use one of the many 'low cost' airlines, we can book these on your behalf. We can also book UK shuttles to connect with your onward flight, please call for details and prices.