Walking and Cycling Tours in Portugal

The history of Portugal and her cultural influences is as rich as her natural landscape is diverse and ideal for walking and hiking tours. Portugal was once, of course, a great empire, colonising large parts of Africa, China, America and Malaysia. Gold from Brazil provided for magnificent Baroque buildings and gilded altar carvings. Exotic fruits and Oriental spices changed gastronomic traditions forever, and Oporto and Lisbon are awash with the memories of the explorers Prince Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama.

But Portugal was also colonized too, by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and the Moors. Romanesque temples, castles and cobbled pathways are seemingly countless and beautiful Moorish azulejos (brightly painted tiles, a superb example of which adorns the Santa Maria Chapel near our base hotel) cover the facades of the most commonplace buildings. Indigenous Carob and Cork trees and Cacti Palm share a country where Australian Eucalyptus, American Maple, and Mexican Opuntia flourish happily. And the timeless villages of the high plateaux are totally untouched: traditional granite houses with thatched roofs and hospitable friendly locals are a far cry from the resorts of the Algarve.

To walk in the Portuguese mountains is to dip into the historical wealth and the natural splendour of a country whose identity has been shaped by the Romans, the Moors and by her conquests of other nations and continents. A country split by the majestic Montanhas and the Serra da Estrela, a natural divide between the humid and Atlantic North and the dry and Mediterranean South.

Available Tours In Portugal

Marvels of Madeira Walk

Perfect for year-round walking, the floating garden of Madeira is a paradise of tropical flowers, exotic birds and trees, romantic gorges and emerald seas. Luxury 4 and 5 star hotels throughout provide exquisite local cuisine with possibility of sampling the…

Based on 76 Reviews

The Algarve from West to East

On this 7-night twin-centre walking trip you’ll discover the entirety of Portugal’s Algarve, from the rugged cliff-strewn western Atlantic coastline to its eastern border with Spain. Using a rental car (not included) you arrive at each day’s different walks you’ll…

Based on 4 Reviews

Walk the Algarve’s Wild West

A warming winter walking discovery allowing you to see the best of the unspoiled Western Algarve region. The lush flora and diverse fauna of the Algarvian hinterland compliment the dramatic seascape scenery of the Atlantic coastline perfectly. The hotels are…

Based on 62 Reviews

Short Break in the Algarve’s Wild West

Based on 8 Reviews

Porto to Coimbra Cycling

Enjoy cycling from wine capital, Porto, south along the coast and bay-hopping to Aveiro, Portugal’s Venice before heading inland and finishing in Coimbra, Portugal’s old capital with UNESCO recognized heritage.

Based on 32 Reviews

Porto Coastal Cycling

Varied beach-front cycling along some of the most spectacular stretches of coast we’ve ever seen! Starting in wine capital, Porto, your route heads south beach and bay-hopping to Aveiro, Portugal’s Venice before finishing beside the beach at Praia de Mira.

Based on 38 Reviews

Cycling in The Real Algarve

Discover a land that time forgot as you explore the unspoiled wild coastlines, pretty white villages and deserted cycling routes of the Algarve. The area is a birdwatchers paradise, with endemic and migratory species passing through from Africa and Northern…

Based on 34 Reviews

Cycling in ‘The Real Algarve’ – Short Break

Based on 4 Reviews