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Cycle to unmissable UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Óbidos, Sintra, and Cascais
Enjoy an authentic Portuguese adventure surrounded by the abounding beauty of the Atlantic Ocean!
This unmissable cycling tour along Portugal's Atlantic West Coast will bring you through typical fishing villages like Nazaré, Peniche, and Ericeira, all bursting with coastal charm. Breathe in the fresh sea air as you bike and experience a typically Portuguese coastal lifestyle, including stretching out on sublime white sand beaches and tucking into scrumptious seafood in the mellow evenings.
Along the way, you'll discover the well-preserved historic village of Óbidos, dating back to Roman times, whilst, further south, Sintra stands waiting to reveal the secrets of its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including its breathtaking castles and palaces. When you reach Cape Roca, the westernmost point of Continental Europe, you'll be in awe of a region defined by the grandeur of its towering cliffs, washed ceaselessly by the wondrous Atlantic Ocean.
Highlights
- Stunning coastal cycling
- Medieval village of Óbidos with its commanding castle
- Incredible cliff formations and the beautiful Carvoeiro Cape
- The westernmost point of Europe: Cabo da Roca, Portugal (9°29'56.44 W)
- Sintra's UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Traditional fishing villages
- Beautiful beaches
- Castles, monastaries, and palaces
- Peniche, a city of fishing tradition
- Cascais - popular resort town
- Traditional food, including fresh seafood from the Atlantic
Learn More
Learn more about self-guided tours.
Interested in adding to your itinerary? Take a look at our cycling day tours in Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, and Terceira Island (Azores).
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CC-BY-SA-4.0 - Port wines originate from Porto, Portugal! CC:Wiki-portwine' data-type='image'>CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Francesinha, Portuguese sandwich originating from Porto! CC:Filipe Fortes' data-type='image'>
Traveler photos
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Daily program
Day 1: Lisbon – São Pedra Muel
Welcome to Lisbon! You'll be met at the airport by the local tour company representative and transferred to São Pedro Muel (approximately 2 hours) where you'll be given your tour briefing and bike fitting.
Overnight in São Pedro Muel.Day 2: São Pedro Muel – Óbidos (43 miles/69 km, 3,000 ft/900m elevation gain)
Your first day will be a ride through stunning pine forests and along breathtaking beaches. Take your time and cycle to an epic cliff to enjoy a viewpoint over Nazaré, a typical Portuguese fishing village, where they still dry the fish under the sun. Your next section of riding brings to you another cliff to admire Peniche and Ericeira, typical Portuguese fishing villages.From here, continue along the coast, soaking up sensational views of the Atlantic ocean. You will arrive in Óbidos, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved medieval villages in Portugal, with a unique castle peering commandingly over the rooftops.
Overnight in Óbidos.Day 3: Óbidos – Peniche (37 miles/60km, 2,000 ft/600m elevation gain)
This day will begin close to the lagoon of Óbidos which eventually reaches the ocean in a beautiful region of gorgeous beaches. As you continue cycling south, you'll glide past grand rock formations, the Carvoeiro Cape, and the incredible town of Peniche, which stands on a peninsula. Here, settle down in one of numerous local restaurants renowned for their impressive variety of scrumptious fresh seafood.
Overnight in Peniche.Day 4: Peniche – Ericeira (44 miles/71km, 2,300 ft/700m elevation)
Today, you'll start out by the sea before heading back inland to discover some altogether different scenery. Here, authentic and rustic Portuguese villages display white houses with sun-scorched red roofs, absorbing the sun that washes the beautiful countryside in its same radiance.Pass through incredible valleys of limestone and vibrant, green vegetation as you approach your final destination for today: Ericeira, the Portuguese surfing Mecca. Ericeira is also one of the most beautiful fishing villages in Portugal, alive with a Mediterranean atmosphere.
