Portugal & Spain Bike Tour: The Frontier

Highlights:

• Wine tour & welcome lunch at a local winery
• Walking tour around the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Évora

Our guides will meet you in Lisbon, Portugal at 9am for a short brief and to get acquainted with the group. Then we’ll head east towards the Spanish border to the Alentejo region and the former Portuguese capital of Évora. The Alentejo is a world away from busy, hilly streets of Lisbon, with rolling hills of golden plains and wildflowers, cork tree estates, generations-old olive groves, and sheep and cattle dotting the meadows. After arriving at our hotel and completing a bike fitting, we’ll cycle leisurely to a tiny village called Arraiolos, known for its handmade carpets and on to a traditional local winery for a delicious lunch and wine-tasting. We’ll hop in the van and return to Évora to refresh before heading out for a walking tour of the local sites. Tonight we dine on Alentejo specialities in a delightful local restaurant.

Biking: 16 mi | 1hr30 | + 557 ft elevation gain.
Walking tour: 1hr30
Driving: 1hr45
Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Hotel: Hotel M’ar de Ar Aqueduto | Évora

Highlights:

• Stunning facade of Vila Viçosa palace, located in the heart of the marble country
• Elvas and its towering 16th c. aqueduct
• Ponte de Ajuda bridge, a relic of the war
• Olivenza, a Portuguese village in Spain

Today we’ll hop in the van for a short transfer to Vila Viçosa to the heart of the Portuguese marble industry and the impressive royal palace founded by the House of Braganza. After a walkabout we’ll get on our trusty bikes and head east to Elvas, an imposing fortified town with a magnificent aqueduct and break for coffee. We continue to Embarcadero de Olivenza where we’ll have a refreshing picnic along the banks of the Guadiana reservoir. A short van transfer takes us to the village of Olivenza, a historically disputed section of the Portuguese-Spanish border where we’ll visit a Templar castle and other interesting local sites on foot. After a fun-filled day we return to our hotel, a converted convent in Alter do Chão, a quiet village known for its royal horse breeding estate. Tonight we’ll dine on local specialties such as Iberian pork, in a charming local restaurant.

Biking: 32 mi | 3hrs30 | 1148 ft elevation gain
Walking tour: 1hr
Driving: 2hr30
Meals: Breakfast / Picnic Lunch / Dinner
Hotel: Convento D’Alter | Alter do Chão

Highlights:

• Roman Bridge of Monforte
• Typical Alentejo village life: Monforte and Fronteira
• Alter do Chao Castle and Renaissance Fountain

Today we’ll get to live like locals and take a loop ride from our hotel to the nearby village of Monforte with its Roman bridge (and incidentally, famous for its award winning sheep’s cheese) through olive orchards to Fronteira, where we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch by the river. On our return to Alter do Chão we’ll cycle on a dedicated cycle path to Cabeço de Vide, a spa town with thermal waters, used for over 4000 years and with the ruins of a Roman bathhouse. This afternoon you’ll have time to relax by the pool or wander the village and see the local Renaissance fountain. Tonight we’ll dine at our convent hotel.

Biking: 45 mi (32 mi + 12 mi optional) | 4hrs30 | + 1,804 ft / 550 mt
Walking: on your own in Alter do Chão
Driving: none
Meals: Breakfast / Picnic Lunch / Dinner
Hotel: Convento D’Alter | Alter do Chão

Highlights:

• Coudelaria De Alter – a Lusitano horse breeding and riding center
• Mosteiro Flor da Rosa – a fortified 14th monastery converted into a Pousada
• Castelo de Vide with Jewish quarter and museum
• The dramatic fortified hilltown of Marvao

We’ll hop on our bikes from the door of our hotel and spin to nearby Coudelaria do Alter for a tour of this Lusitano horse-breeding estate and riding center that once belonged to the Portuguese royal family. Continuing on, we’ll cycle by the impressive 14th c. Flor da Rosa monastery which has been beautifully converted into a hotel and take a break at a local café for a special hearty soup. After a well-deserved rest we head to the more challenging portion of our ride that takes us to another fortified spa town of Castelo de Vide. We’ll park our bikes and explore the steep winding cobblestone streets of the Jewish quarter and visit the hidden synagogue, now a tiny museum. For most of our guests, this is when we hop in the van to Marvão. However, there is an optional rewarding ride up to this dramatic fortified village straight to the doors of our hotel. Tonight we’ll dine in our hotel.

Biking: 41 mi (32 mi + 9 optional) | 4hrs40 | + 3,313 ft elevation gain
Walking: 1 hr
Driving: none
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Hotel: Hotel El Rei Dom Manuel | Marvão

Highlights:

• Menir of Meada (the tallest prehistoric stone monument in Iberia)
• Smugglers route and “Salto do Cavalo” (small border between Portugal and Spain)
• Valencia de Alcantára (Castle and typical Spanish pueblo)
• Marvao border (official border between Portugal and Spain)
• Roman Bridge of Portagem (medieval border)
• Alameda dos Freixos Fraxinus excelsior (European ash)

We’ll cycle directly from our hotel to visit the Menhir de Meada, an imponent prehistoric stone monument, likely to be over 4000 years old and one of a network of such monuments found in the Alentejo and throughout Europe. Following a coffee break at a former train station we cross the border to Spain via the “Salto do Cavalo” or “horse jump” crossing and head to Alcántara da Valencia, for a walkabout the castle town and a free lunch on your own. That’s it for today’s cycling unless you’re ready for more and take the optional ride back to our hotel. Your afternoon is free to explore Marvão and its breathtaking views. Dinner is on your own.

Biking: 54 mi (37 mi + 17 mi optional) | 5hrs45 | + 3,937 ft. elevation gain
Walking: 1 hr
Driving: none
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Hotel El Rei Dom Manuel | Marvão

Highlights:

• Vineyard landscape of São Mamede Natural Park
• Panoramic mountain views
• The smugglers route between Portugal and Spain

Today we admire the quiet beauty and tiny villages found in São Mamede Natural Park following country roads lined with hedges and plane trees and tiny vineyards. Incredible panoramic views will reward our climbing before we take a jaunt across the border into Spain and back again soon after. Following lunch in an excellent restaurant in Portagem its farewell, with a van transfer to Lisbon, where you’ll arrive before dinner time. Farewell! Adeus! Adios!

Biking: 55 mi (34 mi + 21 mi optional) | 6hrs20 | + 5,216 ft elevation gain
Driving: 2hr30 transfer to Lisbon
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch

Although we do our very best to adhere to the schedule above, the itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control, including weather and terrain conditions.