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Our Portugal N2 north to south tour is truly an unforgettable cycling trip and one famed for being one of the only roads in the world to span the entirety of the country from north to south spanning approximately 740km and taking in around 9000m of elevation across 7 days of cycling. This tour promises to immerse you in the heart and soul of Portugal as you ride along the iconic N2 road often referred to the “Route 66” of Portugal.
Arrive on Tuesday 16th September and get prepared to start riding the following day. Collection will be mid-afternoon from Porto Airport. After a welcome meeting with snacks and a drink, followed by a quick bike check before relaxing and getting to know fellow riders, its time to begin the adventure.
You will embark on the tour in the north of Portugal where we find the terrain is a little more mountainous with some beautiful long climbs to really kick off the tour. The northern area of Portugal is adorned with lush green countryside and traditional styled villages. We pass through the Alto Douro wine region of Portugal famed for being one of the oldest in the world, so that’s the post ride refreshment taken care of!
As we venture further south, we pass into the central part of the tour where we ride through the Alentejo region also famed for some wonderful wine making heritage, and this is why we chose this region for the location of our 7-day Portugal wine tour, and it is truly spectacular. The riding in this area is more rolling through some beautiful cork forests and idyllic traditional villages for you to explore. Don’t forget to look up as on the route there are sections of road that are dominated by large Storks roosting in telegraph poles. Its quite a site to see.
The route comes to an end in the Algarve on the sun kissed shores of Faro, a perfect end to a wonderful cycling experience through the vibrant Portuguese landscape.
All holidays include transfers to and from airports but they are at set times.
If you can’t make the transfer time you can have a private transfer, please see tab below for transfer times and prices for private transfers, but like bike hire is paid at the end of the holiday.
Cycle Retreats will take care of everything for you from perfectly located lunch stops to a support car waiting at the top of a climb to ensure you have everything you need for your day in the saddle. A qualified guide will be back marker so you don’t even have to navigate if you don’t wish and can ride with them. Two vehicles will be on the road with you, one moving forward with luggage and one that will carry your rider’s day bag and be available to you at points throughout the day. This vehicle will also have a plentiful stock of cyclists treats as well as on bike nutrition from our partner Tailwind. As always hot and cold drinks will be available from this vehicle (known to his friends as Bernard).
For tours of this nature, we recommend you use your own bike, but we will also have a qualified mechanic on hand should the need arise and carry spares. You can also choose to hire from us, see extras costs below.
Once you have arrived at Faro on the 23rd of September, we celebrate this epic achievement with a gala dinner before saying our goodbyes. The morning of the 24th of September we will transfer you to Faro airport for 10am for your onward journey.
We pick you up from Porto Airport and transfer you to your hotel approximately 1hour 30 minutes away in the charming and historic town of Chaves famed for its natural hot springs and Roman Bridges and the historical castle of Chaves is always worth a look. A perfect starting point for the challenge ahead. Today really is about getting you settled in and set up on the bikes ready for your 7 days of riding.
Today we start the epic journey across Portugal, first things first is to get that all important picture at the N2 0km marker before heading out into the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region which is one of the oldest and most famous wine making region of Portugal. A fairly steady day in the saddle with rolling roads and smooth climbs a perfect way to get acclimatised to the area. The back end of the ride is predominantly down hill to the picturesque town of Peso da Régua nestled alongside the Douro River surrounded by terraced vineyards famous for making Port. It is also known as the unofficial capital of the Douro wine region. Don’t miss out and check out the Douro Museum which highlights the regions wine industry.
Fuel up with a hearty breakfast as after leaving Peso da Régua you cross the river Douro and are then straight into it. The route begins to climb immediately from the river and continues up taking in some spectacular views of the Douro valley the bonus here is you get to enjoy this climb for 29km up to Mezio. A beautiful 20km descent follows as we pass through some beautiful historical towns, well worth a stop. Our final destination is the historical and charming town of Tondela where a hot shower, traditional food and great company await you.
Day 4 is the Queens stage of the tour, and it doesn’t disappoint. The route has a few little humps and bumps in and probable the toughest climb of the tour is in today’s route. For riders wanting to change it up there is an option here to take in a beautiful Cycle path for the first 18km of the route the Ecopista do Dão. The route follows the rio (river) Dão and ultimately the Rio Mondego for a good time before turning inland to climb and ultimately reaching the lush region and picturesque town of Pedrógão Grande.
The first 60km of the route is rolling and where most of the elevation is gained for today’s route as we leave the norther mountainous region pf Portugal behind us and transition into the central flatter Alejento region of Portugal, famed for its wine making and home to our Portugal Wine Tour. On todays route you will note the transition in the landscape into the rolling roads through some beautiful Cork forests which are ever present for the remainder of the trip.
A relatively flat day great to spin the legs out and enjoy the fast flat roads ahead, the route runs through the wonderfully historic town of Montemor o Nova with historic castles and monuments.
Today’s route is relatively short but allows you to enjoy the smooth quite rolling roads with some beautiful scenery, a day to just loose yourself on the bike. The days ride ends as we enter some beautiful natural Grasslands and flatland areas, but don’t forget to look up; this area is famed for its diverse bird life and in particular some beautiful Eagles.
The final days riding lies ahead and one of celebration the first 40km of the ride is somewhat flat before we take in one last final mountain climb of around 15km. The Caldeirão range offers up some beautiful views of the surrounding region and don’t forget to stop at the viewing point at the top before rolling along the tops through wonderful, forested areas before descending down to the final destination of this wonderful tour Faro.
Feel free to bring your own bike, but if you don’t want the stress of transporting your pride and joy, we have it covered.
Our hire bikes are all fully carbon with Shimano 105 or Ultegra Di2 group set.
The bikes are not included in the price of the trip.
Extras
A transfers from the airport is included in your holiday at a designated time. If you can’t make this transfer time and need a private transfer we can help to arrange this for you, please see the costing below
| Portugal N2 Tour | |
| Arrival Airport | Porto |
| Arrival Time | 1pm |
| Transfer Time | 1h 30mins |
| Departure Airport | Faro |
| Time Departing Retreat | 08:30 am |
| Transfer Time | 20mins |
| Private transfer Cost | 175,00 € |
Alternative transfers can be arranged at local costs.