Overnight in Ericeira.Day 5: Ericeira – Sintra (32 miles/52km, 2600 ft/800m elevation gain)
The Sintra Natural Park and its hills will be the setting for today's adventures and you'll follow a route of continuous rolling hills. Once over the last, you'll be rewarded with a sight of Sintra. Cycling into this magical municipality, you'll enjoy some of the beautiful sightseeing opportunities it has to offer, such as the magnificent Monserrate Palace where you can find exquisite examples of Romantic influence.Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasting the astonishing Pena Palace, a fairytale-like palace with a sequence of domes, towers, ramparts and walkways on one of the highest mountain peaks in Sintra. We recommend taking the rest of the day to explore and discover Sintra's charming mystique.
Overnight in Sintra.Day 6: Sintra – Cascais (32 miles/51km, 2,300 ft/700m elevation gain)
This morning, discover the impressive beaches nestling between cliffs that have been artistically sculpted by water and wind. On your last day of biking, you'll cross the hills all the way to a peak, close to the mystical Convento dos Capuchos, which is installed in the rock and lined with cork.Continuing on, you'll be reuinited with the awe-inspiring Atlantic Ocean as you arrive at the westernmost point of Continental Europe - Cape Roca, a promontory rising 150 meters above the ocean. End the day with a ride along the breathtaking coastline to Cascais, a charming seaside town.
Overnight in Cascais.Day 7: Cascais - Lisbon
It's time to gather all your memories and belongings and say goodbye to beautiful Portugal. You'll be transferred from Cascais to Lisbon airport. Don't want to go home? Take a peek at our Portuguese day tours in Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, and Terceira Island (Azores), and extend your stay in this scintillating country!Surface and terrain
The daily routes will be moderately hilly with some short but steep ascents and descents. The tour follows mostly quiet roads or bike paths, but some roads shared with traffic cannot be avoided. The entire tour is on paved surfaces.
Hotels
The following hotels are provided only as samples and may vary based on availability.
As often as possible you'll be accommodated in 3- and 4-star hotels, usually in a traditional bed and breakfast.
Hotel Mar e Sol, São Pedro de Moel
www.hotelmaresol.comThe Literary Man Óbidos Hotel, Óbidos
www.theliteraryman.ptHotel Star Inn, Peniche
www.hotelstarinn.comHotel Vila Galé Ericeira, Ericeira
www.vilagale.comNH Sintra Centro Hotel, Sintra
www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-sintraVila Galé Village Cascais, Cascais
www.vilagale.ptInterested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.
How to get there
Tour start and end
Nearest airport/train station: Lisbon, PortugalTransfer to and from Lisbon Airport at tour start and end is included in the tour price.
Tips on getting to and from your tour.
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Dates
Daily: Jan 4 - Dec 15, 2024. (minimum 2 participants)
Season 1: Jan 4, 2024 - Mar 24, 2024; Oct 29, 2024 - Dec 15, 2024
Season 2: Apr 1, 2024 - Jun 26, 2024; Sep 27, 2024 - Oct 28, 2024
Season 3: Mar 25, 2024 - Mar 31, 2024; Jun 27, 2024 - Sep 26, 2024Prices
Tour package
Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Per person, double occupancy €1200 €1350 €1530 Single use room (1 person/1 room) €1550 €1820 €2100 Solo traveler (1 person in party with single use room) €2100 €2370 €2650 Bike Rentals
Standard bike €150 Road bike €240 Electrically assisted bike €270 GPS device rental €50 Included services
- 6 nights accommodation
- Breakfasts
- Luggage transfers
- Digital detailed information about the tour, including maps, detailed route descriptions and GPS tracks
- Hotline number
- Lisbon airport pick-up and transfer to tour start; transfer from last hotel to Lisbon airport
- Welcome briefing and bike fitting
- Transfers as described in the itinerary
- Liability insurance and personal accident insurance
- Navigation app (GPS tracks available for download on request and GPS device available for a surcharge)
Bike rentals
Bikes available to rent on this tour (must be reserved in advance at time of booking):
- Standard bike
- Road bike
- Electrically assisted bike*
*More about electrically-assisted bikes >
Bikes come equipped with the following:
- Handle-bar bag
- Rear bag
- Rear rack
- Spare tubes
- Helmet
- Water bottle
- Tools
- Pump
Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.Helmets:
Helmets are available on this tour; however, we recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes.Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.
