Porto - Douro - Coimbra

Use your day of arrival to explore Porto and indulge into 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).

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.

With a short ride (30 min) you come today to the hinterland of Porto right to Valongo. Directly here 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 like this 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 get 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, because during the last 7 km you will cycle back to the newly built waterfront with a beautifully landscaped bike path directly to the old town.

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.

In the morning you take the train directly to Braga, the oldest city in Portugal and religious center of the country. Numerous evidence can be seen in the center of the city 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. About 100 meters difference in altitude you cope in the saddle, you reach the 600 steps with 14 chapels which the pious pilgrims do. The steps bring you directly to the Sanctuary 'Bom Jesus do Monte'. You can take your bike instead which saves you the climb. Through the associated park it goes further up mountain. You have another 100 vertical meters to master in the saddle until the second pilgrimage church 'Santuario do Sameiro'. The wide view from to the city and surrounding area rewards for the exhausting mountain tour before the 8km wooded descent begins which takes you back to Braga. From here it goes by train back to Porto.

Comfortably you take the the modern railway in the morning  and reach in 80 minutes Guimaraes, 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 has been recognized in its entirety by UNESCO 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 again the train to get back to Porto without any efforts.

Look forward to an exciting day trip by train and boat through the Douro Valley. The beautiful terraced slopes of the Douro valley, which have been planted with countless of vines, testify to the impressive man-made landscape. In former times, the barrels from this wine-growing village and its historical center, Peso da Régua, were shipped on boats to Porto. Look forward to the wine-growing region of Alto Douro, which has been the world's first protected wine-growing area since 1756 and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001. Early in the morning you will go on board and enjoy a beautiful boat trip. Marvel at the vineyards and enjoy breakfast and lunch on board and always discover new fantastic views during your trip to Pinhao. After arrival in Pinhao you will visit a vineyard including wine tatsing. In the evening a bus takes you back to Porto (arrival in Porto at 21:30).

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. Use your time today to visit the closely nested old town, the baroque Bishop's Palace and the cathedral.

Today your cycling trip starts spectacularly. You cycle to the picturesque Douro river, across the historic iron bridge to the famous port wine producers and follow the Douro to the wide estuary to the Atlantic. Enjoy wonderful panoramic views of the picturesque old town. On a separate bicycle lane you bike along the beach promenade. Like this you can enjoy the gentle waves of the Atlantic and the wide white sand beaches. In the middle of the dune landscape, you follow the cycle path along wooden walkways. Look forward to Espinho, here you will find the most beautiful beaches south of Porto. Take a refreshing swim or relax in one of the numerous beach bars. In the afternoon you will cycle through the pine-tree forest to the former fishing village of Furadouro with its kilometers of sandy beaches. Take a stroll through the wide promenade and enjoy the day.

Once more you go south by train to Estarraja. From there you cycle to the well-developed lagoon landscape of Aveiro, separated from the Atlantic by an extended dune strip. It offers a unique biotope with wide shallow waters, small canals, diverse flora and fauna and lively fishing. Enjoy the beautiful fishing village of Aveiro with picturesque canals. In the Art Nauveau dominated old town, colorful traditional boats offer small canal cruises. Dive into this picture-book town, visit the cathedral and enjoy the evening in one of the numerous restaurants of the old town. To get back to Porto just use the train again and enjoy the passing landscape.

In Ilhavo you can admire the museum and the historical factory area of the Vista-Alegre porcelain factory, where noble porcelains of world renown is produced. The Spanish and Belgian royal houses, the White House and many museums are among the customers. Take a break at the coast in the town of Costa Nova with its countless colorful painted houses (palheiros), which now houses pretty holiday houses, cafés, restaurants and nice shops. Kilometers of dunes, the foothills of the lagoon landscape and a variety of bathing facilities will accompany you all day. The seaside resort of Praia de Mira, with its fine beach promenade and typical small restaurants and fishermen's houses, can be reached on separate cycle paths away from any traffic.

It is an experiance to watch the fishing as the fishing boats are pushed into the water by bulldozers. At the end the fishing nets are pulled back to the beach slowly and the fishes are going to be sorted out manually and sold on trucks. But you got to go, as today's trip holds many beautiful moments for you: Quite different landscape impressions characterize your day. 12 km you cycle through the wide state forest with beautifully scented pine trees. A separate cycle path leads you idyllically along densely wooded streams to historic water mills and small lakes. Afterwards, you will cycle along small streets through dreamy villages, colorful fields and green forests. Enjoy the well wooded track, as just before your reach your destination you have to master 200 meters height. Reward yourself with a "stopover" and look forward to the deserved descent down to the coast to the wide dream beach of the fashionable seaside resort Figueira da Foz.

Today you cycle on the new bike path along the river Mondego (optionally by train) to the impressive castle complex of Montemor-o-Velho. This widely visible fortification complex on the top of the hill can be reached by using three escalators in the narrow old town. Enjoy the fantastic panorama without effort. After leaving the town, you have to master 100 meter uphill before you roll on small roads along the edge of the Mondego valley. Follow the river to the old town of the venerable university town of Coimbra, which is located majestic on a slope.

Today’s day is free to define. We recommend to start the morning with a walk through the historic city of Coimbra. In 2013 the old but still quite busy part of the city became UNESCO world heritage. Particularly worth seeing is the famous university and it’s so called historic-baroque ‘golden’ library, which is open for visitors. After a short lunch break in one of the Cafés or student bars our transfer service brings you back to Porto (departure 2 pm). In Porto you can explore the city and enjoy the sunset and rest of the evening at the waterfront of Douro river.

After breakfast, your varied cycle tour ends at your hotel in Porto.