Cycling the Camino de Santiago Self-Guided

Cycling The Camino de Santiago Self-Guided

Mountain Bike | Self-Guided | Historic

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The Camino de Santiago, also known as “The way of St James”, is one of the World’s oldest pilgrimage routes. It is a way covered by thousands of pilgrims since the 9th century, when Saint James’ remains were rediscovered in the place known today as Santiago de Compostela by the hermit Pelagius.

There is more than “one” way (“camino”) to Santiago because over the centuries different ways were covered by pilgrims whose aim was to get to Saint James’ resting place. We follow the Portuguese Way. This also has some variations, such as: the Coastal Way, the Medieval Way, the Central Way and the Royal Way. We follow the Coastal Way with the Medieval Way, because it is the most scenic and beautiful of the Portuguese Ways.

Cycling the Camino de Santiago is a 7-day stunning tour from Porto (Oporto – known by its famous Port Wine) through seaside Atlantic villages and sandy beaches until we get to the Spanish border. Then we continue along the Medieval Way, through ancient Roman roads, medieval towns, dense woods and centuries old pilgrims’ footpaths en route to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Santiago de Compostela.

As the day comes to an end, relax at gorgeous and magnificent Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Convents that were once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings and now are converted into exquisite lodgings.

To complete this adventure (for religious reasons or not) you should previously get the Pilgrim’s Credential (Portugal Bike Tours will get this for you in advance). A pilgrim must get at least two stamps per day; you collect the stamps along the way at the hotels, restaurants and churches.

When you get to Santiago you go to the Pilgrim’s Office and show your Credential with all the stamps to prove that you did cycle The Camino (minimum of 200km biking). You are then awarded the Compostela, a document with your name written in Latin that certifies that you completed the Camino!

If you wish to cycle The Camino de Santiago, you should use a mountain bike! We will ride sometimes on asphalt, other times on bike lanes, wood lanes along the beaches and some dirt roads, or even some single tracks and rough trails. The mountain bike’s thicker tires and better grip will help you to get the necessary comfort and balance when you have to cross Roman bridges that are more than 2000 years old.

The overall difficulty level of this tour is 3, Intermediate (more precisely, level 3.2 between 1~5). It is recommended for “bikers” and “cyclists”. It is supposed that you are in good shape.

There is a well-known sentence that helps us to understand what really is The Camino de Santiago and it says something like this: “It is the Way itself that changes our lives, not the goal”, i.e. it is by cycling The Camino and overcoming the daily difficulties that our inner self is changed, and not the fact that you get to Santiago de Compostela.

Cycling the Camino is giving a bit of yourself! …It is something different, …it is really an experience!

From

Euro 2130

Self-Guided

Tour

7

Days

Level 3 (3.2)

Intermediate

Distance

269km/167mi
54km/34mi day

Hotels

Signature, Monument and Historic

Trails

42% trails and bike-lanes + 58% asphalt

Start | End

Porto | Santiago de Compostela

Dates

Start-End

Availability

Booking

Price

Per Person

01 to 12 September, 2020

Available

Euro 2310

13 to 30 September, 2020

Available

Euro 2520

01 to 17 October, 2020

Available

Euro 2480

18 to 30 April, 2021

Available

Euro 2260

May, 2021

Available

Euro 2500

01 to 12 June, 2021

Available

Euro 2510

13 to 30 June, 2021

Available

Euro 2290

July, 2021

Available

Euro 2130

August, 2021

Available

Euro 2190

01 to 11 September, 2021

Available

Euro 2310

12 to 30 September, 2021

Available

Euro 2520

01 to 16 October, 2021

Available

Euro 2480

RESERVE THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME

Ready to book? Select tour date.

(Your booking will be confirmed when our specialist contacts you.)