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Reviews
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★★★★★ Regan Wilder 2 months ago
A wonderful adventure!
Bike Tours was incredibly helpful and their support staff was amazing. We had a few rough days, but they swooped in and assisted us. The local knowledge and recommendations on the tour guide were perfect choices for us. I can't recommend this tour enough for adventure seekers. Even with rain and wind it was still a great adventure! I do recommend getting hybrid bikes if you want to sight see vs a work out for this ride. The hybrid routes were fun and challenging. You see a side of the country few others will. It was difficult to not spend the whole day stopping at all the landmarks and each cafe you pass. Hotels and food everywhere were the best.
- What was the date of your tour?
- November 2nd
- How many tours have you completed?
- My first one and likely hard to beat! I would recommend hybrid bikes for anyone who does not regularly cycle longer distances.
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Nancy Lewis 2 months ago
Very scenic
Great route and hotels. It would be better if the GPS had verbal cues as well since you can't see your phone in the rain. Also detailed paper maps would help especially if raining. Tour operator was excellent.
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 25, 2023
Hello Nancy, thank you for your valuable feedback! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the route and hotels. We'll certainly consider adding verbal GPS cues and providing detailed paper maps for rainy conditions in the future. Looking forward to having you on another adventure with us!
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★★★★★ Yael NOy 3 months ago
Beautiful sea coast with great views.
The sea coast was lovely. Hotels were conveniently located, comfortable and staff was extremely gracious. Fishermen villages along the way were not exactly as picturesque as expected. That part of the trip was a bit disappointing .
The local company was amazing any questions we had along the way were immediately addressed .- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Steven Fuglestad 3 months ago
Wonderful Way to Tour Portugal
Portugal's Atlantic Coast bike tour is a wonderful way to visit and tour Portugal. The route is mostly along the ocean and there are many awesome views along the way. The distance of the each day's biking is reasonable, although there are many challenging hills to climb. The hotels were excellent, and each night we were on the coast we received an ocean view room. The service with airport pickup and drop off was prompt, friendly and efficient. The only negative was a poor quality GPS with difficult to read screen (the Ride with GPS app for one's phone, with the downloaded route, was much easier to navigate with). I recommend staying a few extra days to tour the beautiful and historic city of Lisbon. This was my first bike tour and it was an awesome experience! The itinerary, hotels, and service were all excellent!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Diane and Bob 7 months ago
Amazing Historical sights as well as beautifu lAtlantic coast scenery.
This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. We added extra nights at several of the towns, so we could enjoy many of the gorgeous seaside towns and sights. We upgraded for ocean views and it was spectacular. Although we were not prepared for the strenuous climbs on several of the days nor the difficulty on the hybrid route.The hybrid route was more like mountain biking. I strongly recommend e bikes. two iphones and a back up battery power pak to ensure you don't run out of power before you arrive at each town. This gives you offline excellent directions. Miriam was our planner with bike tours and she spent many hours answering questions in a timely manner and helping us plan lots of the details. I would highly recommend her as an agent with Bike Tours. We have done most of our 10 European trips with Bike Tours and it is by far the best company we have used. Our next couple trips will be Scotland,the Danube to Budapest or the Rhine. If you want to enjoy smaller less crowded towns, go on a bike trip. Start or end with a larger more commercial city.
