The Charming Pousadas in Alentejo Self-Guided

Road Bike | Self-Guided | Historic
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This is a gorgeous Road Bike Tour in Portugal which takes you to several Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Convents; these magnificent places were once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings of Portugal and now are converted into exquisite lodgings, which we call POUSADAS.

The overall difficulty level of this tour is 3, Intermediate (more precisely, level 2.8 between 1~5). It is recommended for “bikers” and “cyclists”. It is supposed that you are in good shape.

This Bike Tour in Portugal starts in Marvao, a small medieval town on the top of the hill, surrounded by walls and with a majestic castle that defended this small town from the Spanish people many times. There you can admire a spectacular view before you start riding down. Afterwards, you will climb to a little chapel on the top of a hill where there is an amazing view over another medieval town, and its rows of whitewashed houses.

You will ride along narrow roads, either sided by cork trees or stone walls and you will get to a quiet place, where you will stay in an amazing building that was once a convent and today is a luxury hotel.

On the next day you will ride towards one of the most traditional wine regions in Portugal. The ride continues to the capital of marble in Portugal, where even the sidewalks are made of marble. You will also visit a pottery workshop. The cycling day ends at a small town which is famous for its rugs that are still handmade following a tradition that is documented since the 17th century.

This PortugalBike Tour ends in Evora, which is the largest town in Alentejo. This is a wonderful walled town with many Roman vestiges, medieval churches and buildings, fountains, the aqueduct, charming streets, etc., that is classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

From
Euro 1660
Self-Guided
Tour

7
Days 

Level 3 (2.8)
Intermediate

Distance
250km/155mi
50km/31mi day
Hotels
Monument and Historic

Trails
100% asphalt 
Start | End
Marvão | Évora
Dates

Start-End

Availability

Booking

Price

Per Person

07 May – 13 May, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2110

13 May – 19 May, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2110

29 May – 04 Jun, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2110

June, 2023

Available

Euro 2110

18 Jun – 24 Jun, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2110

01 to 13 July, 2023

Available

Euro 2190

01 to 16 Sep, 2023

Not Available

Euro 2190

01 Sep – 07 Sep, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2190

04 Sep – 10 Sep, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2190

11 Sep – 17 Sep, 2023

Confirmed

Euro 2190

17 to 30 Sep, 2023

Not Available

Euro 2140

01 to 14 Oct, 2023

Not Available

Euro 2110

15 to 31 Oct, 2023

Available

Euro 2000

01 to 30 Nov, 2023

Available

Euro 1660

01 to 15 Dec, 2023

Available

Euro 1660

January, 2024

Available

Euro 1660

February, 2024

Available

Euro 1660

March, 2024

Available

Euro 1760

April, 2024

Available

Euro 1990

May, 2024

Available

Euro 2110

June, 2024

Available

Euro 2110

01 to 13 July, 2024

Available

Euro 2190

01 to 14 Sep, 2024

Available

Euro 2190

15 to 30 Sep, 2024

Available

Euro 2140

01 to 12 Oct, 2024

Available

Euro 2110

13 to 31 Oct, 2024

Available

Euro 2000

01 to 30 Nov, 2024

Available

Euro 1660

Available: You can sign up any date for a self-guided bike tour, but you must wait for our confirmation.

Confirmed: This date is already confirmed and you can also sign up.

Looking for another Scheduled tour date?
See all Confirmed Departures

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: Alentejo
Price per person:
Single room supplement:
Pick-Up Date:
Drop-Off Date:
Adults:

WHAT’S INCLUDED

7 days / 6 nights / 5 days cycling

Support Level

  • Initial briefing providing all the necessary details
  • A GPS device on your handlebar with all bike tracks preloaded
  • 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

Accommodations

  • One Pousada – Monument Hotel (14th century former Monastery – Luxury Hotel)
  • One Pousada – Historic Hotel (13th century former Castle)
  • One Pousada – Historic Hotel (16th century former Convent)
  • One Pousada – Historic Hotel (16th century former Convent)
  • One 5* Historic Design Boutique Hotel (16th century former Palace), or one Pousada – Historic Hotel (15th century former Convent)
  • One Charming Hotel (20th century typical house located in the Fortress)

Meals

  • 6 Breakfasts

Gear

  • Carbon frame and superior quality road bicycles with hydraulic disc brakes and 20 speeds, tailored to your height and specifications
  • Portugal Bike cycling jersey to keep
  • Portugal Bike water bottles to keep
  • BBB helmets

Activities 

  • Visit to Pottery Workshop

Please note:

Prices are based on a double bedroom occupancy (hotels may be different depending on availability) | Prices are based on a double bedroom occupancy | Self-Guided version: We require a minimum of 2 people to confirm a Self-Guided departure | Groups: Discount for Groups of 4 or more people | E-Bike rental: + Euro 300 | 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 on festivity dates will be adjusted accordingly.

