Portugal Bike - The Ancient Medieval Villages - Highlights

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 Marvao 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. Evora city - classified as World Heritage by UNESCO
10. The amazing landscape in Alentejo and the charming accommodations.


Summary

You will start your tour 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 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 Sao 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 Vicosa, 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 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.

Programme

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

Day 2: The beautiful village of Marvao and its castle - 48km (30mi), level 3. 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 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 Vicosa and its marble. - 62km (39mi), level 4. After breakfast we ride towards Vila Vicosa, 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 Evora - 26km (16mi), level 1. After breakfast we ride towards Evora, 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 Evora, next to the 14th century city wall..

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