Breakfast although always the same were very delicious at each stop. Of the towns visited Sintra was historic with beautiful castle and palace, but Ericeria was beautiful seaside experience. Be sure you book an extra night in Peniche and arrange to go to Berlengas via boat. Well worth it and take the glass bottom boat there or rent a kayak and paddle around. Good little restaurant there also.
All around this trip was a 10!!!! Will post a few pictures in the next week. I have over 1,000 so want to post the best ones.- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Ellen Steury October 16, 2022
Fantastic touring company and lovely scenery
My husband and I took an unguided trip of 6 days, along with a younger woman (age 50) who was on her first time bike tour. The preparatory information the company provided, and the interactions we had with various staff both before and during the trip put this local bike tour company in a class of it’s own — first rate. The company has put together a great information packet to help you maximize your enjoyment on the trip — recommending sites and restaurants — and loaded it on apps for your mobile device. During the trip, they provided true 24 hour assistance. They immediately pick up the phone. I know this because I had a couple of mishaps (unrelated to the biking or the equipment) and I twice contacted the company for assistance. The response was immediate, to the point, and without hesitation, even when it incurred private transportation to take me from one hotel to the next. The person who met us to deliver the bikes and fit them to us did an excellent job. He covered all the details and answered all the questions. The hotels were an interesting mix of spacious-modern and historic-antique, with only one (in a small beach town) a little worn. All in all, this was the most smoothly run bike trip with the most accessible and responsive staff that my husband and I have encountered in our 10 bike trips over 8 years. Their attention to detail and focus on giving the client a good experience shows. It’s real. My compliments to the local tour company. At our ages (83 and 70), the hills with heavy electric bikes was a bit challenging, but this is disclosed by the tour advertising. For our 50 year old friend on her first long distance bike trek, it was a piece of cake. She handled it with ease and wants to do more such trips.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ SALLY ROTH October 11, 2022
Great mix of countryside villages, rolling hills, and coastal towns
The hotels were all comfortable and quiet and convenient to restaurants and sightseeing.
Nuno and Bernardo with Portugal Nature Trails were very helpful in setting us up before the trip and shuttling us at the end and provided interesting information about the areas we were in. I also appreciated the extra accommodation made to collect us and drop us before and after the trip in locations different than the standard trip (collect at Porto airbnb and deliver to Lisbon hotel which saved us travel time)
We were expecting paper maps based on prior trips through biketours and while the app on our smartphones worked for navigation, they made it hard to take photos along the bike trip and to preserve our phone power. It would have been helpful to know in advance so that we could prepare accordingly. Hotels weren't always prepared for charging batteries but we worked it out.
The gps contradicted itself often with confusing left and right turns but the map lines worked.
The only surprise extended climb was heading up to Sintra which was tough even with electric assist but I probably didn't pay close attention.
This is my second biketours trip and I would recommend them wholeheartedly.- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2 self-guided through biketours and 1 self-guided with campgear coast to coast in US
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Melissa Dubois October 7, 2022
Beautiful trip
Traveling down the coast was beautiful. The hotels were all great quality. We were all glad that we had e-bikes due to the high mileage and the steep hills on this trip.
Some downsides- several of the roads were quite busy with cars and tour buses and the gps app really drained my phone battery which made it hard to also take photos. Having the option to have an actual gps rather than the app would have been helpful.
- What was the date of your tour?
- Sept/Oct 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ ActionCyclist2 April 13, 2016
History, Culture and Beauty!
Wonderfully organized self-guided experience (with luggage transfer added). Our transfers by vehicle to the start and from the finish were seamless and informative with an insiders view of general and specifics of our tour, Portugal and bikes provided by Kico. The maps, Garmin, and rental bikes worked perfectly for our tour. The riding on this tour is scenic and varied as the route passes through forests, coastlines, villages, working towns, and tourist destinations. The hotels likewise provided varied experiences as well, each with its own unique charm and amenities. We rode in early April which was too cold for the hotel's outdoor pools, but provided excellent riding conditions.
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5 - 10
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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