CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Alentejo, Portugal. Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Monsaraz, Portugal. Vitor Oliveira@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Estremoz, Alentejo, Portugal. Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Monsaraz, Alentejo, Portugal. Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Francesinha, a traditional Portuguese sandwich. CC:Filipe Fortes' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Arraiolos, Portugal.. Vitor Oliveira@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-2.0 - Salt Cod in Portugal. Jessica Spengler@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Évora, Portugal. Patrick Nouhailler@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Évora, Alentejo, Portugal. Patrick Nouhailler@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-2.0 - Estremoz wine, Alentejo, Portugal. Dominic Lockyer@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Monsaraz, Portugal. Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Évora, Portugal. Patrick Nouhailler@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Monsaraz, Alentejo, Portugal. Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie@Flickr' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-4.0 - Port originates from Portugal. CC:Wiki-portwine' data-type='image'>

CC-BY-SA-2.0 - Monsaraz, Alentejo, Portugal. Vitor Oliveira@Flickr' data-type='image'>

Traveler photos

Route Map

Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

• ★★★★★ Ashley Douglas 3 months ago

  Awesome Trip and No Shame in Using Ebikes!

  Thoroughly enjoyed this trip in spite of not riding bikes at all at home. Having ebikes allowed us to enjoy the scenery and navigate without overextending our physical capabilities. Hotels were excellent and perfect for the areas we were visiting. Some of them were in buildings thousands (?) of years old so don't expect elevators in all, but amazingly they all had swimming pools which we enjoyed after a hard day peddling ebikes!

• ★★★★★ Anne Stanek 3 months ago

  Challenging but interesting tour.

  This was a particularly challenging trip for us as we biked in 92 degree heat every day of the tour. The rides were long, there were many hills and it was extremely dry. Luckily, a couple of us used EV bikes which made a big difference. I think this trip would feel very different with cooler weather. All the folk who we dealt with were so warm, welcoming, helpful, etc. We visited some very cool towns - Evora and Monsaraz were my favorites. We stayed in some lovely hotels - ancient buildings fixed up comfortably with modern conveniences and a working farm. We ate fabulous breakfasts. We stopped at some interesting sites - monoliths, pottery factory, marble quarry were three favorites. It was a good trip despite the challenges.

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  10

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 3/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Lisa Sobieniak 7 months ago

  Great Trip

  Local guides were excellent, responsive and knowledgable. He went out of his way to make everything work for us.
  Only problem was that bike tours .com did not let us know we needed to book winery tours in advance. Local guide did his best to fit us in.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 2023

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Ajit Venkatraman 8 months ago

  Turaventur is a great your company

  From start to finish the tour was excellent . Service was outstanding . Mario and Joanna were perfect hosts and guides . Deena at Evora farms house was great cook . Mario was very knowledgeable and gracious and is a perfect bike tour guide
• ★★★★★ Gail Skutezky November 8, 2022

  Best bike trip ever - so much history! Beautiful weather

  The trip was very interesting, lots of very beautiful scenery, warm weather, we saw places that you cannot get to by car. An incredible marble quarry, beautiful cork oak tree forests and chromalechs you don't see from a car road. The cafes were so quaint and welcoming. The hotels were 15th century convents, and a beautiful farmhouse with animals, one night we stayed in a beautiful palace attached to a castle that you could climb.
  The bikes were excellent. We had ebikes and they were very light. The food was excellent. The Portuguese love to please you!

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 24

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Reigh Walling November 8, 2022

  A rich historical past and a vibrant and diverse present. That's Portugal.

  If you told most people that you were going to cycle Portugal, they would only think of Lisbon. Well, that is a beautiful city, but an hour's train ride took us from coastal topography to a totally different landscape of rolling hills topped with cork trees and vineyards. The tour was a nice mix of ancient walled cities and rural rolling roads. Cows graze amid the monoliths. Sheep browse for grass under the olive trees, each wearing a tiny tinkle bell around its neck -- their movement producing a melodious windchime symphony. Accommodations ranged from a rustic farmhouse to an actual palace, and the route and attributes of the tour also bridged history and modern culture. But it's Portugal's people who are the real stars of the tour. And of course, the food.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  8

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Vickie Brunstetter November 7, 2022

  Central Portugal is delightful by bike

  It was wonderful to ride through vineyards, cork trees and small towns. Staying in the posadas and other quaint accommodations really added to the trip. Of course the wine tastings were wonderful as well. It was very educational to visit different wineries. Our only issue was with the bikes that did not consistently maintain the power assist.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 2/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Kenneth Crossman October 26, 2022

  Portugal Adventure!!

  We enjoyed our ride! The vistas, the accommodations and all the people we met along the way were great!! Wish it had not rained our last two days, but what can you do. We were able to ride with our luggage the day it was unsafe to ride our bikes, which was very much appreciated. Overall, a wonderful experience.

