Portugal Bike - The Ancient Medieval Villages

Marvao, Portugal Bike Tours

	Guided	Unguide	Notes
Jan to Mar, Nov, Dec	1,780 Euro	1,350 Euro	per person/week
Aug, Sep, Oct	1,860 Euro	1,440 Euro	per person/week

*Please contact advertiser for rates & availability for your travel dates.

Marvao, Portugal Bike Tours

Active Adventure

Tour Highlights

1. The medieval town of Castelo de Vide
2. Narrow roads rounded with old stones
3. The Natural Park landscape of S. Mamede Hills
4. Majestic Marvão Castle from the top
5. Visit to the Marble Museum
6. Visit to the winery and wine tasting
7. Arraiolos - famous for its tapestries
8. Fields of Cork trees, Olive trees and vineyards
9. Évora city - classified as World Heritage by UNESCO
10. The amazing landscape in Alentejo and the charming accommodations.


Summary

You’ll start your tour in Marvão, a small medieval town on the top of the hill, surrounded by walls and with a majestic castle that defended this small town from the Spanish people many times. There you can admire a spectacular view and then ride down along a medieval narrow road with ancient stone walls. You will climb to Senhora da Penha, a little chapel on the top of a hill where there is an amazing view over Castelo de Vide, another medieval town, and its rows of whitewashed houses. You will ride along narrow roads, either sided by cork trees or stone walls and now you will get to Castelo de Vide, a beautiful town in Alentejo located in the cool mountains of the Natural Park of São Mamede, among dense olive groves and chestnut trees. The town is full of monuments, fountains and ancient houses. You will see medieval monuments, dozens of churches, enchanting alleys and some of the best Gothic porticos in Portugal. Then you will go to Elvas, a typical border town with its castle, again surrounded by walls. Elvas also has a star-shaped fort, several churches, the monumental Amoreira Aqueduct, a unique pillory dating back to the 16th century and many interesting details. The ride continues to Vila Viçosa, the capital of marble, where you can visit the Museum of Marble and learn how this industry began. You will visit Estremoz which is one of traditional wine regions in Portugal. You can visit a vineyard and taste the world famous Alentejo wine. On the next day you will visit Arraiolos which is famous for its rugs. This Portugalbike tour ends in Évora, a wonderful walled town with many Roman vestiges, medieval churches and buildings, fountains, the aqueduct, charming streets, etc. Évora is a city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

Typical Day

Programme

Day 1: Arrival. Welcome at Lisbon airport. 3H00 drive to Marvão. Briefing about the tour followed by dinner. Lodging in a cosy 3* Hotel in Marvão, the highest medieval village of Portugal.

Day 2: The beautiful village of Marvão and its castle - 48km (30mi), level 3. After breakfast we ride down from the medieval village of Marvão on the top and we ride into the Natural Park of São Mamede Hills. Here Nature and History embrace each other. It seems time has stopped! …Everything is quiet. We have our picnic at a place with a dazzling view over another medieval village, Castelo de Vide. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a classic Manor House (Bed & Breakfast) that was built in the 17th century.

Day 3: The Natural Park landscape of S. Mamede Hills - 76km (47mi), level 4. After breakfast we leave Castelo de Vide and its castle, its churches and the Jew quarters and we ride on into the Natural Park. We have our picnic and the day ends in Elvas, a beautiful border town with its castle, walls and an aqueduct built in the 16th century. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 4* Hotel that was built conserving the old architectonic structures of the convent.

Day 4: Vila Viçosa and its marble. - 62km (39mi), level 4. After breakfast we ride towards Vila Viçosa, the capital of marble in Portugal. This is a quiet small town where even the sidewalks are made of marble. There is marble everywhere. We have our picnic in the garden and then we visit the Marble Museum where you can learn how marble was extracted in the past and how it is extracted nowadays. The day ends in Redondo where we visit a pottery workshop. Lodging in an impressive Convent built in 1182 by monks, recently converted in a 4* hotel, with its impressive private collection of eighteenth century Portuguese tile work.

