Porto Coastal Cycling

Activity Level

Easy

Activity

Cycling

Overview

It’s a mystery how such a lovely region can be kept quite so secret, yet the coastline south of Porto and the Aveiro Lagoon make for some of the most relaxing cycling we’ve ever experienced. It’s almost perfectly flat too, making it ideal for first timers.

Your holiday starts in Porto, where shuttered townhouses tumble downhill to colourful rabelo sailing boats cruising the Douro River and passing world-famous wine cellars. From here, you’ll beach and bay hop south to your luxury beachfront hotel in Furadouro, before heading via the Aveiro Lagoon, home to pink flamingo and colourful birdlife, to Aveiro for two nights in a waterside mansion. Known as ‘Portugal’s Venice’, this is where colourful moliceiro boats cruise along canals beneath tall palm trees, while alleyways are filled with tempting restaurants. Your final cycling stretch takes you back to the ocean to high sand dunes, meandering through pine and acacia forest, to Praia de Mira.

Please note: Cycling helmets are a legal requirement in Portugal for anyone using an e-bike.

Key Information

Trip Code: C07OP
Ways to Travel: Self-Guided Holidays
Countries: Portugal

What's Included

All continental breakfasts and 2 evening meals
Bike Hire
Luggage transfers between hotels
Port wine-tasting day 2
Airport transfer to the hotel in Porto
Transfer the last day from Praia de Mira to Aveiro train station

5 days of Cycling

Terrain:

The suggested routes mainly follow a mixture of dedicated cycle paths, either beside the road or separate from the road, and along some tracks.

Day 2: 20 km / 12.4 miles
Day 3: 30 km / 18.6 miles
Day 4: 34 km / 21.1 miles
Day 6: 33 km / 20.5 miles
Day 7: 24 km / 14.9 miles

Highlights

Coastal cycling routes: beaches, sand dunes, lighthouses, colourful marinas and charming cities
Porto's famous wine cellars with wine tasting included; Aveiro's Venetian canals
Coastal and lagoon wildlife: pink flamingo, purple heron, kingfisher and sandpiper
4-star hotels throughout in beachfront and city locations

Itinerary

First Destination: Porto
Next Destination: Porto

Meals included:None

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Porto
Next Destination: Porto

Arrive at your hotel where our agent will kit you out with your bike and run through the routes with you.
You stay at the Hotel Vila Gale

An optional, return cycle route takes you north of Porto following cycle paths, first along the river and then the ocean. You’ll pass beaches, restaurants, the 16th century castle of Sao Joao da Foz, the fishing village of Matosinhos and the Boa Nova Tea House of the famous Portuguese architect Siza Vieira, which belongs to Chef Rui Paula (from the Portuguese Masterchef). Alternatively, relax in Porto for the day, strolling along the narrow alleys and along the riverfront. Your evening meal has been left free so you can choose from one of the many restaurants on offer this evening.
You stay at the Hotel Vila Gale (breakfast included)

Meals included:Breakfast

Take your time this morning, cycling along the south bank of the Douro River, where the rabelo boats line up along the quay. Perhaps stop for a tasting in one of the famous cellars before a glorious waterfront cycle path leads you from the Natural Reserve of the Douro Estuary, with its birdwatching hides, to the Atlantic coast. You exchange bays for beaches for the rest of the day, with many seafront restaurants to stop at for lunch. Relax on the sands at Espinho before hopping on the train (13 mins) to Ovar. For the longer route, continue cycling from Espinho to Ovar, making sure to visit the Parque de Bucaquinho. It’s then flat cycling to your beachfront hotel at nearby Furadouro.
You stay at the Furadouro Boutique Hotel (breakfast included)

Meals included:Breakfast

Leaving Furadouro, pedal south along the protected Aveiro Lagoon past rickety pontoons, where plover and sandpiper tiptoe amid golden wattle and parrot feather in search of lunch. Hop on the train from Estarreja (14 mins, pay locally) or Salreu (another nearly 10km further on for those looking for a longer cycle) to the heart of Aveiro and your luxury mansion hotel. For dinner tonight you’re free to choose from one of the many famous fish restaurants nearby.
You stay at the Hotel Moliceiro (breakfast included)

