Alentejo Bike Tour

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

✓ Visit and stay in Évora, UNESCO World Heritage City, and explore its medieval history.
✓ Stay overnight at Convento do Espinheiro, a magnificent restored 15th century convent
✓ Ride on virtually traffic-free roads through bucolic landscapes dotted with wildflowers, cork oak forests, olive trees and vineyards.
✓ Visit one of the most prestigious wineries in the Alentejo.
✓ From accommodation to gastronomy, we seek for you the genuine and original, in a word, the essence of the best in the region
✓ Four wheels. If for any reason or at any time you prefer, we have for you a support vehicle that will take you to the destination of the day

EAT

The lamb, chicken and pork are constant presence on our menus in an imaginative and delicious variety of presentations

A gourmet variety of cheeses, sheep and goat, buttery and cured are a constant at the dinner table.

From the farm, expect the fresh tomato salads and freshly made soups, all locally grown.

DRINK

From Alentejo or Douro valley, a kaleidoscopic variety of reds, whites and rosés for you to enjoy and discover.

TOUR ITINERARY

DAY 1:

WARM-UP RIDE IN FLINTSTONE LAND

Today we loop to Castelo de Vide, known for its medieval castle, Renaissance fountains and ancient Jewish Quarter.

This area has remained unknown to tourists due to its inaccessibility, lucky us because this sleepy roads are some of the most scenic we know.

We will visit the tiny 13th century Synagogue and climb the roofs of the Castle.

The roads back to Marvão are dotted with giant granite outcrops, and as we get closer to the medieval hamlet, the chestnut and cork oak forest surrounds us.

Meals: Dinner
Destinations: Marvão – Castelo de Vide – Marvão
Accomplished: 25km, elevation gain: 427 meters
Longer Option: 45km, elevation gain: 998 meters
Accommodations: Pousada Santa Maria

DAY 2:

TONIGHT’S INN: A CASTLE/MONASTERY/CHURCH

After winding down 5 km to the village of Portagem with its medieval bridge, once crossed by thousands of Jews during Spanish Inquisition, we will pedal along the slopes of the Serra de São Mamede and through the “Montado” a cork oak forest.

Once arrived at Flôr da Rosa we can choose to stay in the Hotel / Pousada and enjoy the pool and the comfort of one of the best examples of medieval and contemporary fusion architecture or continue cycling to the Alter do Chão stud farm, which has been dedicated to the breeding and training of Pure Blood Lusitano horses since 1748.

After watching the horses being released – and interacting with baby horses if you are lucky – choose to take the van back to the hotel or ride back, passing by Crato Castle and agrarian landscapes to the Pousada / Monastery.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Destinations: Flôr da Rosa
Accomplished: 39 km, elevation gain: 450 meters
Longer Option:60 km, elevation gain: 570 meters
Accommodations: Pousada Flôr da Rosa

DAY 3:

SLEEPY VILLAGES

The flatness of the Alentejo will be witnessed at this stage that leads us to the Pousada Rainha Santa Isabel, known for the miracle of turning bread into roses. Along the way fuel your inspiration for photography as we roll a sequence of small, white villages, punctuated by vineyards and olive trees.

As an aprés ride event we will take you to Herdade das Servas winery to taste a selection of the local wine and tour the winery, followed by dinner at the best tapas restaurant / winery / grocery store in town.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Destinations: Estremoz
Accomplished: 66 km, elevation gain:950 meters
Accommodations: Pousada Estremoz

DAY 4:

MARBLE LAND

On this day, among other options, you can lay by the pool or cycle a loop to the epicenter of marble production in the Alentejo.

We will pass gigantic quarries from which the whitest marble is extracted (for the joy of sculptors) and used in the construction of most of the houses in this area, including the royal palace of Vila Viçosa.

The Braganças, Portugal’s last royal dynasty, selected Vila Viçosa as the best spot for a countryside palace, so did we select it as a good stop for a coffee.

Small villages like Alandroal and small wine producers dot the way back to our Pousada.The afternoon is yours to explore the maze of streets and traditional stores in Estremoz.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Destinations: Estremoz
Accomplished: 57 km, elevation gain: 340 meters
Accommodations: Pousada Estremoz

DAY 5:

EAGLES NEST

In this stage we have extra motivation: the charming village of Monsaraz, known as the “eagles nest”.

The route is diverse, from the Serra da Ossa and its eucalyptus forest to the Mediterranean landscape dominated by vineyards and olive trees. Crossing a centuries-old cork oak forest we must spot the traditional black pig breed – it will be one of the options for our succulent dinner cooked by the experienced Dona Isabel.

If one would ask a movie maker to shoot a medieval scene at Monsaraz ,it would bore the stage recreators to death.