• ★★★★★ Astrid Kaulitz October 13, 2022

  Great week on the bike in a beautiful countryside

  The combination of plan, map and digital tour-advise was great to find our way.
  The tour was all in all beautiful and interesting. The planning had been done before covid and was not adjusted now. Some recommondations were wrong this way. day2 : Cafe Pola could not be found, Manizolas Farm could not be passed. There was a huge fence. day 4: there was no leather factory any more, day 7: Tasca do Anotonio dos Potes does not exist any more.
  Mario was always to be reached and helped promptly. Very nice!
  Hotels were a good choice, every spot was different. only the Solar de Alqueva in Reguengos de Monsaraz was a bit uncomfortable. Breakfast poor.
  I had expected more knowlege about the wine. The wine tasting was mostly in the day either in the morning (wine and bike is not that becomming) or in the early afternoon. You never really could plan how long the trip was - so we had to taste the wine at night with the meal, but had no instructions.

  Anyway we had a great week.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  8

  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

  • 3/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Christy Porucznik September 28, 2022

  Excellent way to see a part of rural Portugal

  It happened that my husband and I were the only ones on this self-guided itinerary. We were able to follow the provided maps and GPS tracks with the occasional assistance of Google maps. The lodgings were excellent, likely nicer than we would have selected on our own, and the provided breakfasts ranged from adequate to amazing. I should not have been surprised about the hills, after all, castles were built on hills, but I have never spent so much time in first gear. I was glad not to have my kids along on this trip because the cycling was sometimes difficult, and we had to ride with traffic sometimes. Other times were on eco-trails and quiet country roads, so it wasn't constant traffic stress, but there was some riding with cars each day. There was also frequent riding on cobblestone and bumpy village streets, could be tough on tender joints. The provided bicycles were not fancy, but they got the job done, and once we got into the rhythm of when people eat in Portugal it wasn't hard to plan for coffee breaks and lunch. It happened to be quite hot the week we rode, and the sun is intense without much shade for breaks. Overall the support and logistics were well done, and I would recommend this itinerary for someone in fairly good shape who is interested in wine, neolithic sites, castles, and spending time in rural Portugal. It was a shock taking the bus back to Lisbon at the end.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 2022

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Robert Alexander August 2, 2022

  Great trip, great guides.

  Tons of fun (notwithstanding that we got COVID on the trip.

  What was the date of your tour?

  April 2022

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ julesmcsa November 8, 2019

  Great trip

  What a way to see the castles of Portugal! The history of the country is amazing, and seeing it all at eye level, literally, was amazing. Perfect weather. Our tour guides were fantastic. The food was overwhelming, there was just so much of it! Tasted a lot of wine, but expected more. Thank god for our E-bikes; some of the routes were too high for us. Overall, very enjoyable trip. We did not care for some of the accommodations: the farmhouse was too remote for us (we wanted to be in the city).

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 19th

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Lieve v November 8, 2019

  Amazing experience!

  This trip really was the perfect way to explore the region of Portugal. We saw the true heart of the country! The food and wine stops were amazing, the guide (Maria) was exceptional. Riding the bikes was a bit more challenging than anticipated due to the many undulating roads (stretched out hills and climbs), but it was a rewarding experience to have ultimately been able to accomplish it. The trip offered a wonderful mix of history and architecture, food and nature. Our only disappointment was a last minute change to the itinerary, which had us staying at a company owned farm for two nights, about a 20 minute cab drive from Evora. Part of the group had accommodations downtown Evora, which would have been much preferred for us too since the farm was in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do.

  What was the date of your tour?

  October 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  This was the first one!

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ scbythesea September 29, 2019

  Highly recommended tour of an interesting part of Portugal.

  Our local guide was wonderful, very knowledgeable, helpful, and fun. The cycling was great in this part of Portugal, and we loved the charming towns and pousadas we stayed in.

  What was the date of your tour?

  14-21 September 2019

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ senorbogus November 10, 2018

  Rolling through beautiful Alentejo

  Our self-guided tour was a wonderful experience. We were very happy with all of the rich, multi-sensory stimulation we experienced every day on the trip. Lots of variety and interest, especially for us who are very interested in history and local culture. Highlights were getting to visit up close and in a very informal and uncrowded manner the many historic sites - castles, prehistoric graves and boulder installations, village crafts workshops, medieval churches and cathedrals as well as the pleasant agricultural countryside. We particularly liked it that we experienced zero crowds of other tourists. By the way, the castle that you show in your photo was where we had lunch one day. We were the only persons there. It was our hottest and longest day, so we really needed the rest, refreshment and tranquility. Special highlights were the beautiful, historic inns where we stayed - converted palaces and convents several hundreds of years old. It almost made us feel like royalty, and for a modest price, too.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Oct. 6-13, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  4

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Traveling Jackie August 6, 2018

  Great Introduction to Bike Touring!

