Cycling Tour in Alentejo

If you prefer to arrive the day before please let us know and we will help you organize your pre night at hotel in Evora that you can easily reach via 1.5-hrs train ride from train station Estação do Oriente in Lisbon at your convenience. This is recommended just to allow you more time to settle in and get ready for the tour.

Cycling Route Info on Day 1: Main Route: 24mi/850ft of elevation gain

Our adventure begins in the UNESCO site of Évora. Here, after a stretch, our lunch, and an energizing warm-up ride, we have time to take in the city with its narrow winding lanes, which open upon small squares and breathtaking works of architecture like the ornate Gothic cathedral, Capela does Ossos (chapel of bones), and Roman temple, dating to the 1st century and constructed of marble from nearby Estremoz.

Capital of the Alentejo, Évora is the perfect introduction to Alentejan heritage. Around the table, let’s start to soak in the flavors of the region with a delicious dinner together featuring traditional recipes.

Dishes here are straightforward yet scrumptious expressions of the varied bounty of this land while local grapes, adapted to the long, hot, dry season, offer up wines that surprise and delight with their unique and excellent aromas and colors.

Cycling Route Info on Day 2: Main Route: 30mi/1400ft of elevation gain | Extra loop adds: 7mi/560ft 

The ride today carries us out of the charming city deep into the countryside through wheat fields and olive groves. Spinning into the villages that dot the countryside, we are enlivened by all the color: Tidy, whitewashed facades are trimmed in bright blue, green, purple, and yellow. Some of the more elegant buildings wear ornate tiles and deep orange and magenta flowers that drape over walls, gates, and doorways.

Lunch is on your own today and we suggest trying a typical Tasquinha, a small tavern where you can find delicious, fresh, and unpretentious local food and wines. Enjoy some downtime in the afternoon at our elegant hotel, or in Évora, followed by a walking tour through the historic center with a local guide and then dinner featuring local recipes.

Top your day with a live music performance of Fado, one of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritages of Portugal.

Cycling Route Info on Day 3: Main Route: 43mi/1460ft of elevation gain | Extra loop adds: 7mi/650ft 

From Évora we set off for picturesque Monsaraz. En route we stop by a famous winery in Reguengos where we can learn about the local grapes during a visit and tasting over a delicious lunch. Then we stop in Corval to visit the pottery interpretive center, called the Casa do Barro. São Pedro do Corval has the highest concentration of traditional potters anywhere in Portugal and plenty of potteries where we may see this colorful handicraft in action.

The climb up to Monsaraz rewards us with one of the most picturesque of Alentejo’s perched border towns that we explore off the bike before dinner tonight. Beautifully preserved, its highpoint is most certainly the castle. From its walls, we can see out across the plains and across one of the largest artificial lakes in western Europe. Called the Great Lake, it is the result of the Alqueva dam, built on the Guadiana river to water this thirsty agricultural region and provide habitat for birds, and recreation to surrounding communities and visitors.

Transfer to Monsaraz for a visit and another unforgettable evening meal. Your guides will love to share more stories about cork harvesting, and the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of Cante Alentejano (polyphonic singing), and much more of what's to come on tour.

Cycling Route Info on Day 4: Main Route: 43mi/2470ft of elevation gain | Extra loop adds: 5mi/200ft 

Spinning out of Monsaraz, we reach the elegant city of Vila Viçosa with its unusual town center. Rather than the common square, the Praça da República is shaped like a long medieval banquet table. At its head sits the town’s hilltop castle. We find a more typical, and distinguished, town square nearby, laid out before the Paço Ducal (ducal palace), built by the wealthy dukes of Bragança.

Today, we stop for lunch in the town of Alandroal where we can explore the ruined castle in the center of town (one of many on our castle-rich journey). Where Évora and Monsaraz are commonly sought by tourists, Vila Viçosa feels like a purer expression of rural Portuguese life with its squares, fountains, cafes, and narrow lanes occupied first and foremost by its own people. In the afternoon, feel free to join us and meet the local guide for a walking tour of this unique place.

This area is also famous for the local marble quarries, which we see during our rides in the area. Then, it is time for our day's end reward in solid and liquid form over dinner: Bom Apetite! (Bon appetit!)

Cycling Route Info on Day 5: Main Route: 30mi/1470ft of elevation gain | Extra loop adds: 7mi/300ft 

Beautiful roads out of Vila Viçosa carry us to the Spanish border area. Here and in Elvas, people use both languages, so feel free to practice your Spanish, if you like!

Today we enjoy more views of the world-famous vineyards of this region. Climate-adapted grapes of this land impart distinctive characteristics to the Alentejo’s now world celebrated wines

Back to town, enjoy more downtime in the afternoon with many options including a visit to the local ducal palace and castle. Or why not take a walk and then relax with an aperitif in the historic praça (square) near the old boundary walls? Dinner tonight is on your own. We have plenty of suggestions for you in town.

Cycling Route Info on Day 6: Main Route: 29mi/1880ft of elevation gain | Extra loop adds: 16mi/1000ft 

From Vila Viçosa we ride to fabled Elvas, a stronghold sitting a mere five miles from a key border crossing between Portugal and Spain. Another UNESCO World Heritage site, Elvas is an impressive enduring example of a bastion fort.

The fortification of Elvas began when Portugal revolted for its freedom from Spain in 1640, although within its walls there remain elements dating to the 10th century. On our approach, we cannot miss the Amoreira aqueduct towering over the road before it stretches over the boundary walls. At nearly four and a half miles in length, this 16th-century masterpiece of 833 arches watered the city, enabling the citadel to withstand lengthy sieges.

We suggest taking your lunch in town followed by a leisurely stroll to explore the city, another UNESCO site, before our final celebratory dinner in a typical restaurant.

After breakfast, we offer a 1-hour group transfer back to Evora train station where you can catch a 1.5-hrs train back to Lisbon city or airport to catch your next connection.

Linger on more in the capital or perhaps explore Porto or the beloved, coastal Algarve. Let us know what you are dreaming and if we may be of service with any post-tour planning. We are here to help!

Boa viagem! (Bon voyage!)