Available dates:

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Minimum number of people: 2

Location: Porto and the North

Price per person:

Single room supplement:

WHAT’S INCLUDED

7 days / 6 nights / 5 days cycling

Support Level

Initial briefing providing all the necessary details
A Garmin GPS computer with all traks recorded
Our comfortable transfer vehicle van with air conditioning
All transportation from airport pick-up to drop-off
All baggage transportation by taxi
Documentation booklet about PortugalBike Tour
Personal Accident Insurance and Liability Insurance
Pilgrim’s Credential

Accommodations

One Pousada – Charming Hotel (located in a 13th century Fortress)
One Parador – Historic Hotel (16th century former Palace)
One 4* Historic Hotel (16th century Monument Hotel)
One 4* Historic Hotel (16th century former Manor House)
One 4* Historic Hotel (18th century Historic Building)
One 4* Modern Hotel

Meals

6 Breakfasts

Gear

Superior quality full-suspension mountain bicycles with hydraulic disc brakes and 20 speeds, tailored to your height and specifications
PortugalBike cycling jersey to keep
PortugalBike water bottles to keep
Specialized helmets (optional)

Please note:

Prices are based on a double bedroom occupancy (hotels may be different depending on availability) | Self-Guided version: We require a minimum of 2 people to confirm a Self-Guided departure | Longer tour: You can join two PortugalBike Tours and have a 2-week program (10% discount on the second tour) | Groups: Discount for Groups of 4 or more people | On Self-Guided tours we can offer you any date, depending on our availability. If the tour starts and ends in different months/fortnight the price will be adjusted accordingly, depending on how many days in each month/fortnight. The price of festivity dates will be adjusted accordingly.

DAY BY DAY

camino de santiago de compostela portugal bike tour

Day

1

Arrival

Welcome at Porto or Lisbon airport. Transfer to a hotel in Porto (20-min from Porto airport, or 3-hour from Lisbon airport). Briefing about the tour. Lodging in a 4* hotel in the center of the city. Lodging in Vila Galé Porto Hotel.

Day

2

Riding to the historic town on the coast

87km (54mi), 490m total climbing (1610ft), level 4 (3.5). After breakfast you leave the ancient city following the ways covered by the pilgrims until you get to the historic town on the coast. Lodging in 4* hotel, a historic building from 16th century, in the historic center of this small town. Lodging in Casa Melo Alvim Hotel.

Day

3

Riding to the border, always following the Way

60km (37mi), 400m total climbing (1310ft), level 3 (2.8). After breakfast you continue riding along the Portuguese coast towards the Spanish border, but you spend the night in Portugal, in a beautiful medieval town near the border, which is protected by a fortress with double walls. Lodging in a Pousada which is set on the highest place of the old fortified area of this town, a 13th century Fortress, with a great view over Spain. Lodging in Pousada de Valença, Charming Hotel.

Day

4

Crossing the border to Spain

55km (34mi), 1400 total climbing (4590ft), level 4 (4.3). After breakfast you finally cross the border. You continue along The Way and you will ride on some old roman tracks (older than 2000 years) and medieval paths until getting to the next town. Lodging in a Parador, a 16th century palace, near the historical and commercial center of the town. Lodging in Parador de Pontevedra.

Day

5

The luxuriant vegetation and the mysticism of the Way

40km (25mi), 800m total climbing (2630ft), level 3 (3.1). Breakfast. Before you get the next Spanish town you cross the thick woods with a luxuriant vegetation. Lodging in a 4* hotel with a swimming-pool; the building was built in the 16th century and it was the vacation house for the archbishops from Compostela. Lodging in Pazo de Lestrove, Monument Hotel.

Day

6

Mixed emotions when we arrive to Santiago de Compostela

27km (17mi), 800m total climbing (2630ft), level 3 (2.5). Breakfast. Finally, you get to Santiago de Compostela and you feel you accomplished your “mission”. Free afternoon to wander around this mystic city and do some shopping. Lodging in a beautiful 4* hotel ideal to rest after this long ride and very near to the historical center of Santiago de Compostela. Lodging in Virxe da Cerca Hotel, Historic Hotel.

