On arrival, you will be met by a local representative who will transfer you to your first hotel in Setubal (a 45 minute drive), where they will handover your bikes and everything else you will need for your trip. You’ll also have the chance to ask any last-minute questions, before enjoying your first evening, exploring the city of Setubal and its interesting harbour with all the colourful traditional fishing boats. Don’t worry if you don’t get the chance to explore thoroughly, you will be staying in the same hotel for 2 nights, so your city exploration can be left for the following day.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 785 Metres Approx

The Arrabida Natural Park is composed of a mountainous area right at the edge of the land north of the Sado river estuary, with dense lush greenery on the southern side of the mountains.

Today’s ride will firstly take you north along rural, sometimes gravelly, roads to the village of Azeitão, known for its traditional cheese and Moscatel wine. You could stop by the winery for a taste of both, and if you need a sweet treat, ask for the traditional delicious “Torta de Azeitão”. Fully-refreshed, you then cycle on into the park itself, where the roads are a cyclists’ paradise, providing breath-taking views on almost every twist of the road. Enjoy settling into the rhythm of Portuguese cycling as you wind your way back to your hotel in Setubal.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 770 Metres Approx.

Today starts with a short ferry ride across the estuary to the resort of Troia (tickets not included in holiday cost, approx. 5.50€ per person). On the ferry, you can look back and appreciate the scenery of the Arabida Natural Park where you rode yesterday, or you can enjoy the views towards the long peninsula beyond Troia, where today’s route will take you along a flat road in the dunes with water on both sides. This is a less-populated area, and soon you will be surrounded by pine forests as you approach Melides, a typical village of white houses with red tiled roofs and orange trees, where you can enjoy a midday stop.

The second part of the day becomes more challenging as the landscape suddenly changes and becomes more rugged, the quiet roads now bordered by cork tree forests and start to undulate sharply towards the end on the approach to our destination, the town of Santiago do Cacém. Our hotel for tonight is a lovely modern hotel, known for its cuisine and its splendid pool!

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 310 Metres Approx.

Today you will be making your way back to the coast and majestic ocean views! Starting with a gentle climb on a quiet twisting road, your route soon levels out through remote cork tree plantations before taking you back down to sea level and to a quiet road along the coast. This will provide you with the best riding of the day and a feast for the senses – from solitary beaches, dunes and dazzling coastal views, to farmland, flocks of sheep and grazing cows scattered across the green fields.

Take some time to enjoy a refreshment in the main square of the coastal village of Porto Covo before riding through farmland and pine trees to reach Vila Nova de Milfontes, our stop today, where you can relax at your hotel overlooking the ocean and the Mira river estuary.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 445 Metres Approx.

Today is another relaxed day of cycling, spending almost the whole day riding through rural areas on straight flat roads. In the morning, you will get the chance to visit Cabo Sardão with its imposing lighthouse and stunning views of the coastline. Enjoy a lunch stop at the coastal village of Zambujeira do Mar, a typical Alentejo village with a beautiful beach nestled at the bottom of high cliffs; Time to relax and have a midday snack at the esplanade on the main village square.

The final leg to get to our destination today takes you along relatively flat country roads passing the immense plantations and green houses from where the majority of Portugal’s fresh green produce comes from.

Tonight’s stop is a treat – a modern hotel situated off the beaten track and surrounded by forests. A swim in the pool overlooking peaceful hills is just the tonic at the end of another day in the saddle.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 990 Metres Approx.

Today you will reach the Algarve, on the South coast of Portugal; a province offering much more than sandy beaches and resorts. The Algarve province occupies the whole of the south of the country and for many centuries was a separate kingdom under the Portuguese flag. The interior of the Algarve is a very rugged country with many hills and huge forests, and you will be crossing this rugged terrain before you can reach the coast.

Today’s ride starts more easily, with a gentle ride towards the higher ground, while the second part of the day is harder, with a few long climbs and long descents as you tackle the remote Algarvian hills. However, the hills might be made a bit easier by stopping for morning coffee and pastries in the village of Rogil, where you can stock up for the climbs ahead. As you head towards the hills, the road becomes quieter and peaceful, and you can enjoy meandering through hills and valleys in isolation until you reach the village of Odiaxere where it is time to stop and rest a bit and enjoy a snack by the central square. The toughest riding is over and it’s now time to conquer the south coast and Lagos. Lagos is a bigger town where the tradition in the narrow streets of the historic centre sits alongside the modern life of the hotels, marina, restaurants and resorts. The roads become a bit busier, but the town brings an interesting and different atmosphere from what we’ve had up to now and will freshen up our moods after what was the hardest day of the tour and just before our celebratory last day on the saddle.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 680 Metres Approx.

Our last riding day has a lot to offer. Purposely designed to avoid the busier roads of the touristy side of the Algarve and lead us to Luz and Burgau, two of the most beautiful and charismatic villages on the Algarvian west cost. Burgau is really special with its narrow streets and beautifully painted houses. Here a stop at the cafe overlooking the central beach is a must.

There will be a few cheeky climbs as you make your way along the coast, but if the weather is kind, you could take the chance for a dip in the sea to freshen up!

The last part of the tour is more relaxed as you head towards Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern most tip of Europe. The roads to the cape are quiet and lead you through flat farmland, before you reach “the end of the world” – a special place full of history. The lighthouse is the most powerful light of the European coastline and the 60 meters high cliffs around the cape are impressive, and a mighty finish to your trip along the Costa Vicentina.

After a few celebratory drinks and pictures taken, you will head to the village of Sagres some 7k away. Situated on the cliffs above the harbour in the centre of the village, your final hotel will reward your achievements with incredible views south over the immense Atlantic.

• Meals: Breakfast

After an excellent breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to Sagres and make our way to Faro airport for our return flights.