If cycle touring Portugal is on your agenda but you prefer coupling it with fine wine and dining, we have got just the perfect bike tour ideas for you!
Porto Cycling Experience
Enjoy Porto, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, classified by UNESCO as World Heritage in this cycling tour. Learn about Port wine, and its associated culinary dimension. Taste, smell, meet and bask in the sun as you cycle gently along the beautiful river and seacoast. This Porto bike tour proposes one cycling stage in the city, riding along the riverside, the city park connecting with the beach and the amazing historic city centre. A second stage will take you along the seaside, passing by protect wild bird area, fishing villages and golden sandy beaches.
Porto to Lisbon Cycling Tour
The Porto to Lisbon biking holiday is a delightful tour linking the two main towns of Portugal and visiting several outstanding cultural spots of the country while cycling along nature and scenic coastal trails. Taste, smell, meet and bask in the sun as you cycle gently along this beautiful coast. Experience Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal, and the walled village of Óbidos. In the Lisbon bike tour you cycle around the brightly coloured buildings straddling the slopes facades and the narrow twisting alleys of the medieval districts.
Douro Valley Cycling and Hiking Wine Tour
Your guided cycling tour in the Douro Valley will acquaint you with fascinating, magical natural surroundings, great cuisine and some of the world’s finest wines including, of course, Port wine for which the region is famous. During your hike you will visit Pinhão, around which most of the famous Port wine estates are located. Here you will visit the beautiful train station covered by hand painted tiles, Portuguese art at its best.
Our wine tour in Porto
The Poças Cellars offer you a tasting of 3 Port wines, old Tawnys, or even 4 Premium wines. With BI Heritage Tours, discover the Douro Valley by boat. Visit the Douro vineyard with Douro Best Tours. Savor a lunch accompanied by a wine tasting on the Douro Valley thanks to Living Tours. Or live a private experience with Oporto Sensations Tour.
FAQ
Why visit Porto?
Porto, Portugal’s second largest city behind the gleaming capital of Lisbon, is a Mecca for port lovers and the best place for a port tasting holiday. But there’s more to Porto than port and you don’t need to be a fortified wine fan to appreciate this picture-postcard city. History buffs will relish in Porto’s old-world charm; foodies will enjoy the local gastronomic delights and wine lovers should not miss the impressive World of Wine.
Porto wine tasting tour
Porto is best-known for its production of port wines, which are still matured and stored in the cellars that line the banks of the Douro River. Some of the world’s most recognisable port producers, such as Cockburns and Taylors, can be found along the Douro’s southern bank in Vila Nova de Gaia. Expand your knowledge of this fortified wine and its distinctive varieties with a port tasting tour of one (or more!) of Porto’s best port lodges.
The grapes used in the production of port have been grown for centuries on the steep terraced hillsides of the Douro Valley, which is located around one hour east of Porto. For a full appreciation of port, take a privately guided tour or join a small group for a day trip to the nearby Douro where you can explore the vineyards and meet the wine makers.
What are the best know grape varieties?
Although around thirty grape varieties can be used to make port, most of Porto’s port producers use a selection of just five red grape varieties: Touriga Franca (the most widely planted variety), Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (known as Tempranillo in Spain) and Tinto Cão.
What’s the best time to visit Porto?
The best time of year to visit Porto are the spring months of April, May and June, and the autumn months of September and October. During these months the tourist crowds are smaller and the weather is favourable for exploring the city and touring the port cellars.
If you happen to be in Porto on June 23rd be prepared to party as the city celebrates the Festival de Sao Joao with street barbeques and convivial drinking, live music and fireworks.
If you’re considering visiting the wineries of the Douro Valley during your stay in Porto (which we highly recommend you do), it’s well worth timing your visit to coincide with the grape harvest season, which typically takes place in September and October. There is a palpable excitement in the air and the opportunity to get involved in the picking and crushing of grapes if you so wish.