Day

7

Departure

After breakfast transfer to Porto (2-hours and 30min) or Lisbon airport (5-hours and 30 min).

Total distance 269km (167mi) | Average 54km/day (34mi/day) | 42% trails and bike-lanes + 58% asphalt

SEE CLIMBING PROFILE

ACCOMMODATIONS

Accommodations for this tour include Signature Hotels (the best charming Hotel of the region, usually stylish 4-star hotels or 5-star properties), as well as Monument and Historic Hotels (gorgeous Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Convents once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings and now converted into exquisite lodgings)

cycling camino santiago portugal bike tour luxury hotel room

cycling camino santiago portugal bike tour luxury hotel lobby

cycling the camino santiago portugal bike tour accommodations

cycling camino santiago portugal bike tour hotel front

“Great outfitter for self-led tours: We used the wonderful people at Portugal Bike to ride the Camino route from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain. They did an excellent job outfitting us with great equipment, advice, trail guidance, and hotels on our route. I highly recommend them and I expect I will use their excellent services again.”

William Helfand, 54 – Texas, United States

“My wife and I did the northern mountain bike trip to Santiago a couple of weeks ago. We had an AWESOME time. Here’s a quick rundown:
1) Jose and Cristina are really the perfect guides. Both very friendly and very professional. Very knowledgeable about Portuguese history, culture etc… And Jose is a hell of a cyclist, to boot!
2) Really cool hotels. Obviously, these vary depending on the trip, but we stayed in 3 historic “pousadas,” which were amazing. We also had one awesome new, modern hotel along the way.
3) Some wonderful food. With one exception, all the restaurants they selected were excellent. We had a lot of authentic, tasty Portuguese dishes.
4) Beautiful, challenging, rewarding biking. My wife and I are both in good shape, but neither of us is an experienced cyclist. Jose did a great job of encouraging us and helping us out without being condescending or unnecessarily demanding. We both felt exhilarated at the end of our 220+ km journey!
All in all, this was a splurge for us, but one that we will absolutely remember for the rest of our lives! “

Spin – Denver CO, United States

“We are pleased to inform that in August 2012 we did the tour Camino de Santiago de Compostela. This was an excellent adventure that took us along trails with an unimaginable history for those that come from tropical lands. The landscape is completely different from what we can see in Brazil. We were able to experience some of the situations described in the pilgrims’ reports. The pleasant company of the gods, the amazing discovery of the cultural “differences and similarities” between Brazil and Portugal, softened the weariness, the heat during the climbs and the rocks along the way. Everything was very well organized, first class equipment and car, very comfortable hotels; we enjoyed the ride, the food, the landscape and the historic monuments. We thank PortugalBike Team very much.”

Eduardo Preto, 57 – São Paulo, Brazil

“Cycling to Santiago de Compostela was a unique experience. These 2 Brazilian women that were not very well prepared for such a big adventure got to the end with a great satisfaction. The tour was very well organized, with gorgeous views, and wonderful food showing a very rich gastronomy. The guides were very thoughtful, nice and competent conveying a great feeling of safety. We highly recommend this tour and we plan to come back and do other tours with Portugal Bike tours.”

Lucia Miranda, 53 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

See detailed reviews

TOUR GEAR

On this tour you can ride with one of these bicycles

CUBE STEREO 120 PRO29

WINNING TECHNOLOGY

FullSuspension Mountain Bike CUBE Stereo 120 Pro29. Featuring a 130mm front suspension, 180mm hydraulic disc brakes and a 11-42T Shimano cassette, this is the perfect bike for a mountain biker.
Control, speed and agility combined… for trail explorers everywhere!

From Our Blog

by José Neves

Cycling the Camino de Santiago, one of the World's oldest pilgrimage routes

There are many Camino de Santiago: there is the Portuguese Way, the English Way, the French Way, the Finisterra Way, the North Way, the Sanabria Way, the Silver Way and the Primitive Way.