Portugal, located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, is the westernmost country of mainland Europe. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east, it is a lush and picturesque country best experienced on a self guided holiday, either on foot or by bike, where travellers can explore the charming paths and pousadas, festivals and nature parks. One of the best times of year to visit Portugal is the fall. The weather is warm (but not too warm!) and most of the summer tourists have left.
When visiting Portugal on a self guided cycling holiday with Pure Adventures, your local guide will be António Gavinho, a life long resident of Lisbon, Portugal. In this guest blog post from António, learn the best things to eat, places to explore and which Pure Adventures self guided cycling trips in Portugal are his favorite.
Where is your favorite place – or type of food – to eat? What specialty should a traveler eat?
- Portugal is known by a rich gastronomy, great cheeses and wines! Ah, and also desserts! I love grilled fresh fish and selfish. Dried cod-fish is a great option as in Portugal we have 1001 ways to cook it and is like a national dish.
- I love cheese! Especially some local cheeses like “Azeitão” cheese or “Serra da Estrela” cheese. And we have a great quantity of very good wines!
- “Pastel de Nata” is a small pastry – a Portuguese speciality that you have to try!
What is a memorable trip that you have helped a Pure Adventures client with?
- We organize a 5 day Mountain Bike tour for a group that want to go from Lisbon to Algarve by coastal trails – they want a challenging tour with 80/100km per day and they get the best Mountain Bike tour of their lives – that’s what makes me happy to work with Pure Adventures!
Of the tours in Portugal offered by Pure Adventures, which is your favorite?
- As I’m a nature lover my favorite tour is the Alentejo and Algarve Wild Coast.
- This is an incredible Hybrid Cycling route program along the one of the most beautiful coastlines of Portugal. From the outskirts of Lisbon to the southernmost tip off Europe, you’ll discover and admire the natural beauty of the different scenery, offering stunning coastal views along the way, crossing two natural reserves and other like places.
- You will discover some small fishing villages and some abandoned fortresses which remind us of the time when this coast was ravaged by pirates! The trip finishes at the most Westerly point in Europe, Cape São Vincente which adds a dramatic and historical full stop to this wonderful trip. This route can also be made on a Touring Bike or with more difficult trails and single tracks on a MTBike.
- We use our years of experience and insider knowledge to help you explore and discover our best hidden treasures. We introduce you to places normally off limits to the individual traveller!
When is the best time of year to travel to Portugal?
- In Portugal you can cycle all year round – Spring and Autumn are the best but you can even cycle during summer in the mountains or in some fresh coastal areas.
- November, December, and January are our rainy months, but we still get people coming those months, because the temperature is so moderate comparing to other countries in Europe. On our tours in August, Algarve cyclists were enjoying almost an African weather!
What is your favorite guide book about Portugal?
- Lonely Planet is very well written and has the right information to help you have a memorable self guided cycling holiday.
Do you prefer paper maps or GPS?
- GPS is much better for cycling as you just have to follow the line – so easy that it’s impossible to get lost! It’s a small device that you carry on the handle bar, avoiding a lot of stops to read a road book or to analyse the map.
- With our GPS with Portuguese maps inside people still have the liberty to go out off route to look for any special place or a beach on the coast.