Portugal End to End

Cycling

How to speak highly enough of the cycling conditions in Portugal? A quiet road in good condition (the route roughly follows the old N2), gradual gradients, fast descents with more hairpins than you can count, as reliable weather as you could hope for in Europe…this certainly isn’t an easy holiday. During an overall distance of 729km you will climb almost 10,000m, but rarely are the climbs steep. The trip has been designed to be accessible for most regular cyclists, but hill training and consecutive days in the saddle beforehand is essential.

Highlights

• A sense of achievement: from cycling the length of the country top to bottom, with an optional detour to the Spanish border on day 1 for a sense of completion.
• Get your passport: collect your yellow N2 passport to get stamped at towns and villages en route as a memento of the trip.
• The real Portugal: Getting to see parts of Portugal that tourists don’t usually experience, and meet the locals.
• Those hairpins: the smiles and whoops and hollers at the bottom of incredible descents
• Trees: Portugal retains a lot of tree cover, that shifts from vines to pines to cork oaks to fruit and olive trees.
• History and culture: A night in the Unesco World Heritage city of Evora and stunning Viseu.
• The River Douro crossing: the hillsides above criss-crossed with vines.
• Wonderful Portuguese hospitality: oh and those custard tarts…the famous pastel de nata.

Accommodation

Your accommodation is located as close as possible to the planned route and provided on a bed and breakfast basis. We’ve selected a range of very good hotels that offer comfort, secure bike storage, and a welcoming atmosphere. Many also feature pools or other amenities, making them ideal for relaxing after a day’s ride. Each hotel has been carefully chosen to enhance your experience and ensure a restful stay throughout the tour.

The trip is costed on a twin share basis, although single rooms may be available on payment of a £395 single supplement.

Meals

The hotels will provide breakfast whilst the support team will provide a pack-up lunch.

​You will need to purchase your own evening meals, which are usually eaten communally although of course you are free to opt out if you wish.

We will carry emergency energy gels and bars in the support van but you are advised to bring along your own preferred sports nutrition to fuel your ride.

In the Tour Plan, (B, L, D) refers to meals included in the trip cost i.e. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Arrival / Departure Transfers

We are offering transfers from Porto to Chaves, some 150km away. Porto provides flight options from several UK airports. Our transfer bus will leave no later than 1pm for the 2 hour journey to our starting point at Chaves, so your flight will need to arrive at least 1 hour before then.

For anyone travelling with their bike, depending on the numbers, there may be an extra charge if we need a vehicle with a trailer.

Bike Transfers

We will happily transport your bike to Chaves and back from Faro at no extra charge. If you drop your bike off at our Sheffield office up to four days before departure we will carefully pack it in the support van, drive it to the start and then return it to Sheffield ready for you to collect.

If that isn’t convenient then depending where you live we may be able to collect your bike on our journey from Sheffield to Portsmouth. Please get in touch with us to discuss arrangements, any other arrangements will be for an agreed fee.

While we will take all reasonable care while handling your bikes, using padded covers and making sure they are securely stored, we are not liable for any loss or damage during transportation and storage. We recommend you have appropriate insurance.

Taking your bikes to the continent, As we are no longer part of the EU customs unions, any bike we transport to Europe requires an ATA Carnet which incurs a fee of £60 per bike. This cost will be added to your invoice.

Tour Plan

The route of this tour is flexible and should be seen as a guide only. Local conditions, weather or fitness could lead to changes in our daily plans. All times and distances are approximate.

To gain a better sense of this tour, check out our blog piece, ‘The Easy-going Allure of Cycling Portugal End-to-End’ about one of our trips in 2025.