  I'd never done a bike tour before, so this was my first experience, and I LOVED IT! Our guide Jorge was funny and kind, the other people on the trip were lovely and encouraging. At the end of the trip I was trying to figure out what the highlight was, and I realized everything I was coming up with was the actual riding itself. The views were fantastic, I liked the varied roads, ups, downs, back roads, cobblestone villages, paved countryside. I opted for a hybrid touring bike, it was hard work in some places but I was happy with my decision instead of getting an e-bike.

  We had a couple days of heavy rain where we couldn't ride at all, but I found it nice to have a little break from the saddle on my first tour ever. On those days we got to see more sites than we would have on bikes, because they took us in a van to explore monuments, wineries, museums, chapels, towns, marble quarries, palaces, castles, and more. We shared a lot of delicious meals together, my favorite being a hole in the wall tiny restaurant that you'd never be able to find on a map, and the owner makes his own wine. These are the types of places you can only find with a guide.

  The pace was relaxed, I loved the unique accommodations and the restaurants. Besides the rain, the weather was comfortable and cool for riding. It was April when I went, might be a good idea to go a little later to try to avoid rain. My biggest tip is to bring your appetite and eat ALL the delicious food and wine!

  What was the date of your tour?

  April 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  Video: A little recap of my first ever multi-day bike tour in the Alentejo wine region of Portugal.

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Ottermom June 15, 2018

  Best bicycle tour company to date!

  This was our 5th self guided tour to date and Portugal's Best Cycling company was the best we have had in customer service. The bikes were perfect for the terrain. We felt safe on all of the routes even the ones that had more traffic than anticipated. All of the hotels were excellent although our personal preference is to stay away from the ones that cater to the large motorcoach tours (we had 2 that fell into that category.) Self-guided is for the adventurous and that is what we got. The dirt tracks were not for the inexperienced. Area had a rough winter and it took some technical riding to manuever safely on them. There were alternative paved routes but where is the fun in that? We added an extra 20 miles on one of our days to ride out to a fortress that was not on our itinerary. It was worth it. I would add pictures but it keeps telling me images are too large. Recommend adding 2 full days in Sintra just to enjoy.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May 29, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ LuAnn April 28, 2018

  Beautiful countryside & amazing castles and wineries

  We had a great time cycling through The Alentejo region where wildflowers, castles, olive and cork tree groves, and fields of grapes were abundant. The bikes were in great shape, detailed directions and tour guides helpful!

  What was the date of your tour?

  April 14-21,2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Thomas November 13, 2017

  This is a fun trip

  Weather in October was pretty good , but we did get one day of 90oF which was unusual. The biking is not particularly strenuous, but the road conditions vary between paved and dirt so you are going to be riding double duty touring bikes that can handle the range. These make the 30 mile days feel longer than they would on a carbon road bike. There are lots of stops along the way at small farms, cafes, businesses and museums, neolithic sites, and of course, wineries and castles. I felt like we were exposed to Portugal in a way I would not have been otherwise.
  As much as I like cycling, I like food and drink even more! This is where this tour really excels. The picnics every day were great, The organized meals at night were wonderful, and when in Evora without included meals there are great restaurants everywhere. Wine flows freely and is delicous. Everwhere you turn there seems to be something from the 15th or 16th century, and you don’t have to try too hard to find things from Roman times. The hotels are very nice and usually interesting historical buildings. The towns of Evora and Monseraz are especially striking. This is a fun tour and Teresa was a great guide with loads of historical and agricultual knowledge.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Mid October 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  First guided tour

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany November 14, 2017

    As much as I like cycling, I like food and drink even more!"- I couldn't agree more with your sentiment. We're so glad to hear you had a great time on tour. Experiencing the best of Portugal by slow travel is hard to beat. Your pictures are fantastic, and we hope to help you again in the future!

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Nathan June 30, 2017

  Great trip

  The tour was a lot of fun. Location was great. Tour operator was very helpful. Hotels were wonderful. Only problem was that it was very hot. Probably best before June as weather is unpredictable. We had bad luck of a heat wave and riding in 100 degree heat was hard and made us rush through some of the middle towns. This was a shame as local people were very kind and towns were interesting and filled with a lot of history. Would be a perfect Spring time ride. The second to last day is very hard as is one earlier climb but overall a great trip. We plan on doing one of the other tours offered by this operator in the future.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 11-17

  How many tours have you completed?

