Portugal Tour Reviews — 1 to 30 of 306

Beautiful ocean vistas and sunny weather

Be prepared to have fun and a wonderful experience.

The coast of Portugal is spectacular. The views were amazing and many of
the hotels were right on the ocean.

The bike paths were VARIED. Regular bike paths but also dirt and gravel, cobblestone streets,
secondary and main highways. I am very glad that I had an e bike ,a couple of the days are long
plus it's hilly in places and windy. The one small thing that would be nice is to have a day of rest in
the middle. To spend two days somewhere.

It was a beautiful trip and I highly recommend it.

What a way to experience Portugal! Riding along the spectacular coastline, through farmlands, vineyards, small villages, visiting historic attractions and so much more. Seafood and Portuguese pastries were daily treats. Some parts of the tour were challenging with cobblestones, rough trails, and many long hills to climb. This was offset with lovely cycling paths through forests and along the coast. We loved the e-bikes and accommodations arranged for us were first class. Our only disappointment was that we could not spend more time exploring the towns and the beautiful beaches along the way.

Hello, Just a comment about the hotel in Porto. Most of us on the tour are two people staying together. This is usually two women but could be two men or a man and a woman who are only friends. The hotel in Porto was a room divided into a shower and toilet using glass partians. You can see everything and hear everything. Not good if you and your roomy are not in a relationship. But, the hotel was very close to the partner office and otherwise was good.

Porto hotel was only suitable for husband and wife.

Loved the route- everything from back country trails to highways.

The coastline of Portugal, the cities, towns and villages were a feast for the eyes. This trip gives you everything for cycling- cobblestone streets, cycling paths,dirt roads, forests, lagoons, and challenging hills. The e-bikes were terrific and accommodations excellent. Highly recommended!

The trip was fantastic. We really enjoyed the different little towns along the journey and the variety of landscapes and various terrain despite the fact that some of them were a little challenging at times. Each little town had something different and wonderful to offer. The only thing we would change is maybe a couple free days of riding in order to enjoy some of the little towns, such as Sintra and Nazare. The staff was very courteous and professional, and provided us with all the information we needed for the journey. They were prompt to our requests and readily available to address all of our concerns.

Bret and Ginette

The beautiful scenery and smells biking through forests of pine and eucalyptus trees as I’m a nature lover. Impressive long sand beaches with varying sized waves. Our last leg from Sintra was exceptionally spectacular.
I would like to have spent two days in Sintra and maybe some other small towns.

We did this trip in late September on hybrid bikes, self-guided. We had great weather! The routes were varied and enjoyable. Some along the coast, some along backroads farther inland. Most of the riding was not on paved roads, but on gravel and sandy roads, some two track and some trails. Some of the paved sections had very little car traffic while some were more heavily trafficked. The Trek hybrid bikes worked great, were sturdy and comfortable. The most memorable parts were riding down into the villages, the varied routes on all kinds of surfaces, the stunning scenery and the swimming pools at the end of most days. Going self guided allowed us to experience the feeling of discovering things on our own. We used our Ride with GPS app for viewing the downloaded routes that the company sent to us. The local partner stayed in touch with us throughout the trip to make sure things were going well. You can plan on pushing your bike through a little sand at least once on this trip. It is minimal and just part of the experience. All in all a great trip!

There were so many memorable parts of this trip! Two of us, in our upper 60s, rode hybrid bikes on the self-guided 8-day tour. The local partner provided us with GPS maps that we downloaded onto our phones. Then we used the Ride with GPS app for viewing the routes. Distances per day were 20 to 31 miles, which was perfect for us. The scenery, including the dramatic coastal cliffs and beaches, pastoral fields and pine groves, and the incredibly quaint and picturesque villages was fantastic! I would rate the skill level required as easy to moderate. There were smooth roads, sandy and gravel roads and trails and some small sections of mountain biking. It was a nice combination of flat and hilly sections. The hills were not extreme, although we did choose to walk portions of them occasionally. The routes were well chosen. We enjoyed the variety of surfaces and views and we always trusted where the routes would take us. The hotel choices were always comfortable and lovely! The local partner kept in touch with us via WhatsApp to make sure things were going okay throughout the tour. Thank you for a grand memorable trip!