Meals included:Breakfast

Aveiro is known as ‘Portugal’s Venice’. Alleyways are lined with churrasquerias for lunch, and gondola-style boats cruise below swaying palms on the latticework canals. The noisy fish market is a daily event, and the excellent museum is set in a beautifully preserved Augustinian convent. A short bus trip (30 mins) leads to neighbouring Costa Nova; streets of wooden houses are squeezed between the beach and the lagoon, painted in candy floss pink, summer yellow and sailor-blue stripes. (Staying at the Hotel Moliceiro, Breakfast Only)

Meals included:Breakfast

The Aveiro Lagoon narrows as you cycle south today. Vista Alegre is Portugal’s oldest fine porcelain producer and has a fascinating museum and factory in Ilhavo. Head for lunch in Costa Nova (extends the day’s route by a round-trip cycle of 12km) if you wish. Next, cross the lagoon to meet the ocean again in Vagueira where oxen were once used to pull fishing nets up the beach. You then turn inland, pedalling past pears, lemon orchards and strawberry fields to your beachfront hotel at Praia de Mira with its inviting rooftop pool.
You stay at the Macarico Beach Hotel (breakfast at the hotel, evening meal at a local restaurant)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

A leafy trail leads east into lagoons and acacia forest this morning, and sun-dappled routes cross timber, New England-style, covered bridges spanning clear-water canals. Kingfisher and blue heron are common here, and bright cistus and iris splash colour along the route leading past several perfect picnic spots. Have lunch by the sea and enjoy a final paddle before dinner back at your hotel.
You stay at the Macarico Beach Hotel (breakfast at the hotel, evening meal at a local restaurant)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The tour ends after breakfast in Praia de Mira.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

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Call us on 0203 733 5948

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Accommodation

Hotels

We’ve picked some rather special accommodation for you including luxury 4-star hotels in historic buildings in Porto and Aveiro; a design hotel in Praia de Mira with a rooftop pool boasting fabulous ocean views, and a stylish spa hotel in Furadouro. We’ve included three evening meals for you on this holiday and you’re free to choose from some great local restaurants in Porto (night two), Furadouro and also in Aveiro.

Essential Information

Cycling Conditions
Classification: Self–Guided
Activity Level: 1 (Leisurely)
Average daily distance: 28.2km (17.8miles) Please note that these are the averages for the shorter walks , however on three of the days there is the opurtunity to extend them.
No. of days cycling: 5
Terrain and route: The suggested routes mainly follow a mixture of dedicated cycle paths, either beside the road or separate from the road, and along some tracks.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to cycle independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.

It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There maybe others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The routes notes contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotels are normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

Alternative Air Travel
Alternative 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 (£30 admin fee per person). We can also book UK shuttles to connect with your onward flight, please call for details and prices.

Alternative transfers
If you require alternative transfers (because you will be arriving at a different time to our standard flights), then we can usually arrange these for you (there may be an additional charge).

Portugal

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Portugal. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/portugal
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/portugal
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Portugal.html

Portuguese cuisine is wholesome, hearty, and rarely fancy and relies heavily on the use of different herbs and spices due to its Moorish influence. Fish dishes are more predominant in the south, although northern regions often offer delicious freshwater fish dishes.
The region is also famous for sticky desserts that use egg yolk. During the Golden Age (15C and 16C), the area was very rich because of all the treasures that were brought back from the discoveries of the New World. These riches paid for many convents. The nuns needed egg whites to starch their habits so they used the egg yolks in many gooey desserts that have curious names like monk’s breast and nun’s stomach.
The Alentejo is also a highly respected wine region. The Romans were the first to start cultivating vines here. You’ll find a whole range of different vintages to try en route, the best known ones include Roupeiro, Rabo do Ovelha and Antão Vaz (white) and Periquita, Trincadeira and Aragonez (reds), although many small family run vineyards produce their own versions as well. The majority of the wines served in Portugal come from this region. If you enjoy a very young wine, try Vinho Verde from the North. Calcos do Tanha from the Douro region is a good red wine as are Cozinha Velha, Esporão and Ma Partilha from Terra do Sado. Try one of the many excellent ports as a digestif.

Porto has a temperate maritime climate with a strong Mediterranean influence. The climate here is long, warm summers and mild winters, with most rain falling in the winter months, but possible in all other months. Seasons are marked, with pleasant temperatures in the spring, in the summer and in the autumn. Heat waves can push up temperatures between mid June and September.

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We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.