Day 5: Cork trees, Olive trees and Vineyards. - 66km (41mi), level 4. After breakfast we leave the Convent where we spent the night and we ride towards Estremoz, land of marble and wine. We have our picnic on the way and we end our day in Arraiolos, the land of the famous rugs. Visit to a tapestry workshop. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 16th century convent converted into a Pousada where you find the perfect harmony between the traditional and modern concepts of Portuguese architecture.

Day 6: Towards Évora - 26km (16mi), level 1. After breakfast we ride towards Évora, a city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. We visit a winery and taste the wine and then we have the afternoon free to wander around in this historic city where we can find evidences of 2000 years of History. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 4* Hotel, located in the historical centre of Évora, next to the 14th century city wall..

Day 7: Departure. After breakfast we drive 2H00 to the airport. Farewell at Lisbon airport..

Age range, type of group

Technical Data

Type: Road Bike Tour
Class: HISTORIC TOUR
Version: Guided or Self-Guided
Region of Portugal: Alentejo (inland)
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights / 5 days cycling
Begin: Marvao (Alentejo)
End: Évora (Alentejo)
Difficulty level (1-5): 1 2 3 4 5
= Intermediate. You must be in good shape.
Distance: 278km (173mi)
Average: 56km/day (35mi/day)

Sleeping and meals

The price includes:

- 7-day Road Bike Tour with a Guide (*)
- Transfers from and to Lisbon Airport
- Accommodations (6 nights): 1 Pousada (16th century Convent), 2 four* Historic Hotels (one 12th century Convent and one Military Convent), 1 four* Charm Hotel, 1 three* charming Hotel within a fortress, one 18th century Manour House. Double bedroom occupancy.
- 6 Breakfasts
- 4 nourishing and energetic picnics (*)
- 6 Dinners (including our famous wines, our amazing cheeses and lovely desserts) (*)
- Daily energy-bars and water (*)
- Luggage transport from Hotel to Hotel
- Documentation about PortugalBike Tour
- Personal Accident Insurance and Liability Insurance.
- First-Aid assistance on location
- Techno-Mechanical Assistance
- Permanent Backup Vehicle (*)
- Visit to Marble Museum (*)
- Visit to the Winery and wine tasting (*)
(*) Not included in Self-Guided Tours

Rates

Dates and Prices for 2012:

February 12 - 18:
Guided: Euro 1780 (Single Suppl. + € 210)
Self-Guided: Euro 1350 (Single Suppl. + € 210)

March 04 - 10:
Guided: Euro 1780 (Single Suppl. + € 210)
Self-Guided: Euro 1350 (Single Suppl. + € 210)

March 18 - 24:
Guided: Euro 1780 (Single Suppl. + € 210)
Self-Guided: Euro 1350 (Single Suppl. + € 210)

August 05 - 11:
Guided: Euro 1860 (Single Suppl. + € 240)
Self-Guided: Euro 1440 (Single Suppl. + € 240)

September 09 - 15:
Guided: Euro 1860 (Single Suppl. + € 240)
Self-Guided: Euro 1440 (Single Suppl. + € 240)

October 28 - November 03:
Guided: Euro 1830 (Single Suppl. + € 220)
Self-Guided: Euro 1410 (Single Suppl. + € 220)

November 18 - 24:
Guided: Euro 1780 (Single Suppl. + € 210)
Self-Guided: Euro 1350 (Single Suppl. + € 210)

December 02 - 08:
Guided: Euro 1780 (Single Suppl. + € 210)
Self-Guided: Euro 1350 (Single Suppl. + € 210)


=> Prices per person, double bedroom occupancy, 4* quality Hotel.
=> If you want a different date, ask us about prices and availability.

Other Information

On this tour you will ride with this bicycle:

ROAD RACE BIKE: BH L41 Carbon Spirit Ultegra
DETAILS:

Frame: Carbon fiber
Fork: Carbon fiber
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
Gears: Shimano Ultegra/105, 30 Speeds
Pedals: Normal (with cages or not), Shimano SPD or Look Keo Classic
Tires: Road, 700x23
Weight: 9,2kg
Other: Man or woman seat, frame triangle bag, seat bag.
(please see the picture #26)


