Porto: radial tour

Sun tour Porto – charming, crazy and unforgettable.

On this cycling tour, look forward to Porto, one of the oldest European cities, idyllically located at the mouth of the Douro and the starting point for seven wonderful day tours by bike. With its historic buildings, baroque churches, the Port wine cellars and fantastic bridges the old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Not too hot summers, due to its location on the Atlantic Ocean, a mild spring and a sun-soaked autumn offer ideal conditions for beautiful day trips. You will be enchanted by the city of Porto and will discover on your trips the picturesque Guimaraes - which, birthplace of Portugal ', Braga - the religious capital' and Aveiro - that Portuguese Venice '. You will cycle along the north coast and the south coast on well-developed bike paths through the middle of the dunes always near the beach and enjoy beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. Pure bathing fun! On small roads you cycle the hilly inland mostly downhill and along small rivers and in the Douro valley by vineyards and sparse forests. In the evening, Porto offers a wide variety of options from quaint eatery in the old town to small restaurants in the fishing district and international restaurants along the picturesque coast.

4-star hotel da Música Porto

The 4-star Hotel da Música in Porto is located just outside the old town, but still in the center of Porto just a few minutes walk from many attractions. The 85 modern and functionally equipped rooms (20m²) have two single beds or one double bed, bathroom with bathtub, air conditioning, free wififlat screen TV, minibar. In the morning you strengthen yourself at the excellent breakfast buffet before you start your bike tour. In the evening, end the day with a cocktail at the Pavarotti Bar and dinner at the gourmet restaurant Bom Sucesso.
Hotel da Música

The holiday apartments

These modern holiday apartments are located in a lovely restored house in the historic center of the city. The apartments offer a sleeping area, a private bathroom, a cozy living area and a well-equipped kitchenette. Bed linen and towels will be provided, the final cleaning is included. You prepare breakfast yourself. Shops, small cafes and bars are within walking distance. We recommend the apartments to all guests who like to stay in their own city apartment and want to spread out comfortably for a week.

1. day Porto arrival and city tour 0 - 24 km

In Porto is where the heart of the North beats. The picturesque Old Town with its Baroque church treasure is UNESCO World Heritage Site, the modern Porto shines with lively culture and nightlife, and the shore line presents itself in a Mediterranean style. On the opposite side of the river Port wine is aged in the cellars and uniquely spans the historic bridge of Gustave Eiffel deeply incised Douro. The closely nested old town is dominated by the Baroque Bishop's Palace and the cathedral and beautiful pedestrian streets invite you to stroll. Here you can go to right on the day of arrival to explore and indulge in the special atmosphere of the beautiful city. From many European airports, there are inexpensive direct flights to Porto. The airport is directly connected to the old town by Metro (30 minutes travel time). Use your time today for a first city tour. During this city tour by bike you can easily spend a whole day or you just make an extensive round till you reach the Port wine cellars. You start in the old town right a way with a stop at the Cathedral and cycle to the famous Iron Bridge over the Douro with fantastic views of the historic center. In a large curve you cycle directly down to the bank and may take a first break at the river beach. It continues now along the water to the famous Port wine cellars, where you can take your time for a visit incl. Port wine tasting. An entire neighborhood is here dominated by countless historical warehouses and on your route you will be spoiled for choice. Once again you follow the Douro and just before the mouth you take a small passenger ferry over the river. From here you will cycle back constantly on a bike path through green parks up to the Serralves Museum with many outdoor exhibits and a colorful flower garden in the middle of the city. Next the path leads through the vast city park, which was opened in 1993, down to the sea and then at the end into the midst of the old harbor district Matosinhos, with its typical inexpensive seafood restaurants. Here you should definitely take a break before you comfortably return to the Old Town by metro.

2. day Southern coast 48 km

This tour leads first across the historic iron bridge and then right on the Douro shore along the broad estuary in the Atlantic. On this first competitive kilometers you will be still trapped by the many panoramic views of the picturesque Old Town, but the picture changes when you arrive at the wide sandy beaches at the coast. On wide cycle lanes on the promenade you roll relaxed, undisturbed by traffic, always overlooking the gentle waves of the Atlantic. Subsequently, the varied path leads partly on own boardwalks through the vast dune landscape in ever new sandy coves and small coastal towns. Again and again small beach cafes and restaurants invites to linger and secluded swimming areas lure to take a cooling swim before you can visit the modern biological station with Fisheries Museum and Aquarium on the beach of Aguda. Arrived in Espinho the most beautiful beaches south of Porto are waiting for you with a diverse tourist offer of restaurants, bars and a casino. The route continues on the new bike trails through coastal forests to Furadouro with the wide beach promenade. From here you cycle the last 6 km to the train station from Ovary to start the return trip to Porto. Alternatively, you can also shorten the stage and enter practically anywhere along the coast in the train.

