Portugal Bike - The Charming Pousadas in Alentejo - Highlights

Tour Highlights

1. Accommodations in Historic Hotels, Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Fortresses
2. The majestic Marvao Castle from the top
3. Fields of cork trees, olive trees and vineyards
4. The 13th century medieval town of Marvao
5. Visit to a winery and wine tasting
6. Arraiolos - famous for its rugs
7. Amazing white marble quarries
8. Relive history itself in each stone, each glance and each object
9. Evora - a World Heritage town classified by UNESCO
10. Feeling a different outstanding atmosphere in each Pousada.


Summary

This is a gorgeous Road Bike Tour (on which you can also use a Hybrid Bike) which takes you to several Castles, Palaces, Monasteries and Convents; these magnificent places were once inhabited by the clergy or the Queens and Kings of Portugal and now are converted into exquisite lodgings, which we call POUSADAS. This Tour starts in Marvao, 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 before you start riding down. Afterwards, 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 you will get to Crato, where you will stay in an amazing building that was once a convent and today is a luxury hotel. On the next day you will ride towards Estremoz. This is one of Portugal's traditional wine regions. You can visit a vineyard and taste the world famous Alentejo wine. 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 also visit a pottery workshop. And you will get to Evora, a wonderful walled town with many Roman vestiges, medieval churches and buildings, fountains, the aqueduct, charming streets, etc. Evora is a city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. This PortugalBike Tour ends in Arraiolos which is famous for its rugs that are still hand-made following a tradition that is documented since the 17th century.

Programme

Day 1: Arrival. Welcome at Lisbon airport. 3H00 drive to Marvao. Briefing about the tour followed by dinner. Lodging in a Pousada with a cosy ambience and almost family atmosphere.

Day 2: The beautiful Natural Park with its medieval towns - 65km (40mi), level 4. After breakfast we ride down from the medieval village of Marvao on the top and we ride into the Natural Park of Sao 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 Pousada that manages to combine the genuine characteristics of the former convent with modern luxury.

Day 3: Cork oak trees, olive trees and vast vineyards - 67km (42mi), level 4. After breakfast we leave the Monastery and ride towards Alter do Chao where we can admire the whitewashed houses with a yellow or blue stripe, the cobblestone roads sided by trees, beautiful manor houses dated from the 17th and 18th centuries and we can also visit the small castle. We have our picnic and then the day ends in Estremoz, the land of marble and wine. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a castle converted into Pousada from where you can admire a superb view over the city of Estremoz and the vast Alentejo plain.

Day 4: Vila Vicosa and its marble. - 41km (25mi), level 2. After breakfast we visit a winery and taste the wine. Then we ride towards Alandroal and Vila Vicosa, the capital of marble in Portugal. This is a quiet small town in Alentejo where even the sidewalks are made of marble. We have our picnic in the garden and then we visit the small Marble Museum where you can learn how the marble was extracted in the past how it is extracted nowadays. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a Pousada that was once a Convent. It is full of legends and tales.

Day 5: Towards Evora - 59km (37mi), level 3. After breakfast we ride to Redondo where we visit a pottery workshop. We have our picnic before arriving to Evora, a city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. You will have the afternoon free to wander around the city where you can find evidences of 2000 years of History. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a Pousada, which was originally a convent and is one of Evora's most precious architectural buildings.

Day 6: Arraiolos - an old town famous for its rugs. - 58km (36mi), level 3, or 24km (15mi), level 1. After breakfast we ride to Arraiolos, another small town in Alentejo with its whitewashed houses. This town is famous for its rugs. Before getting there we have our last picnic. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a Pousada which is an example of perfect harmony between the traditional and modern concepts of Portuguese architecture.

Day 7: Departure. After breakfast we leave to Lisbon airport - 2H00 drive