Pro:The selected routes and the varied countryside. VERY GOOD that a guide led us out of Porto

Con: often difficult for the lead to navigate out of the larger centers.

Communication at start and end could be improved. I called for times, locations and details that the whole group wondered what the plan was.

Beautiful route along the coast with reasonable distances each day. Hotels were all wonderful and GPS guide worked great.

Things to improve…. Include chain lube with the bike bag of equipment. Ride the route in advance. Some of the trails were very had to identify and parts were un rideable and required hiking your bike up steep hills or thru rivers. Some detours took us off a very nice gravel road onto a very small single track with thorn bushes blocking the trail, only to meet back up with the very nice gravel road in a few meters.

I highly recommend this tour. Portugal is a phenomenal country and riding an electric bike through such a gorgeous landscape is a terrific experience. Do book a hotel for two or three nights so you can explore Porto before boarding the ship. Marvel at the city's beautiful tiles and the historic sights while enjoying tasty meals served at attractive restaurants.
Our guides were fun and quite wonderful and the ship lovely and comfortable with delectable meals served by kind staff. Don't hesitate to book this tour. Riding through Portugal and feeling the breezes blow by as you coast down steep hillsides past canyons, rivers and terraced vineyards is an an experience you will never forget.

Portugal is beautiful and seeing it from a ship on the Douro River was perfect for me. I enjoyed the excursion to Castelo Rodrigo and comments from our ship guide. Food was delicious and ample. Ship staff were particularly helpful hunting down my lost luggage and offering first aid when I tripped on the sill to the bathroom.

This was a well thought out bike tour! The route was beautiful with amazing views. There were many “wow” moments. There was a great mix of trails, secondary roads and dirt tracks. The hotels were fantastic!! The whole tour was memorable… Even the odd time we got lost added to the whole experience!

1) I loved the 2 hour walking tour of Porto the night.
2) I loved sitting on the upper deck of the cruise watching the terraced vineyards as we cruised through the Douro River.
3) The ship itself was clean, the staff was wonderful and attentive. They were always ready to help with a smile! I loved the touch of robes and slippers in our rooms!
4) I loved biking everyday! Our guides, Horacio and Kevin were fantastic! I thought the e-bikes themselves were excellent.

The scenery and the E-bikes used. The guides were excellent. Food on the boat and service was also excellent

Our guides made the trip memorable! Horacio and Kevin were wonderful and so much fun to be around. They kept us supported and educated on the area we were biking through. They both supported the varying levels of abilities within the group and I greatly appreciate their flexibility. My families memories of Portugal will forever be intertwined with Horatio's antics and Kevin's jokes. The scenery was wonderful. The biking was scary at times ( I really prefer a guardrail on the side of a cliff), but aligned with the rating for the tour.

costal vistas were incredible! The back roads were well selected and mostly easy to navigate. Hotels were all wonderful, especially the breakfasts. Mileage each day was just about right…. Not too challenging, but not a lazy day ride either. We loved southern Portugal and plan to return again soon.

This trip showcases the great gravel riding in southern Portugal. Our group really enjoyed the tour.

The bike company was great to deal with, starting with having a pick up at the airport to take us into Porto. They provided us with way more gear than any other bike company we've dealt with over the years (e.g. chain repair link, 4 inner tubes) in part because the Douro valley does not have any bike shops to help us out if we ran into problems. Navigation was by a programmed Garmin GPS they provided, with a backup on Ride with GPS on my own phone. The best innovation was having a WhatsApp group with the bike team so that we could reach out to them quickly if problems arose. (Note: Have an eSim so you have a digital signal -- wifi is only at hotels).

Other reviews about this trip said the eBikes make it easy. Well, that's not quite the case ... there are some loooong days (80 km the first day!) and there are a lot of long, steep hills. And while it's easier biking up a hill with an eBike, when the hill is 15 km long, that is still a big hill. So do make sure you are in good shape, especially your tush!

