Portugal Self Guided Bike The Real Algarve Crossing

Day 1- Transfer from Faro airport to start of the tour. Welcome to the Algarve!

Our guide will pick you up at the airport. Arriving in Tavira, we recommend you take some time to explore the architectural heritage, which harbors Roman, Arab, and Christian influences. Enjoy and make the most of your rest, as tomorrow, new adventures await you!

Cycle on calm and serene roads close to the Serra Algarvia.

Pass small villages and ride along the old roads and rural paths, where you will cross a vast area of orange trees (it smells wonderful!). Discover the “Pego do Inferno”, where you can admire a beautiful waterfall. Enjoy the ride back to Tavira, where you will be staying for another night.

Start today’s journey in Tavira and ride along the incredible Ria Formosa, one of the most beautiful natural parks in the country.

An absolute paradise for birdwatchers and part of the Natura 2000 Network. The views will be the highlight of the trip and provide some epic sights. When you get close to Olhão, you will head inland and ride past small villages and once more cross vast areas of orange trees. Take a deep breath, pick up a ripe fruit, and sit between the orange and green fields. The day will finish at a lovely rural hotel in Vale das Gralhas, where you will stay for the night.

On this day, you will head north and roll through the small ups and downs of the hills close to the Algarve mountain range.

It will be a challenging day that will be well worth the effort as there will be incredible breathtaking scenery to observe. Along the way, visit the town of São Brás de Alportel, once the biggest cork-producing center in Portugal. A great selection of roads and trails will take you through amazing green Algarvean fields, rich with Mediterranean flora and fauna, where you can invigorate your mind and soul with the pure, natural air. Finally, arrive at the typical village of Querença, where you will spend the night in a quiet and peaceful hotel.

Another challenging day presents itself, where the hills will once again be there, but only to make it all the more rewarding in the end.

Start your ride in Querença and ride along the ancient and narrow roads surrounded by a landscape dominated by carob and fig trees. While on the way, visit the lovely hillside village of Alte, famous for its white-painted houses and freshwater springs. The all-year-round water presence adds a certain unique charm to the village. Close to the end of today’s ride, you can stop by the Barragem do Funcho, a lovely dam connected to the Arade River.

Today, you will arrive at Lagos, one of the oldest towns in the Algarve!

Cycle through a valley following the Odelouca stream. You will cross a rural area to the village of Odiaxere and ride south straight to the sea! Then, you will reach the incredible beach of “Meia Praia”, a long beach of fine golden sand all along the bay! You will cross a footbridge over the Bensafrim River and reach the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, which means lakes, from the Latin Lacobrica – one of the oldest towns in the Algarve. Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve, and also a historic center of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, and at one time, the center of the European slave trade.

An especially challenging day!

You’ll find a few hills and terrain variations while approaching the rugged cliff-lined coastline of Sagres and Cape São Vicente. Follow some beautiful trails along the coastline to Ponta da Piedade. When you arrive, you will observe a fantastic scenery of cliffs, caves, and rocks with an interesting mixture of colors. The route continues west, passing through beautiful scenery and quaint little coastal villages. Once you arrive in Sagres, you can check into your hotel or cycle the extra 6 kilometers to the edge of Europe, Cape São Vicente – the south-westernmost point of continental Europe.

Time goes by incredibly fast when you are having fun, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! Get ready for your trip back home. Our guide will be ready to pick you up at the hotel.