DAY BY DAY 

cycling portugal

Day

1

Arrival at Lisbon  

Welcome at Lisbon airport. 3H00 drive to Marvão. Briefing about the tour. Lodging in a charming hotel with a cozy ambience and almost family atmosphere. Lodging in Hotel El-Rei Dom Manuel, a Charming Hotel located in the Fortress.

Day

2

The beautiful Natural Park with its medieval towns 

48km (30mi), 610m total climbing (2000ft), level 3 (2.9).
After breakfast you ride down from the medieval village of Marvão on the top and you ride into the Natural Park of São Mamede Hills. Here Nature and History embrace each other. It seems time has stopped! …Everything is quiet. Lodging in a Pousada that manages to combine the genuine characteristics of the former 14th century Convent with modern luxury. Lodging in Pousada Mosteiro do Crato, Monument Hotel, Luxury Hotel.

Day

3

Cork oak trees, olive trees and vast vineyards 

66km (41mi), 900m total climbing (2950ft), level 4 (3.7).
After breakfast you leave the Monastery and ride towards small villages where you can admire the whitewashed houses with a yellow or blue stripe, the roads sided by trees, beautiful manor houses dated from the 17th and 18th centuries and you can also visit the small castle. The day ends in a small town, the land of marble and wine. Lodging in a 13th century former Castle converted into Pousada from where you can admire a superb view over the city and the vast Alentejo plain. Lodging in Pousada Castelo de Estremoz, Historic Hotel.

Day

4

The capital of marble

36km (22mi), 380m total climbing (1250ft), level 2 (2.0).
After breakfast you ride towards the capital of marble in Portugal. This is a quiet small town in Alentejo where even the sidewalks are made of marble. Lodging in a Pousada that was once a Convent from 16th century. It is full of legends and tales. Lodging in Pousada Convento de Vila Viçosa, Historic Hotel.

Day

5

The old small town famous for its rugs

70km (43mi), 890m total climbing (2920ft), level 4 (3.7).
After breakfast you ride to a pottery workshop. Your way leads you to a small town in Alentejo with its whitewashed houses. This town is famous for its rugs. Lodging in a Pousada which is an example of perfect harmony between the traditional and modern concepts of Portuguese architecture. Lodging in Pousada Convento de Arraiolos, Historic Hotel, a 16th century former Convent with blue tiles.

Day

6

Towards the Roman Temple 

30km (19mi), 270m total climbing (890ft), level 1 (1.2).
Your tour leads you to Evora, a city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. You will have the afternoon free to wander around the city where you can find evidences of 2000 years of History. Lodging in M’Ar de Ar Aqueduto hotel, a Historic Design Boutique Hotel & SPA, that is the result of the renovation of the old Sepulvedas Palace, a building of the 16th century (or lodging in Pousada Convento de Évora, Historic Hotel, a former 15th century Convent).

Day

7

Departure

After breakfast you leave to Lisbon airport – 2H00 drive.

Total distance  250km (155mi) | Average 50km/day (31mi/day) | 100% asphalt

SEE CLIMBING PROFILE

ACCOMMODATIONS

The accommodations for this tour are 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)

Charming pousadas in alentejo portugal bike tours hotel 4
Charming pousadas in alentejo portugal bike tours hotel 3
charming-pousadas-in-alentejo-portugal-bike-tours hotel lobby
Charming pousadas in alentejo portugal bike tours hotel 2
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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Another Version of this Tour OR a longer Road Bike Tour in Alentejo and on the Coast
Cycling in Portugal - The Charming Pousadas
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See here the difference between Scheduled and Self-Guided bike tours

TESTIMONIALS

“Portugal Bike is the best organized bike tour company we have used in Europe.
We have biked across Sweden and Norway, the length of Austria and Germany as well as in New Zealand and Croatia, and Portugal Bike is the best company we have encountered.
We were provided with preprogrammed Garmin GPSs, a cell phone with preprogrammed numbers for emergencies and detailed maps. The bikes were in great shape and the company reps spoke great english.
If you are planning a bike trip in Portugal this is your best choice.”