The hotels/B&Bs chosen were pretty quirky, with great staff. And when we had one bad weather day (howling gale!) the Top Bike folks arranged for a taxi to take us and our eBikes to the next stop -- at their expense, since it would be unreasonable to expect us to bike in that weather. We really appreciated their attitude!

We had a couple of technical challenges that harshed our mellow. The GPS provided did not have the route for one day of our trip properly loaded. Because we had the Ride with GPS backup, we made it work, but still .... You do need to watch your battery charge on long days. And then on our last day, for the last few km, the GPS was not clear as to the route and it was quite frustrating. Because we could WhatsApp for help, solutions were found.

If you're used to biking around France seeing little towns with bistros every few km, then be aware that the Douro Valley is quite different. On one 70 km day, there was only one rest stop where we could get a hot chocolate and a snack. And if you want to pack a lunch, you will find it hard to get supplies. We appreciated the opportunity to see a very different side of Portugal, however, far from the madding crowds of Porto and Lisbon.

Excellent trip - Baiona and Santiago de Compostela were definite highlights.

Seeing the village of Mosteiros was memorable. The hot springs were fun. The hikes were challenging and beautiful. Be sure to visit the Terra Nostra gardens in Furnace. It is not on the itinerary but unbelievably beautiful. Be prepared to have other options if things to do if it rains. The tea plantation hike was also good.

So many highlights! The route select was incredible, keeping us on quiet dirt roads or bike paths for much of the time. The hotels were also all amazing, boutique style hotels with excellent service and in one case watching the sunset over the Atlantic from a warm rooftop pool! The ride from Nazare to Obidos was my favorite, with spectacular views up as we climbed out of Nazare, a fun descent for lunch to the Salgado Beach, and then beautiful views above the coast for miles after that!

This was an excellent trip with amazing scenery during bike rides. I would highly recommend this trip as a great way to add to your experience of the Duoro valley. The tour guide was excellent and added to the experience.

The entire trip was memorable. We loved that most of the biking were on beautiful coastal trails. The views were phenomenal and the people from Portugal are so warm and friendly. I would recommend this bike trip to anyone wanting to do coastal trip.

The bike and boat trip on the Douro River was a very memorable experience. The bike rides were scenic through towns, natural areas, vineyards, and olive groves. Our guide Nuno was skilled, informative, and made the trip fun for all. The ship is modern, rooms are spacious, food was excellent, and the staff were helpful and friendly.

We signed up for the self-guided 8-day hiking tour on Sao Miguel Island, Portugal. The itinerary was well planned with accommodations in two different hotels, the Octant Hotels in Furnas and another hotel in Ponta Delgada. The Octant Hotel had great breakfast buffets to start the day and thermal pools at the end of our hiking days. Each of the 5 hikes were different and provided a challenge with their ascents and descents as well as opportunity to marvel at the landscapes. It was well planned to have a whale/dolphin watching excursion mid-week to give the body a break in hiking days. We appreciated the Ride with GPS app that was pre-populated with the hiking routes along with extra information about what to expect and see along the route. The Trip Plan app also provided good information, which we used throughout the trip. Tripsite representatives were quick to respond to our questions. It was a fabulous hiking adventure and would definitely recommend it.

All the hikes were fantastic. The transfers were made easy and dependable. The accommodations were great. Tripsite's attention to details made our trip very enjoyable.

There were so many memorable parts to our trip it is hard to choose one. We loved riding along the incredibly beautiful seashore of Portugal. We stayed in some amazing hotels. We ate the local food of Galicia and tried so many foods that we never would have ordered at home. We rode on every kind of surface imaginable and enjoyed seeing all the walking pilgrims. On arrival in Santiago Compostela we found the cathedral magnificent. It was a fabulous trip. Thank you to our superb guides!

The off road biking was the most memorable. The GPS worked perfectly!
The e-bikes are essential for a comfortable ride! Our luggage always arrived ahead of us an usually already in our room!