Alentejo Cycling Holiday

7 Nights Self Guided - 128 Miles
Available all year round
£785 Per Person Based Upon 2 Sharing

The Alentejo region of Portugal enjoys year-round sunshine and warm temperatures, making it an ideal location to extend summer cycling into the winter months.

Basic Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Vila Nova de Milfontes
Day 2 Vila Nova to Zambujeira ~ 20 miles
Day 3 Zambujeira to Aljezur ~ 24 miles
Day 4 Aljezur to Monchique ~ 22 miles
Day 5 Monchique to Santa Clara ~ 23 miles
Day 6 Santa Clara to Odemira ~ 25 miles
Day 7 Odemira to Vila Nova de Milfontes ~ 24 miles
Day 8 Departure

What's Included:
• 7 nights bed and breakfast accommodation in guest houses and small hotels. (NB. Breakfast is not included at the guesthouse in Odemira but can be purchased close by)
• Bike hire
• Maps and route details in English
• Luggage transfers each cycling day
• Emergency support
• Mobile phone hire
• Evening meal in traditional restaurant on day of arrival

The Alentejo is an extensive region covering almost a third of Portugal. It stretches from the river Tagus flowing out of Lisbon in the North, to the Algarve hills in the South. In the East the Alentejo shares a border with Spain, and to the West it opens onto the Atlantic Ocean. Essentially rural and sparsely populated, it offers a landscape that is uncommonly well preserved. A large part of the ride we are offering is in a coastal National Park south of the pleasant coastal town of Vila Nova de Milfontes, where development has been severely limited, leaving a traditional, unspoilt rural landscape. There is very little traffic along the route, making the local lanes ideal for cycling.

Grade: Easy

Getting There: Fly to Lisbon and then coach to Vila Nova de Milfontes (price around €12.50 - contact us for details), or fly to Faro and transfer to Vila Nova de Milfontes (£75 per party, up to 4 persons each way).

Day 1 Arrive Vila Nova de Milfontes.
Transfer from Faro/Lisbon airport to your accommodation in Vila Nova de Milfontes. This beautiful town on the Mira estuary will be your start and finish point and is well worth exploring.

Day 2 Vila Nova to Zambujeira.
After breakfast cycle equipment will be distributed and the ride today follows coastal tracks passing by the unique cliff-nesting storks at Cavaleiro lighthouse en route. The coast here is wild and unspoilt with miles of golden beaches below. The night will be spent in a guesthouse in the fishing village of Zambujeira. ~ 20 miles

Day 3 Zambujeira to Aljezur.
The route continues south along the coast over the border of the Alentejo and into the Algarve at the pleasant little town of Odeceixe. You can also explore the estuary and eat fresh fish for lunch. The tour then leaves the coast to go through traditional farmland to the castle town of Aljezur where we will stay overnight. ~ 24 miles

Day 4 Aljezur to Monchique.
From Aljezur you head further inland on country lanes over the wooded hills of the northern Algarve to the spa town of Monchique where you can take the waters. ~ 22 miles

Day 5 Monchique to Santa Clara.
Leaving Monchique we will return to the Alentejo through the rolling hills of pines, eucalyptus and rock roses to the lake at Santa Clara. The night will be spent at a lakeside guesthouse.~ 23 miles

Day 6 Santa Clara to Odemira.
Cycling through the gently rolling countryside of Saboia beyond Santa Clara is somewhat reminiscent of Tuscan landscapes. The route eventually leads to the county town of Odemira nestling on the tidal Mira River. ~ 25 miles

Day 7 Odemira to Vila Nova de Milfontes.
Your last days ride will take you along the eastern banks of the river Mira through villages sporting windmills from another era back to the town of Vila Nova de Milfontes where we will spend your last night. ~ 24 miles

Day 8 Departure.