The Charming Pousadas in Alentejo Supported

Road Bike | Supported | 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. You can visit a vineyard and taste the world famous Alentejo wine.

The ride continues to the capital of marble in Portugal, where you can visit the Museum of Marble and learn how this industry began. 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. We also visit a Winery, which includes an amazing collection of carriages from the 18th to the 20th centuries (Guided tours only).

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 1790

Supported

Tour

7

Days

Level 3 (2.8)

Intermediate

Distance

246km/153mi

Average

49km/31mi day

Trails

100% asphalt

Start | End

Marvão | Évora

Dates

Start-End

Availability

Booking

Price

Per Person

October, 2017

Available

Euro 2270

November, 2017

Available

Euro 1790

December, 2017

Available

Euro 1790

January, 2018

Available

Euro 1810

February, 2018

Available

Euro 1810

March, 2018

Available

Euro 1940

April, 2018

Available

Euro 2290

May, 2018

Available

Euro 2290

June, 2018

Available

Euro 2320

July, 2018

Available

Euro 2290

August, 2018

Available

Euro 2290

September, 2018

Available

Euro 2480

October, 2018

Available

Euro 2290

November, 2018

Available

Euro 1810

December, 2018

Available

Euro 1810

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:

Price includes:
7-day road bike tour with GPS | Superior quality bicycle rental | Transfers from and to Lisbon Airport | Accommodations (6 nights in Pousadas – luxury Historic Hotels): one luxury Convent, one 14th Monastery, one 13th century Palacelike, two 16th century Convents and one Typical house | Double bedroom occupancy | 6 Breakfasts | Luggage transport from Pousada to Pousada | Documentation about PortugalBike Tour | Personal Accident Insurance and Liability Insurance | Techno-Mechanical Assistance | First-Aid assistance on location | Permanent Backup Vehicle | Visit two Wineries and wine tasting | Visit to a Carriage Driving Museum | Visit to a Pottery workshop.

Please note:

Supported version: We require a minimum of 2 people to confirm a Supported 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 | E-bike rental: + Euro 100 | On Supported tours we can offer you any date, depending on our availability. If the tour starts and ends in different months the price will be adjusted accordingly, depending on how many days in each month.

DAY BY DAY

Day

1

Arrival at Lisbon

Welcome at Lisbon airport. 3H00 drive to Marvão. Briefing about the tour. Lodging in a Pousada with a cozy ambience and almost family atmosphere.

Day

2

The beautiful Natural Park with its medieval towns

48km (30mi), 610m total climbing (2000ft), level 3 (2.9).
After breakfast we ride down from the medieval village of Marvão on the top and we 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 convent with modern luxury.

Day

3

Cork oak trees, olive trees and vast vineyards

67km (42mi), 900m total climbing (2950ft), level 4 (3.7).
After breakfast we leave the Monastery and ride towards small villages where we 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 we can also visit the small castle. The day ends in a small town, the land of marble and wine. Lodging in a castle converted into Pousada from where you can admire a superb view over the city and the vast Alentejo plain.

Day

4

The capital of marble

36km (22mi), 380m total climbing (1250ft), level 2 (2.0).
After breakfast we visit a winery and taste the wine. Then we ride towards the capital of marble in Portugal. This is a quiet small town in Alentejo where even the sidewalks are made of marble. You can visit the small Marble Museum where you can learn how the marble was extracted in the past and how it is extracted nowadays. Lodging in a Pousada that was once a Convent. It is full of legends and tales.

Day

5

The old small town famous for its rugs

70km (43mi), 890m total climbing (2920ft), level 4 (3.7).
After breakfast we ride to a pottery workshop. Our way leads us to a small town in Alentejo with its whitewashed houses. This town is famous for its rugs. In the afternoon visit to a winery with a collection of carriages (guided tours only). Lodging in a Pousada which is an example of perfect harmony between the traditional and modern concepts of Portuguese architecture.