3. day Guimaraes, World Heritage of Humanity 24 km

In the morning take the the modern railway to reach Guimaraes in 80 minutes. Portugal's first capital and European Capital of Culture 2012. The medieval town center has been changed only very little since the 15th century and is listed as a World Heritage Site. Here you can immerse yourself in the pedestrianized historic quarter streets with beautifully restored town houses and palaces and numerous street cafés that invite you to idyllic places to stay. The partly preserved medieval city walls, the Palace of the Dukes (Museum), the Romanesque chapel S. Miguel and the accessible city castle are worth seeing before you take the cable car (incl. Bike transport) from the city up to the 400m high mountain Penha. From the steps of the local pilgrimage church you have breathtaking panoramic views of the city and to the surrounding areas. Here you continue your bike ride with a beautiful descent through the well wooded area which is dominated by eucalyptus trees. Then you follow on mostly flat roads the river Vizela which is surrounded by vineyards of the famous Vinho Verde. You arrive in the spa town of the same name, where already the Romans loved and used the bubbling springs. From here you can take the train to get back to Porto without any efforts.

4. day Douro, 3 Rivers Tour 30 km

By train (30 min) you travel to Valongo, where the nature reserve Serra de Valongo begins. The small river Rio Ferreira leads romanticly through the nature area. A small road follows the river valley and you cycle without effort into this wooded recreational area where anglers, climbers and mountain bikers feel comfortable. After 13 km the river feeds the Rio Sousa and in its valley you cycle till you reach the Douro. Here it gets lively, excursion boats and rowing boats are on their way, small villages and tourist cafes line the shore. The scenery is unique and a real treat is the entrance to Porto, as you will cycle back to the newly built waterfront with a beautifully landscaped bike path.

5. day North coast 42 km

Today you spend the whole day at the flat coast and cycle on the well-developed bike paths along the stilts paths and beautiful sandy beaches through the vast dune landscape. First in the morning you take the train either to the village Povoa de Varzim with its 2 km long beach promenade and the old port district, or you leave the train already earlier, to get to the coast. This allows you to shape today's stage length individually and spend more or less time on the 30 km long sandy beach. In the afternoon you again reach the Douro estuary and cycle here always right on the banks of the river back to the old town of Porto.

6. day Braga, religious capital 23 km

In the morning you take the train to Braga, the oldest city in Portugal and religious center of the country. Numerous evidence can be seen in the center such as the oldest cathedral of Portugal, the Episcopal Palace, chapels dating from the 7th century and more richly decorated churches as well as two major sanctuaries the surrounding area. Stroll through the old streets with many cafes before starting to climb the mountain by bike. Look forward to the Sanctuary 'Bom Jesus do Monte'. Through the associated park it goes further up the mountain to the second pilgrimage church 'Santuario do Sameiro'. The wide view over the city and surrounding area rewards for the exhausting mountain tour before the 8km wooded descent begins which takes you back to Braga. Return to Porto by train.

7. day The historic fishing village of Aveiro 30 km

Once again you use the train to head south to the small town of Estarreja. From here you will cycle directly into the unique lagoon landscape, which is criss-crossed by small canals with adjacent bike paths. At the biological station canoes are ready for a round trip, but also in the saddle you can explore perfectly the flat landscape. Then you reach the beautiful fishing town of Aveiro, known with its picturesque canals as the 'Venice of Portugal'. Just outside of the city the white mountains of sea salt shine and in the old town dominated by Art Nouveau colorful traditional boats from the fisherman offer small canal cruises. Immerse yourself in this storybook town, visit the Cathedral and make a break in the numerous cafes or  fish restaurants on the waterfront. For the return trip to Porto you take again the train and you let  pass the beautiful scenery.

8. day Porto departure

The old town as well as the beaches, the Douro Valley and the surrounding areas, the Vinho Verde and Port Wine –  there are so many reasons to visit this unique town again.

Worth knowing about the Porto radial tour

Please find more information about the bike trip "radial tour Porto" below. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421 - 886890.

Arrival by plane

Porto can be reached from many German and European airports. From the airport in Porto you will reach downtown Porto by metro (journey time approx. 30 minutes).

