Fantastic trip in a beautiful part of Portugal Fantastic trip in Porto and the Douro valley. Varied walks....every day a different type of walk and scenery, and numerous wine and port tastings.....whats not to love!Theres a good mix of walking, and sight seeing....nothing too strenuous. For those of a certain age....a visit to The Mateus Palace, where the infamous Mateus Ros used to be produced, was fun....the palace is featured on the label of the wine....Accommodation is in 4/5* hotels.....some better than others....but plenty of free time to relax or explore the area. Highly recommend.
This was my third cycling trip with Exodus but the first one that is more or less hotel-to-hotel cycling, with only a bus transfer at the end to get to Lisbon. I loved that the focus was very much on cycling (as opposed to other trips that combine the cycling with lots of sightseeing) and the pace was nice and relaxed. I'm a pretty fit 40-year-old and, yes, I could've cycled faster and further and I still would've enjoyed it but for an active holiday that's not super-strenuous this was perfect. Since I loved the cycling so much I found the beginning of the tour in Porto and the end of the tour in Lisbon to be the least enjoyable. In fact, I think it would be better if the final day was a choice between a day trip to Lisbon for those who want it or an additional day's cycling around Óbidos. Most of us signed up for a walking tour in Lisbon, organised for us by our cycling tour leader, but for me this was definitely the most disappointing part of the whole trip since the guide just wasn't very good. In general, we were all left to our own devices in Lisbon and somehow it felt like an anticlimax after the five days' cycling togather. However, there were plenty of other positive points - the accomodation was of a very good standard and all the hotel breakfasts were delicious, the bikes were pretty good, and the cycling routes were a lovely mixture of coastal roads and forest paths.
Scenic and peaceful with wonderful food Great ride. Most is on mostly flat, well maintained, paved bike paths, with little riding on roads. Going in late October meant that when we were on roads they were almost traffic-free and the lovely coastal villages and beaches en route were tourist-free. This summer Portugal experienced many forest fires and a day of cycling through charred forests was unavoidable. It was interesting to see, first-hand, the unfortunate devastation that we had all read about in the news. Regeneration will begin quickly, I'm sure. Marco was an excellent guide and we were fortunate to learn a lot as a result of his excellent knowledge of the history of Portugal. The picnic lunches were a highlight, the group was great and I had a wonderful holiday.