Sun in your hair and wind at your back
Biking trips in Portugal
Portugal is a regular winner at the travel industry Oscars. At the World Travel Awards 2023, the southern European country on the Atlantic secured the coveted award for Best Destination in Europe.
Other awards went to Lisbon for the world's best city break destination, the Algarve as the leading beach destination and Madeira was named the best island destination in Europe. Mild climate, the sea always in view and world heritage at its best. Let yourself be infected by the spirit of discovery of the old seafaring nation. Enjoy every detail on your cycling holiday in Portugal: colourful folklore, baroque churches, beautiful landscapes and varied boat trips. We have the right tour for you!
Bem-vindo! Welcome to Portugal!
Cycling in Portugal is beautiful and varied: Cycle along the Atlantic Ocean or through the inland on hiking, field, forest or stilt trails, small, paved or cobblestone side roads or specially designed bike paths. Or visit the flower island of Madeira by bike. Depending on the bike tour, you can expect more or less climbs.
Porto, Coimbra, Óbidos and more
The Portuguese cities are one more beautiful than the other: Porto's old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Across the river, the houses of the Port wine companies glow in the evening sun. In front of them, the so-called Rabelo barges bob in the brownish water. Above everything, the gigantic iron structure of the D. Luis I Bridge stretches wide like a calm arch. Coimbra, with its medieval alleys, is another highlight of Portugal. King D. Dinis is encountered in Óbidos, the city of queens: He once gave Óbidos to his wife Isabel. From then on, all royal wives received this pretty present until 1834. Nowadays, tourists stroll through the town with its whitewashed cottages, the castle and the city wall, on which you can walk around the whole town. The romantic Óbidos is also called the Portuguese "Rothenburg ob der Tauber". No matter which town you visit, you will be enchanted.
Fado, azulejos and saints
Fado is the music of Portugal, some say its soul. In fado the state of the soul is expressed, mostly it is world-weariness. The musical art, elevated to UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011, sounds very sad and melodramatic. You should not miss an evening of fado: Portuguese guitars play, ladies dressed in black scarves, but also gentlemen, sing their hearts out. It goes to the heart.
Azulejos are the name of the artistically decorated Portuguese ceramic tiles, which you will discover all over the country on house walls, inside as well as outside, fountains, castles and churches. This art came to Portugal via the Moors. Last, but not least, Portugal is home to many festivals, pilgrimages and religious celebrations, such as the Festas do Santo António in June in Lisbon, in honor of the popular saint, the Festa de Santo João in Porto, also in honor of a saint, or, for example, the Sintra Music Festival.
Galão, Ginja and a UFO
You have landed in the Portuguese land of milk and honey! Pastel nata is the name of one of the temptations you must try: Small puff pastries with a custard-like filling. This is accompanied by uma bica, an espresso, or um galão, a latte in a lime glass. The country on the Atlantic Ocean naturally offers an incomparable variety of fish dishes and seafood. The main dish of the Portuguese is bacalhao, salted and dried stockfish prepared in a variety of ways. It is said that there are more cod recipes than days in a year. Sardines are also very popular. Cataplana is more native to the south, but is often available in the north of the country as well: a kind of hinged UFO is placed on the table, with pork and mussels inside, for example, accompanied by French fries. The Portuguese olive oil and the various types of cheese are of the finest quality. Wine is a favorite, not to mention port, a sweet wine from the Douro region. Ginja, a fortified cherry liqueur, is made in style according to an old recipe of the monks, and people like to drink it standing up in a ginjaria. "Com o sem?" - "With or without?" - one is only asked, cherries are meant, and then downs the sticky stuff.
Waves and vineyards
Portugal's nature is diverse: marvel at the terraced vineyards and the river in the Douro Valley, a section of which was even classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and thus protected. On the Atlantic Ocean, you will be impressed by the high waves, an immense sea, the sandy beaches, cliffs and lagoons, and behind them the dense, fragrant pine forests. Because of the warmth of the Gulf Stream and its volcanic soil, Madeira grows almost everything that sailors once brought to the islands: Orchids, flowers, rare trees and plants. Because of its natural beauty, the island is also called "floating garden in the Atlantic".