Robert Mackie, 74 – Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

“This was an amazing trip through the rural countryside of Alentejo with nightly stops at Pousadas. It was really well organised from the airport collection, delivery to the starting point in Marvão and our first Pousada, to the final one in Évora. The bikes provided were really excellent as were the GPS units for navigation.
There was seamless luggage transfer each day and it all meant that this was a great holiday. In the past I have tended to choose guided group cycling tours. This has altered my perspective on them. I would choose a self guided holiday in future because of the flexibility it allows each day.”

Hazel Bradish, 68 – Fowey, Corwall, United Kingdom

“My wife and I just did this self guided trip. Everything was perfect. Starting with the communication with Cristina before the trip, transportation, thorough instructions given by Luis at the beginning of the tour in a very friendly and helpful way, superior bikes, equipment and accommodations. With the supplied GPS you just cannot get lost. Most of the trip is along sideways and you feel very safe. The road, scenery and selected towns were beautiful. Highly recommended.”

Yehuda Kariv, 53 – Israel

“I did a self-guided tour in Alentejo through Portugal Bike in late July, and it was fantastic. They met us at the airport and drove us to the start point, gave us a great orientation to the area and the bicycles, and even gave us a cell phone to reach them if we needed to along the way. I chose an e-bike for the first time (I only bike once a year) and totally loved it. The equipment is high quality and comfortable. The scenery was to die for. The weather was sunny and hot, but not humid – very pleasant. If you want, you can request a panier to use to pack a picnic lunch and other extras, which removes the need to find a restaurant at lunchtime in the middle of nowhere. Everything else is easy. I might do the trip in the north next year – I hear that’s even more beautiful.”

Elizabeth Armington, 55 – Washington DC, USA

“My wife and I just completed the Charming Pousadas in Alentejo bike tour on a self-guided basis. We loved the trip and were extremely impressed with Portugal Bike. The countryside we rode through was beautiful. The level of difficulty was just about perfect for us, allowing us to spend about half the day riding and half the day enjoying our destinations. Our bikes were new carbon fiber road bikes that fitted us well. The GPS we were provided made it very easy to follow the route each day. The Pousadas were amazing. We think the trip was a terrific value and plan to do other Portugal Bike trips in the future. We highly recommend Portugal Bike in general and this trip in particular!”

San Francisco CA, United States

WOW! Do you like history, culture, beauty, delicious and different food, wonderful wine, but most importantly, lovely and gracious guides? Then this trip is for you! I am not a cyclist and I was able to keep up with those who were with the ELECTRIC bicycle. It still gave me more than enough exercise each day so I could enjoy the delicious breakfasts, picnic lunches and delightful dinners with Christina and Jose each evening. Every Pousada was an exotic encounter with the past, a castle or a convent! We visited wineries, a pottery artesian in his shop, a rug museum, a marble quarry and more. We met great new people who like exercise, adventure and travel too! The only thing I would change is to go earlier or later in the year. Even though it is quite hot here in July, the mornings and evenings are lovely and cool. A trip of a lifetime!

Carol Buchanan, 61 –   Long Beach NY, USA

See detailed reviews

TOUR GEAR

On this tour you can ride with one of these bicycles
portugal bike tours road bicycle

CUBE Attain GTC SLT Disc Carbon

GERMAN DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED

With the culmination of carbon frame technology, this bike is all the proof you need that comfort and high performance aren’t mutually exclusive. With a brand new Fulcrum Racing 66 disc wheelset and a complete complement of new Shimano’s superb Ultegra components – with technology borrowed from the range-topping Dura Ace – this is a no-compromise speed machine that’ll flatter any rider’s best efforts.

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portugal bike tours hybrid bicycle

SCOTT SPORTSTER

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

This hybrid bike emphasizes comfort and convenience for touring several days in a row, giving you a straight riding position. Equipped with a lockout fork, the Sportster is set up perfectly for your excursions with a more vertical and comfortable position. This hybrid bicycle is perfect to ride on asphalt with thinner tires (700×28).

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portugal bike tours electric bicycle Bosch

BOSCH SYSTEM 

E-BIKE

Now you don’t have any excuse for not participating on a Portugal Bike Tour! Don’t be afraid of not being able to keep up with the group. Now you can ride an e-bike without feeling too exhausted! The system works as if someone is pushing at your back! The more you pedal, the more electric assistance you have.

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