jpjuggler

HI, looking for advice on which of these supported 7-10 day tour this march, to pick in portugal from this company. https://topbiketoursportugal.com/bik...ortugal/-porto to Santiago de compostela, costal path 7 days.

- Porto to Coimbra, the silver coast 7days

-North of portugal and minhos 7 days

-Vicentine Cost and Algarve Bike Tour From Lisbon or Sines to the south of Portugal through the coastline 10 days

I know nothing about portugal, but an opportunity came up such that I will be in lisbon in march.

Thanks,
JP

imi

In march, I would stay as far south in Portugal as possible.

Check out some historic weather sites. I find wunderground good.

indyfabz

Assuming it's not terribly out of date, I would get the most recent edition of The Rough Guide to Portugal to figure out what you would like to see. Michelin makes a road map for the entire country as well as three regional maps. I used similar resources to plan a 7 week trip in neighboring Andalucia, Spain.

Sardines

Well Mar/Apr is generally cooler weather so it's a great time to bike around Portugal. We've done the circumnavigation of the Portugal/Gibraltar/Spain coastlines several times in March/April. Last in 2019 and it was always in the 50sºF (or low to mid teens in ªC) The Portugal coastlines are very nice to ride through along the Atlantic so any route that hugs the coast is wonderful. Never did supported tours though, so not sure about that company.
You don't say what you are looking for in advice? Spots to go for or whether those routes are worth the time?

jpjuggler

I guess I'm looking for any opinion on of those routes I posted if any particularly stand out from another or one is "better" than another.

MarcusT

I have never done Portugal, but the trips look interesting. My only concern, is many of them seem little easy, averaging 40km a day with no load, makes me wonder if one will get bored.
I suggest tracking the route with google maps, which will pop up all things interesting along the route then refer to tour guides, trip adviser, etc for more in depth information

Doug64

I had the same thought, 25 miles (40 km), a day is a pretty short day unless it is filled with some exploration. My wife and I rode across Portugal from Lisbon to Rosal de la Frontera, Spain, as part of a longer tour. I wish we would have taken more time to explore some of the small towns. We rode across it in summer, and while Portugal does not practice a traditional siesta like Spain, things seem to slow down a lot in the early afternoon. This should not be a problem in March.

We have talked about going back to Portugal and spend more time in the country. The people are great, and their campgrounds and casas are excellent. I told my wife,"if the kitchens in the cafes are half as clean as the bathrooms in this campground, we don't have a thing to worry about."

Municipal campground in Serpa, Portugal.


IMO I don't think you can go wrong on any the routes. Portugal is a great place to ride.

Sardines

As others have chimed in, if it's your first time in a place, a simple short tour that allows you to explore each town you stop in, is probably the best way to soak in the culture. If you're in it just for the ride and not the sights and sounds, then maybe a set tour isn't for you. My wife and I don't like having to rush off so we fly into a place, drop off the big bags, set up the bikes and just go. We get bored, move on, if it's great, we stay on.