Arrival on sunday

You are also welcome to travel to Porto on Sunday. Please note that the tour information and handover of the rental bikes will be on Monday morning.

Condition of cycle paths

You cycle to 90% on paved roads and only a few km on gravel roads.

Available rental bikes

We provide touring bikes (unisex), hybrid bikes (females/men's) an electric bikes (unisex) with a pannier and a lock. The bikes are available with freewheeel and in different frame sizes  Please specify your wishes with your booking.

Rental bikes

Your Velociped contact person on site

In Porto we offer a reliable all-round service. Our english- and german- speaking partner, born in Porto,  is available daily. He welcomes you at you arrival, takes care of the rental bikes, knows all routes personally and helps if necessary, with insider tips and everyday information.

The individual day tours

During this radial tour we offer 7 different day trips to choose from. You can decide which of these routes you would like to take. Aldo you can decide yourself whether you would prefer rather flat stages or if you want to experience hillier day trips. For some daily stages you can also choose individually how many kilometers you want to cycle, there is a shorter and a longer version for choice. Like this you can spontaneously decide how much time you want to spend in the saddle. In total there are three flat stages and four hilly day trips.

Navigation with your mobile phone

You often cycle on small roads and paths with many branches in a very varied landscape. There are only a few bike path signs or information signs. Therefore we recommend to use our GPS files in addition to our tour book with maps. We are happy to send you the GPS files free of charge by email. You can save all day tours on your smartphone to follow them easily.
On request, we will also provide a GPS device with the files on site for a rental fee (50.00 EUR). GPS device is subject to availabilty, so please contact Velociped at least 1 week before your journey starts. A short video for handling can be found here tutorial.

Travel seasons

Starting in March, daytime temperatures are well suited for leisurely cycling and from April you can expect balmy evenings. From May is high season and then in June shady areas are already sought. The bathing season is in July and August, then even the locals are in large numbers on the waterfront. From September, the pleasant temperatures for cyclists are predominant again. Also October is still a good travel month for bike tours only the Atlantic is already too fresh for a long bath.

Extra costs which are not included in your package

The journeys with the public transport (metro, train) are not included. Transfers cost approx. 25, - EUR per person. Biketransport is free of charge.

The city of Porto charges a tourist tax: € 2 per person per night which has to be paid locally at the hotel.

We can provide a GPS device with the files on site for a rental fee (50.00 EUR). GPS device is subject to availabilty, so please contact Velociped at least 1 week before your journey starts.

7 day hotline service

Just in case the bike chain is broken, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any other nasty surprise: you can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help you as fast as possible.

Corona travel information

Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic. Approximately 3 weeks prior to arrival, you will receive from us, together with the travel documents, the current information at that time regarding rules and regulations concerning Corona on your trip.

An up-to-date overview of applicable measures and travel and safety advice regarding Covid-19 for all countries in the EU and Switzerland can be found here:
https://reopen.europa.eu/en/

Passport and visa requirements

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Old town of Porto

Known as the Ribeira the old town of Porto starts right on the river banks of the Douro and is since 1996 part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to numerous winding streets and alleys, there are especially many Baroque churches in the old town, that is why Porto is also known as the baroque city. The special feature of the old town is that it is less influenced by individual interest, but rather by their contiguous charm. This becomes clear especially from the other side of the riverbank, from where you have a beautiful view over the old town and thereby the overall pictures from buildings, roads and churches is shown. At the same time there are today many shopping streets and cafés in the old town, which invite you to a long stroll.

Ribeira

Bookstore Livraria Lello e Irmão

The Livraria Lello & Irmão is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores worldwide. The business is actually unique and also not bookworms, should have a look. Already in 1869 the bookstore was opened in order to allow the inhabitants of Porto access to both domestic and foreign literature. The building has two floors, each with large bookshelves. Both the ceiling and the bookshelves are worth seeing. The highlight is the sweeping staircase in the middle of the first floor, about which the elongated stained glass roof is. On the first floor there is a small bar with wines among others. Also striking is the bright exterior facade, which was built in neo-Gothic style.

Livraria Lello e Irmão

Museum Serralves

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the garden area, Parque de Serralves. It is a 18-hectare park, which was designed in 1932 by the French landscape architect Jacques Gréber. The Serralves gardens are considered one of the first examples of artistic garden design in Portugal of the first half of the 20th century.
The museum building was constructed according to plans of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira who did teach at the University of Porto. The design of the museum and its integration into the park was determined by the art foundation in 1989. Construction began in 1996; The museum was opened 1999.