  1

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ ontherun June 6, 2017

  Authentic, Beautiful and Engaging

  What an authentically Portuguese experience this was! Our guide was from the area and knew all the history and culture of Portugal. There were perfect choices for historical places and the rides were lovely routes through villages and farms.....so perfect. Every day was amazing.

  What was the date of your tour?

  May, 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Nancy N November 6, 2016

  Very Educational and Interesting

  We started this tour as "self-guided" but had difficulty with the maps. The tour company was able to provide a guide for us and what a difference that made. Not only did we not get lost, but we learned so much more than we would have on our own. Our guide was very knowledgeable and having someone translate for us was a big help. Plus we no longer had to waste time looking at maps.
  We upgraded to the "charm hotels" which was amazing. Everyplace we stayed was just indescribably beautiful and serene. I highly recommend the upgrade and a guide.
  We learned so much about the cork, olive, and wine harvests. We particularly enjoyed the leather and pottery factories.
  Portugal is a great country with an incredible old world charm.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Oct 18, 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  4 international, many U.S.

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ beyeKur November 5, 2016

  Downsized tour, questionable difficulty rating.

  Overall we are all glad we did this tour, but we agreed that an honest review was required. Our group of 4, downsized the tour to 3 days of unguided cycling in the 4 star hotel option. Two of our group had, one month previous to this tour, completed a 7 day bike tour in France that was rated as a 1-2 in difficulty. So, expectations were to have a comparable tour since the difficulty rating was the same. This was not our experience however. Our contact person for the Alentejo tour was really great during the first day orientation, answered all our questions, checked us out on the bikes and gear and left us with her personal phone number in case of problems. Terrific! Our group range in age from 66-76, all fit (2 active bikers one runner) and ready for the challenge. The first 6 miles or so were on the main highway to Lisbon (fast drivers and trucks closely along side the shoulder used for biking). Then when we turned off to the quiet roads as in the suggested option, the dirt roads were not in the 1 or 2 difficulty category rating as outlined in the tour. These unpaved roads were more like 4-5 difficulty as they were often like mountain bike roads for at least 1/4 of the days' 35 mile route. Steep upgrades, deep ruts from recent rain, many rocky and sandy roads impeded travel. It rained much of this, the first day. Even though our tour operators could not control the rain, they should have reassessed the level of difficulty and road conditions and report honestly about current road conditions status of deteriorated due to recent rains. Two of our group opted out for day 2 due to exhaustion and lack of faith in level of tour difficulty, but the two who continued enjoyed the quieter country roads which were less harrowing than the dirt roads, but more trafficked and still above level 1-2. Day three was great, though still there were several long, lowest-gear slopes more of a 3-4 rating and still on medium trafficked roadways. This days' outlined tour was also changed--we walked the 3 miles each way to the top of the hill town, as the 'road' very steep and all jarringly cobbled (in the level 9-10 difficulty range). Safety concerns: due to roads with traffic, tour company should supply high viability vests and warning lights. Hotels were great, maps good. The personnel we dealt with was great!

  What was the date of your tour?

  Oct 11-15

  How many tours have you completed?

  4

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Jim Johnson November 6, 2016

    We're sorry for the misleading ratings and characterization of the terrain. We've increased the difficulty level to 3. For clients who are interested in this tour and would like to see detailed elevation profiles for each day, please contact our tour advisor team at info@biketours.com.

    This is a great tour operated by a top-notch Portuguese bike tour company.

  • 1/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 1/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Isaac June 7, 2016

  excellent guided bike trip

  I am participating bike trip almost 30 years and this was the best one .
  The service , very good guided tour explanations in every spot we visited .
  The food ,restaurants are great. Worth every penny.

  What was the date of your tour?

  21May ,2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  15

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
  • 5/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Whatever May 15, 2016

  Castles and wines

  The company Turaventur was one of the best that we have worked with anywhere. The bicycles we rented were excellent with front suspension and a suspension seat post they were perfectly suited to the varied terrain (dirt roads, asphalt, lots of cobblestone) we covered. I also appreciated the female specific gel seat. The routes they chose were really beautiful countryside, small towns and directions were well written and easy to follow. Their support was outstanding, they were available by text, email or phone seven days a week and were always very responsive The castles we visited were just phenomenal and though it was hard to believe after one gorgeous site after another, they just kept getting better! I was only able to do one of the wine tastings and enjoyed it a lot. my suggestion is to be sure to sign up earlly as they seem to fill up ahead of time.

  How many tours have you completed?

  8

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ sandyp May 2, 2016

  Wonderful family vacation!

  Our self-guided tour lived up to our expectations and provided us with a great family vacation. They tour company did an excellent job of responding to our questions and requests. The countryside was beautiful, the bike ride was the right level of both challenging and gentle hills, and the people we met were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this tour if you want to chill out....

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Families with teens, Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection