Does this sound like you or your recent internet search? When the summer heat and crowds are winding down and the days slipping into soft light, you might just find the ideal time of year to do a self guided bike tour! Or perhaps you have room in your schedule for one more adventure, but you have no idea what areas are still decent and even doable this time of year. Fall travel still needs to be booked early, May-June is the time to lock it up! Not to worry; we’re here to help!

Seasons vary dramatically across Europe and within regions and countries (especially lately,) so this is where our 30 years of Europe self-guided bike tours expertise comes in handy. We are admittedly picky travelers  – we don’t like crowds and we don’t like the heat – so Fall travel is a personal favorite of ours! We’ve made it simple with our short and to-the-point list of Fall self-guided bike tours.

We’ve broken it down to our Top 5 Favorite Self-Guided Bike Tours in Europe:

1. Puglia – kick it way down south in the boot
This 9-day, self-guided Italy bike tour takes you down into the famous bootheel, to idyllic Puglia. With temperatures comfortable from spring through November, this tour takes you through some of the most beautiful, unique parts of Italy while also getting a feel for the Adriatic. Highlight stops include the UNESCO Sassi of Matera, Conversano, the UNESCO Trulli of Alberobello, and Otranto! Need a shorter break? Check out our Short Puglia Self-Guided Bike Tour!
View our Best of Puglia Self-Guided Bike Tour

2. Sardinia – famous for its pristine beaches & crystal-clear water
So where is it? Sardinia is west of Italy, north of Tunisia, and south of the French island of Corsica. Bookable through November, this 7-day, self-guided Sardinia Italy bike tour sends you through charming villages along the coast and the unique Genoese-style minor Islands of San Pietro and Sant’Antioco. After cycling and exploration, indulge your hunger with the fine typical cuisine and wines of Sulcis Peninsula, which you can only find here.
View our Sardinia Self-Guided Bike Tour

3. Spain – eat, drink, pedal, repeat
Spain is a personal favorite destination of ours, with a history steeped in every step and incredible food and wine around every bend. From Catalonia, Barcelona, and Costa Brava along the coast to the mountainous white villages region of Andalusia, our tours are of different lengths, so you can choose what works best for your schedule. Don’t forget about the UNESCO sites: the“Alhambra” in Granada and “Mezquita” in Cordova – truly architectural wonders! Weather holds through October and November, depending on the region. Learn more about why we love self-guided Spain bike tours in the Fall!
View our Spain Self-Guided Bike Tours

4. Provence – Instafamous for lavender, but what else?
Cycle the South of France, known for its fresh produce, fine wines, and ancient sights! This 8-day, self-guided bike tour in Provence starts and finishes in Isle Sur La Sorgue. Highlights include the picture-perfect medieval “perched villages” of Gordes and Roussillon, Luberon’s lovely Lourmarin. Then there is the mighty, mighty Mont Ventoux – one of the world’s most challenging and notorious climbs. Our self-guided Provence bike tour offers moderate and challenging ride options each day, perfect for couples & small groups of different abilities. Expect decent weather until late October/early November.
View our Provence Self-Guided Cycling Tour

5. Algarve – it’s always sunny in Portugal!
The Algarve region is the southernmost part of Portugal and is widely regarded as the sunniest place in Europe on any given day! It’s no wonder that this is on our list of fall favorites – this Algarve bike tour offers pleasant cycling weather for most of the year! On this 8-day, self-guided Portugal bike tour, we make you feel like a local, taking you to the best places to ride, eat, and drink along the coast. Book early and book soon – this region is still buzzing during the fall months.
View our Sunny Algarve Self-Guided Bike Tour

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When it comes to Portugal bike tours, this country is a hidden gem. This often-overlooked destination boasts all the beauty of other European cycling hot spots like Spain and Italy, but its unique culture and rugged coastline set it apart and set the scene for a spectacular active vacation. While the heart of Portugal’s nightlife and festival scene is in Lisbon, cyclists wanting to experience the untamed landscapes of Portugal should head to the Arrabida Natural Park and the Vicentine Coast Natural Park. Read on to learn more about Portugal’s Wild Coast and how to tame it from atop your bicycle.

Mountain summits that take your breath away
“Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain in mainland Portugal and the climb up to Torre is a challenge for any competitive cyclist,” boasts VisitPortugal.com. Indeed, at 6,539 feet, the ride to the top is not for the weak-kneed or faint of heart. What is unique about this mountain is that it can be accessed by paved road, a bonus for road cyclists. Mountain bikers will want to head to Alto de Trevim, the summit of the  Serra da Lousã mountains. Many of the paths through here have been created by wild boars – hang on for the ride!
Tip: if you plan on spending a day tackling a mountain summit, don’t skip a single hill training session. If you’re stuck indoors or live in a region that is flat, simulate hills by trying these workouts on your trainer.

The unspoiled Algarve
The southwesternmost point of Continental Europe, Cape S. Vicente, is accessible by riding offroad through Portugal’s Algarve region. The Algarve is a hot spot – both literally in terms of the summer temperatures and figuratively because of how it is often filled with tourists during the peak travel season. Winter is a great time to bicycle through the Algarve since temperatures are much more moderate, and as Huw Thomas, the blogger behind Pedal Portugal says “There are large parts of the Algarve where you can go for miles without seeing another soul.”
Tip: the routes along the coast can be sandy. Skip the pavement when you’re training for your cycling trip and head to a sandy trail or beach to get an idea of the conditions you’ll be riding in. Here are a few tips to help you master the skill.