Museum Serralves

Port wine cellars

Portos best known export product is the Port wine. The vineyards where the grapes are grown for this particular sweet wine, extending inland along the Rio Douro. Since 1756 only grapes may be used for the production of Port wine which come from a area that is precisely defined by law. From there, the wine is brought to Porto to the numerous Port wine houses with their famous cellars where it is processed and matured. Visitors can spend days visiting the cavernous cellar at the riverside (there are more than 50, from which you can choose), where you can taste dozens of excellent Port wines.

Port wine

Church Igreja dos Clérigos

Near the historic center of Porto is the Church of the clergy that has been built from 1732 - 1750 in Baroque style. While the interior, compared to other churches in Porto, is surprisingly simply, especially the Baroque façade is worth a visit. From the outside it does not necessarily look like a church, the external facade with large windows and the frescoes and statues in the wall appear venerable. But the main attraction of the  Igreaj dos Clérigos is the Torre dos Clérigos. The church tower with a height of 76 meters the tallest tower of its kind in Portugal and is considered a landmark of the city. After the 225 steps, always narrowing, visitors get a spectacular panoramic view over the city.

Igreja dos Clérigos

Cathedral Sé do Porto

Above the Old Town Ribeira is the location of the impressive twin-towered Cathedral of Porto (Sé do Porto) In the 12th century it was built as a Romanesque fortified church and many years later rebuilt in the Gothic style. From Romanesque epoch the twin-towered facade are obtained with rosette windows and the nave. The Gothic cloister was built in the 14th century. The richly decorated altars, the gilded main altar of Niccolò Nasoni in the choir and the altar silver in the left transept contrast with the simple interior. Characteristic of the Gothic cloister on the right aisle are attached in the 18th century azulejos (wall tiles), depicting the life of Jesus Maria and transformation stories from ancient mythology of Ovid. The cathedral is the first in Portugal where a ribbed vault was applied supported by flying buttresses. Inside the cathedral there are three organs. The cathedral is connected to a museum, where approx. 150 exhibits mostly of religious origin are issued from different centuries.

Sé do Porto

Bridge Ponte Dom Luis

The impressive Dom Luis Bridge with 172 m span is a filigree steel-arch bridge in two levels above the Douro and connects Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. It was built from 1881 until 1888, after plans of the engineer Théophile Seyrig. Seyrig already been completed along with Gustav Eiffel the 500 meters further upstream located bridge "Ponte Maria Pia". The bridge belongs to the territorially historic center of Porto, and therefore since 1996 to the "World Heritage Site". The upper part of the bridge is used by the Metro, cyclists and pedestrians, the part underneath is used by car traffic, cyclists and pedestrians.

Ponte Dom Luis

Guimarães

This extraordinary medieval city leaves the visitor the impression of a film set: elegant cast-iron balconies, granite steps, mansions with towers, ornate arches over narrow streets stretched, magnificently equipped churches, Romanesque chapels, centuries-old cobblestones, restored town houses and squares, palaces and the overarching mighty castle. The impressive square keep of the castle dominates the horizon for miles. These shield-shaped castle was built in the 10th century to protect the city from invaders, and expanded in the 12th century to an arsenal and palace. According to legend, Portugal's first king was born here. Visitors can stroll along the castle walls and visit the tiny Romanesque chapel of São Miguel. In 1910 the castle was declared  a national monument.

Guimarães

Braga

The city is one of the most important religious centers of Portugal and is know for its  Baroque churches, grand houses from the 18th century and beautiful parks and gardens. The old town is venerable and ancient, although trade and industry had brought a modern lifestyle into the city. This is complemented by local universities, modern restaurants and lively bars. Every Thursday morning there is the biggest market held  in the region Braga. On the stands market trader just sell everything - from fresh produce to traditional pottery. The history of the city is reflected in its numerous churches and monuments. One of the major landmarks are the remarkable Sé Cathedral and the Church of Santa Cruz from the 17th century. On a hill about 5 km south-east is the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, an important pilgrimage site.

Braga

Aveiro

Through the enchanting capital city of Aveiro, nicknamed the "Portuguese Venice", a shimmering Channel runs and the city is considered one of the most enchanting destinations in the country. That is because of the brightly patterned moliceiro boats, the numerous pastel colored buildings in the Art Nouveau style and its quiet, urban atmosphere - a picturesque backdrop. In the city center there are a variety of restaurants as well as a great selection of bars and shops. When you wander through the city, you should go in one of the typical cafes and sample the heavenly ovos moles, the sugary-based egg specialty of the district.

 Aveiro