Testimonials

»»»» I would like to thank Jose and Cristina for operating a "first class" bike tour. I truly enjoyed the variety of scenery throughout the small villages . The road bikes that were provided were of excellent standard which helped in the challenging experience on each hill travelled!! I would highly recommend the guided tour since Jose provides valuable insight on the Portuguese landscapes that are visited. Cristina also provides superior service with the support van. From our picnic lunches, to our dinner's out in the various towns, everything was well taken care. We especially enjoyed the wonderful meals, which were accompanied with a well deserved glass of red wine in the evening to celebrate our riding accomplishments. I truly enjoyed the experience, and I definitely plan to come again in 2010!
= Laura Allpress - Age: 45 (Ontario - Canada), 2009 =

»»»» I had the most fabulous bike adventure trip with the PortugalBike tour company. I have participated in other adventure holidays in the past but this was my favourite and definitely exceeded my expectations. The hotels that we stayed at were amazing, all very quaint, interesting and one night we even stayed in castle! The food, and I love to eat; complete breakfasts to begin or day, picnic lunches that were nutritious and represented local foods and cheeses and finally our dinners �" they were so wonderful (all of them) complete with an excellent choice of wine selected by Jose (who is very knowledgeable about the local wines). Another key factor was I always felt in good hands in a foreign country ...Safety first; the route was well planned to consider traffic volumes and road conditions, top of line equipment and very knowledgeable guides. I would highly recommend this bike tour to anybody interested in truly seeing this beautiful country; from the cork trees, vineyards, storks, black pigs, hilly terrain to the fabulous medieval towns we visited. I can’t wait to come back and do the Algarve bike trip. Thanks so much Jose and Cristina for leaving me with such a memorable experience, you run a top class tour!
= Terry Nason - Age: 43 (Orangeville - Canada), 2009 =

»»»» Just wanted to write and thank you for an amazing, thoroughly enjoyable tour. It was a great experience, terrific fun and exceeded my expectations in just about every way. You put together a terrific package and deliver it in a highly professional, but at the same time personal way that I truly appreciated. I will recommend PortugalBike to all my friends interested in cycle touring and have begun to do so already. Hopefully, I will get to return with one or more members of my family before too long. That would be great fun!
= Neil Reiner, Age: 62 (Vancouver, BC �" Canada), 2009 =

»»»» A little personal word just to thank you so much for this very beautiful tour with PortugalBike where we enjoyed (again) your country, the nice people, the fooooood!, the weather!...everything! It was so cool! I think we just fall in love with Portugal! This was our second stay here in Portugal but certainly not the last! We will be back in a near future. “Prometemos e fazemos!!”
= Marlène Bouchard and Raymond Gauthier, Ages: 53 (Sorel-Tracy, Québec - Canada), 2009 =

Marvao, Portugal Bike Tours

Marvao, Portugal Bike Tours

Cristina Henriques (View My Profile)
Being a Portuguese-owned Company, we know our country better than anybody else and we want to expose people to places and curiosities about Portugal that only a Portuguese knows! Our goal is that you visit Portugal …riding a bicycle!

On PortugalBike Tours you have the opportunity to visit our historical, cultural and landscape heritage in our National Parks, enjoy the sun and the beaches, and at the end of the day you can recover your strength with an exquisite dinner. You can taste our famous wines, amazing cheeses and lovely desserts, and sample typical dishes of each region of Portugal.

Travelling with PortugalBike will connect you deeply with the country, becoming part of its everyday life, observing details that typical tourists miss and enjoying spontaneous encounters along the way. You will rest in cosy and charming accommodations. We always choose 4-star quality hotels whenever possible in each region or Bed & Breakfast units. Our accommodations are always the best offer of each region.

PortugalBike Tours are designed so that we begin at a certain point and we end elsewhere. You do not start and end at the same place. We think that is the best way to discover Portugal ...riding a bicycle! Read the specific information about each ride to learn more details.

PortugalBike Tours have a maximum of 16 participants, and a minimum of two. Larger groups are also possible upon request and according to our availability. Our Bike Tours are prepared for one week (7 days / Sunday to Saturday).

The dates of PortugalBike Tours are according to our calendar, or on request, according to our availability. The prices below are for the scheduled PortugalBike Tours. If you wish a different date, ask us for prices and availability.

WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER YOU A GOOD PRODUCT AND A QUALITY SERVICE