You cycle 90% on paved roads and only a few kilometers on gravel roads.

Individual arrival. Already on the first day you will have the opportunity to explore the city by bike and indulge in the special flair of this beautiful city.

This tour leads first over the historic iron bridge and then directly along the banks of the Douro to the river mouth into the Atlantic. If you are still captivated by the panoramic views of the picturesque old town on these first few kilometers of cycling, the picture changes as you reach the wide sandy beaches on the coast to the south. On wide bike lanes on the shore promenade you roll along undisturbed by car traffic, always with a view of the gentle waves of the Atlantic. Afterwards, the bike path leads partly on wooden paths through the wide dune landscape into ever new sandy bays and small coastal villages. Again and again, small beach cafes and restaurants invite you to linger and cozy bathing spots entice you to cool off before you can visit the modern biological station with fishing museum and aquarium on the beach of Aguda. Once in Espinho, you will find the most beautiful beaches south of Porto and a variety of tourist attractions such as restaurants, bars and a casino. The route continues on new bike paths through coastal forests to Furadouro with its wide beach promenade and from here the last 6 km to the train station of Ovar to start the return journey to Porto. Alternatively, you can shorten the stage on this day and board the train at several stations along the coast.

In the morning, you will take the modern train to Guimaraes, Portugal’s first capital and European Capital of Culture 2012. The medieval city center has changed little since the 15th century and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you can immerse yourself in the traffic-calmed old town streets with beautifully restored town houses and palaces and numerous street cafes, which invite you to linger in the idyllic squares. Also the partly still preserved medieval city wall, the palace of the dukes (museum), the Romanesque chapel S. Miguel and the accessible city castle are particularly worth seeing, before you can be brought with pleasure by the cable car (incl. bicycle transport) from the city up to the 400m high local mountain Penha. From the steps of the pilgrimage church there you have a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the surrounding countryside and then continue the bike tour from here with a beautiful descent through the wooded surroundings dominated by eucalyptus trees. Afterwards you follow the river Vizela on mostly flat paths surrounded by vineyards of the famous Vinho Verde to the thermal town of the same name, where the Romans already loved and used the bubbling springs. From here you will use the train again to return to Porto without any effort.

A short train ride (30 min) takes you to the hinterland of Porto to Valongo. Here begins directly the nature reserve Serra de Valongo, into which the small river Rio Ferreira has cut wildly romantic. A small road follows the course of this valley and so you can easily dive into this wooded excursion area, where also anglers, climbers and mountain bikers feel at home. After 13 km the river flows into the Rio Sousa and in its valley you roll up to the Douro. Here it is now lively, excursion steamers and rowboats are on the way, small towns and excursion restaurants lie on the banks. The scenery is unique and a real treat is the entrance to Porto, because on the last 7 km you cycle on the newly built waterfront promenade with the beautifully designed bike path directly back to the old town.

Also today you spend the whole day at the flat coast and cycle on the well developed stilt paths and cycle tracks along the beautiful sandy beaches through the extensive dune landscape. In the morning you will first take the train and either ride to the town of Povoa de Varzim with its 2 km long beach promenade and the old harbor district, or get off early to get to the coast. This also allows you to customize today’s stage length and spend more or less time on the 30 km long sandy beach to your heart’s content. In the afternoon you will reach the mouth of the Douro River again and cycle here always directly on the shore back to the old town of Porto.

In the morning you will take the train directly to Braga, the oldest city in Portugal and the religious center of the country. Evidence of this can be seen in abundance in the center, including Portugal’s oldest cathedral, the bishop’s palace, chapels dating back to the 7th century, and other richly decorated churches, as well as two important pilgrimage churches in the surrounding countryside. Stroll through the streets of the old town with its many cafes before you start to climb the local mountain by bike. You will climb a good 100 meters in the saddle of your bike, then you will reach the first of the 600 steps with 14 chapels, which the pious pilgrims climb up to the pilgrimage church ’Bom Jesus do Monte’. But you cycle there and soon enjoy the grandiose scenery of the sanctuary, before you cycle up through the associated park to the second sanctuary ’Santuario do Sameiro’. The wide view of the city and the surrounding countryside from here will reward you for the climb, before an 8 km long wooded descent begins and brings you back to Braga. From here you will take the train back to Porto.

Once again you use the train and ride south to the small town of Estarreja. From here you cycle directly into the unique lagoon landscape, which is crisscrossed by small canals with adjacent bike paths. At the biological station canoes are ready for a round trip, but also in the bicycle saddle you can explore this flat landscape. Then you will reach the beautiful fishing town of Aveiro, also called the "Venice of Portugal" with its picturesque canals. At the gates of the city, the white mountains of extracted sea salt gleam and in the old town, dominated by Art Nouveau, colorful traditional boats of the Tang fishermen offer small canal tours. Immerse yourself in this picture-book city, visit the cathedral and take a break in one of the numerous cafes or fish restaurants mostly directly on the water. For the return trip to Porto you can use the train and let the beautiful landscape glide past you once again.