Day

6

Towards the Roman Temple

25km (16mi), 270m total climbing (890ft), level 1 (1.2).
Our tour leads us 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 a Pousada, which was originally a convent and is one of the most precious architectural buildings of this town.

Day

7

Departure

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

Total distance 246km (153mi) | Average 49km/day (31mi/day) | 100% asphalt

SEE CLIMBING PROFILE

TESTIMONIALS

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 Brach NY, USA

I’m always wary of reviews with too many superlatives. So, I had some doubt when I read all the wonderful things people had written about their experiences with Portugal Bike. My friends, I need to tell you IT’S ALL TRUE! Our friends, my wife and I all had a fantastic time with Jose and Cristina. Our expectations were far surpassed. This was one of the best weeks of my life. We rode. We saw beautiful sights, too many to count. The vistas were breathtaking, the architecture amazing, the people friendly and the food and accommodations were fabulous. More than that, however, Jose and Cristina are national treasures of Portugal. They are genuinely lovely, friendly, welcoming people who do everything in their power to make your experience an amazing adventure. If you’re wondering if you should go to Portugal, go there. If you can’t make up your mind who should guide your tour, choose Portugal Bike. They are tremendous.

Emil Skobeloff, 66 – Wallingford PA, United States

Jose and Cristina are 2 of the best bike tour operators I’ve ridden with. The trip was very well-planned and Jose & Cristina are very warm, professional, and knowledgeable about Portugal, cycling and the region. The tour felt much more personalized than something that the big operators like Backroads could put together. I was completely blown-away by the Pousadas (high-end hotels converted from ancient monasteries, castles, convents) – walking into them felt like I was transported hundreds of years back into medieval Europe.

Jennifer Huang, 32 – New York, United States

My wife and I have just come back from the Charming Pousadas in Alentejo tour with Jose and Cristina. It was absolutely amazing. Cristina has provided all necessary information prior to the tour and answered all our questions. The tour was planned really well. Jose is a very knowledgeable guide who led us riding, but also stopped and shared history of Portugal and its cultural traditions. We learned about cork trees, marble production, meaning of colors of houses in Alentejo. We visited castles that go back to the 11th century, cycled on beautiful roads, stayed in unbelievable places. Can you imagine staying in a hotel that used to be a monastery built in the 13th century and having 3 stone walls in your room actually built in the 13th century? And how about staying in a former castle where paintings on the walls date back to the 15th century? Cristina and Jose planned evenings as well with visits to wineries, museums and great dinners in very interesting restaurants. We hope that one day we will come back for another tour. And it would definitely be with Jose and Cristina. If you like cycling and want to visit Portugal, Portugal Bike is the only company you need to know. Cristina, Jose, thank you for the wonderful week!

Len Ioffe, 52 – Bronx NY, United States

See detailed testimonials

TOUR GEAR

On this tour you can ride with one of these bicycles

SCOTT CR1 COMPETITION

ULTRA LIGHT AND FAST

The SCOTT CR1 20’s IMP Carbon frame offers the perfect balance of performance and comfort. Designed to save the rider from shock and vibration, the CR1 is the ideal choice for the enthusiast who wants to enjoy long rides but doesn’t want to feel beat up at the end of the day. Providing the perfect balance of stiffness and weight, Scott CR1 is so precise, elegant and advanced that you’ll have a tough time going back to anything less.

SCOTT SPORTSTER

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

Sporster 20 Solution emphasises comfort and convenience for touring and transportation. Equipped with a lockout fork and Syncros components, the Sportster is set up perfectly for your excursions with a more vertical and comfortable position.

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.

CANNONDALE TANDEM

TANDEM BIKE

Riding a Tandem bike is fun and is something that is not usual. People always smile to you and wave. Your partner (stoker) don’t need to know how to ride a bicycle. However we highly recommend to ride this kind of bicycle if you already are used with it at your home.