Related tour: Alentejo and Algarve Wild Coast

Alentejo Natural Park
One of 30 protected natural spaces in Portugal, Alentejo Natural Park is visited by scientists and surfers alike, both drawn to the Atlantic. It is here that you’ll find an amazing array of animals and birds, such as the fishing eagle and rare white stork, who only builds its nest here. Jagged cliffs mark the landscape, worn away by the sea and the wind.
Tip: The same winds that have carved the rocks along the Atlantic coast will greet you as you ride along the park. Make friends with headwinds before your trip and check out these tips for beating a headwind in your bike training.

Ericeira
This seaside fishing town has a thriving fishing industry, boosted by tourism and visiting surfers – it’s the site of the World Surfing Championships. Ericeira is best discovered by bike, the hilly coastal route to get there takes you along towering cliffs and pastoral farm fields.
Tip: While the route that Pure Adventures takes to travel to Ericeira only has 850′ of elevation gain, it is quite hilly. If you’d rather not do hill repeats, try this interval workout from Women’s Cycling.

Related tour: Portugal Obidos Heritage and Coast

Pure Adventures offers four self-guided tours in Portugal. Click here to see all of the itineraries or click here for your free destination guide.

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Tawny, crusted, reserve, ruby and vintage are just the beginning! Did you know there are eleven style of Portugal‘s most famous fortified wine? Porto, produced from grapes grown and processed in the Douro Valley, is most often regarded as a sweet dessert wine though off-dry and white varieties are also produced in Portugal. The Portuguese feel so strongly about their wine production that under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto.

• See also: self-guided cycling trips in Portugal

Port can be enjoyed any time of year, but what makes September and the autumn months a perfect time of year to travel to Portugal is that the grapes that go into producing port are beginning to be harvested. Harvest of port wine grapes typically occurs between September 15 and October 15. Harvest season is kicked off with the Palmela Grape Harvest Festival, a week long event that includes musical performances, craft fairs and of course plenty of port and Portuguese wines. More festivals, fairs and tasting events follow throughout the fall, with many wineries opening their doors to travelers, including the Vinhos Alentejo which plans a full roster of special wine harvesting events.

• See also: cycling holidays in Alentejo, Portugal

Douro naturally is a destination for port aficionados, but wine lovers wanting to explore Portugal should spend time in either Alentejo or Algarve, both regions identified by Wines of Portugal as producers of fabulous wine (even if the quantity produced isn’t as high as the more famous Minho or Lisboa regions).

• See also: cycling holidays in Algarve, Portugal

While ruby vintage port and Stilton cheese is the most famous pairing, full flavored cheeses like Gorgonzola and Azeitao go just as well for their robust and slightly salty qualities. On the other hand, if you have a younger tawny port, pair is with a mild cheese such as Parmesan.

What is your favourite style of port? Join the conversation on Facebook: Facebook.com/PureAdventuresTours

The post Port Primer: pairing and enjoying Portugal’s favorite wine appeared first on Pure Adventures.

Fado is traditional folk music popular in the Lisbon area of Portugal. Melancholy by nature, the music includes instruments like guitars and mandolins with one Fadista singing poetic lyrics related to darker elements of love, death and sadness. The music may, however, occasionally include some humor. If your late season travel includes Portugal, be sure sure your experience includes Fado.

New to Fado? Here are five facts about Portugal’s beloved cultural music:

• Fado’s roots can be traced back to the early 1800’s and originated in Portugal, but only appeared in Lisbon after 1830.
• The word Fado comes from the Latin word fatum, from which the English word fate also comes from.
• Fado was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage on November 27, 2011.
• There are two types of Fado, one found in Lisbon, one in Coimbra. The style heard in Lisbon is the most popular, while in Coimbra, it is a more classic style.
• If you’re in Coimbra and enjoying a Fado performance, cough as though you are clearing your throat. But if you’re in Lisbon, clap your hands.

Many Fadistas perform in restaurants so you can get a great meal while enjoying this moving music. What’s great about self guided travel is that meals are always at your leisure, meaning you can search out the best places in Portugal for Fado. If you haven’t heard Fado before, look for samples of Amalia Rodrigues for more traditional Fado or Cristina Branco for more contemporary Fado (so that you can search out these performers prior to your trip). Here are Pure Adventures’ top picks for Fado in Lisbon, Portugal:

 Clube do Fado in Alfama, undeniably offering the best live performances of Fado in Portugal

The Fado Museum, where you can research the origins of this music genre in the museum’s documentation centre.

Sr. Fado de Alfama, located in Alfama, is owned by Fado singer Ana Marina and fado violinist Duarte Santos. Home-cooked meals and local wine star alongside Fado performances by Sr. Fado’s owners!

Experience fado on any of Pure Adventures’ three self guided cycling tours in Portugal or contact us to create your own custom cycling or hiking trip in Portugal.

The post 5 Fado Facts + the best places in Lisbon to experience it appeared first on Pure Adventures.

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.

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