Park your bikes inside, and time will fly back six centuries this is Monsaraz, a medieval village classified as a national monument, here we find authenticity and quietness which these days can be hard to find in the old continent.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Destinations: Monsaraz

Accomplished: 61 km, elevation gain: 780 meters

Accommodations: Casa Dom Nuno

DAY 6:

MONSARAZ – ÉVORA

Today we will connect two of the most beautiful Portuguese walled cities.

Evora, our destination, is the heart of the Alentejo, its Roman temple, the medieval cathedral and plenty of Moorish influences on urban architecture are perfect examples of those bygone days.

On the way we pass villages where white is only interrupted by the blue bands that trim the houses, and by Dolmens and Cromlechs, these megalithic monuments scattered in this region, as well as occasional shepherds at their stress-free pace.

Take a refreshing swim in the renowned Convento do Espinheiro’s pool, we will explore Évora on foot and toast to a wonderful week at our farewell dinner, which will be as local as it gets!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Destinations: Évora

Accomplished: 64 km, elevation gain:541 meters

Accommodations: Convento do Espinheiro

DAY 7:

TRANSFER TO LISBON

Sleep in, enjoy a relaxed breakfast or rise with the sun for an early-morning swim. Your guides will transfer you back to Lisbon airport.

Meals: Breakfast

Destinations: Lisbon

ALENTEJO BIKE TOUR ITINERARY MAP

ARRIVAL DETAILS:

Airport City: Lisbon, Portugal
Pick-Up Location: your hotel in Lisbon and/or Lisbon airport, Portugal

DEPARTURE DETAILS:

Airport City: Lisbon, Portugal
Drop-Off Location: Lisbon airport, Portugal
Drop-Off Time: noon / 12pm

INCLUSIONS + DETAILS

ACCOMMODATION

✓ 6 nights in Hotel
✓ A luxury hotel in a former convent, historic monuments converted into luxury hotels (the Pousadas de Portugal) and a traditionally preserved medieval house revealing the true character of the region
*if a given hotel has no availability we will select an alternative as similar as possible to the hotel listed on the programme

MEALS

✓ Daily breakfasts, nutritious snacks
✓ 5 gourmet dinners at our favorite local restaurants
✓ 5 delicious picnics/lunches including a selection of local products
✓ Selection of our favorite local wines

ACTIVITIES

✓ Activities as outlined in the tour itinerary
✓ Entrance fees to historic sites, museums, parks, and all other events
✓ Gratuities for restaurants and hotel service

GEAR

✓ High quality bicycle selection
✓ Bike helmet
✓ Complimentary Olive Cycling t-shirt, water bottle

SUPPORT

✓ Experienced local bilingual guides with vast knowledge of the country and the region
✓ Support vehicle that follows the day’s route, distributes water and snacks, and offers lifts when you need a break from the saddle
✓ Pick-up and drop-off before and after your tour from predetermined meeting points
✓ Daily bike maintenance

NOT INCLUDED

✓ Flights / personal expenses / Tips

BIKES

KTM Life Track Touring

KTM Macina Sport 9 A+5 e-bike

KTM Macina Action 291

Trek Domane SL 5 – Carbon Road Bike (Adds €225)

Pinarello Angliru Disk – Carbon Road Bike (Adds €350)

2019 KTM Macina Mezzo – ERoad Bike (adds 350 euros)

TOUR GUIDES

Gonçalo Ramalho

Vitor Pinho

Why choose to ride the Alentejo?

Portugal’s largest region, covering a third of the country, truly captivates. Think dry, golden plains, rolling hillsides and lime-green vines.

Traditional whitewashed villages, marble towns and majestic medieval cities. Plus a proud if melancholic people who valiantly cling to their local crafts.

For those who share our passion for cool mornings and golden afternoons on two wheels, the “garden of delights” was created, This is the Mediterranean world with its fields of robust olive trees, leafy and solid cork oak, the vast vineyards in their festive green, all this united with Roman roads and bridges.

Read it in the delicate curve of the hand scooping the water, in the marble of the pillar, in the ribbon of the unhurried road, in the golden languid light, drawing ramparts and castles in the round of the high hills, in the vibrant bronze of the bells in the shepherding of the flocks, in bread, cheese and wine – no lack of evidence.

Stroll the frozen-in-time streets of Monsaraz, picnic under a cork tree and enjoy the olive-covered hills that beg to be cycled.

PRICING + DATES + AVAILABILITY

DATE	PRICE	AVAILABILITY
08 – 14 March	3.300€	Available
22 – 28 March	3.300€	Available
05- 11 April	3.300€	Available
11- 17 October	3.300€	Available
01- 07 November	3.300€	Available

Single Supplement: 600€

Difficulty Level: 2, 3. Requires reasonable fitness, rolling hills, one demanding short climb

E-bikes Available. Supplement: 220€