Portugal

As with all our VBT experiences Portugal did not disappoint. The trips are planned well from the time you take off from home until you land back at home. The transfers, the accommodations, and the in between are well thought out and planned. Any necessary changes are planned for. Portugal is tourist friendly, they are ahead of the curve with the pandemic, follow the rules. It is tough to find a bad meal, the weather was great; there is a lot of history. The cycling was easily doable for all who cycle 25 miles with some wind or hills. If you take only a few trips, make this one.

The trip was a perfect way to visit southern Portugal. The guides were awesome, always there to lend a hand or offer guidance. The bikes were outstanding - brand new fleet. The routes were interesting and scenic with little traffic. The food and wine were great. And above all the opportunity to spend time with old friends and to meet new friends was rewarding. Thanks

We have done 4 VBT cycling trips before we decided to do this self-guided trip as we wanted to spend some time in the part of Portugal - the Silver Coast. All of the hotels, places we stayed and the cycling was wonderful. Despite this, and being a self-guided trip VBT has plenty of room to step up and make improvements. Most guests noticed within the first couple of days that the tire pressures were low and the little hand pumps VBT supplies are completely inadequate. Our VBT support people finally provided a proper foot pump at the end of the trip but the foot pump is something that should be provided and move along with the luggage each day. We also had a mishap and a leg injury and was surprised that a first aid kit was not provided with the bike supplies. And, finally there were 2 dinners provided on the trip mainly because the hotels were in more remote places. I guess because there is no VBT rep there for the dinners to provide feedback the one dinner seemed somewhat inadequate being a buffet style and not too appetizing. All in all, this was a wonderful trip - the Atlantic coast of Portugal is beautiful and the many cities, towns and villages we visited were spectacular.

Loved this trip! The hotels were great, breakfast yummy and the bikes all performed well. Portugal is a beautiful country and the people there were very friendly and welcoming to us.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first VBT experience. The tour route was very well laid out and we cannot not say enough about how impressive our tour leaders, David and Frederico, both of whom are natives of Portugal. Kudos to VBT for the way they planned and conducted our tour!

We loved this trip! Beautiful and varied biking routes; knowledgeable, competent and engaging guides, top-notch hotels, delicious food and interesting cultural activities. I wish I could do it all over again!

Very enjoyable trip. Guides were excellent. The meals on the River Boat were also excellent. Would highly recommend this trip.

Thus was our 13th VBT trip and the combination of biking and a small cruise ship was wonderful. I had not anticipated the great food options on the ship. The guides, Manuel and Matayas, were amonst the pantheon of great VBT guides. The biking was challenging, but the electrics were appreciated by my 80 year old body.The roads were mostly low traffic. loved the lunches in the small towns on the daily rides.The bus rides to the rides were like a thrill ride at Disneyland-big bus-little road.

Wonderful trip, great guides, good food, well-organized. Guides Alberto and Pol were a great team and anticipated our every need. Moreover, they were fun to be with and full of helpful information. The route was well planned to experience both the Camino Norte and the Camino Franca. The paradors were generally good though not spectacular, with the exception of that in Santiago de Compostela. Visits to the winery and cheese factory were also pleasant and provided variety to the walking treks. The length and elevation gain of the walks were fine for the elderly group, though the initial information should be checked for accuracy. Some walks were more and others were less than advertised.

Manuel and Alberto were both excellent guides - good communicators, they kept us all on track. overall it was a good balance of walking and cultural activities. we covered a lot of ground which meant many hours in the bus - would have preferred a little more 'walking'. One the other hand the cultural activities were a highlight.

Our trip was fabulous. It included not only communing with nature as we walked but Portuguese history and culture. We walked vineyards, ancient Roman roads, and part of Camino de Santiago and even sailed the Duro Valley. None of this would have been possible with our superior guides Anna and David who were very knowledgeable and unobtrusive in their management of the group. From hills and vineyards, Moorish castles, medieval towns and the beautiful cities of Lisbon and Porto, this was a trip to remember. We will definitely take another Country Walkers Tour.

This walking tour was so well organized and well executed! I was very impressed. The guides, Ana and Helen, were probably the best I have ever encountered on tours. They worked well together and were very knowledgeable on the history and culture of the area we were traveling in. They always had a "can do attitude". And they were fun!! I was surprised on the amount of time we spent traveling on the bus. But after traveling to the area, I can understand that the distances between the 3 areas we walked in was too vast to have traveled any other way. The good news was we had a very luxurious bus that was comfortable, and we could spread out and enjoy the scenery as the bus traveled. My other surprise was the food. I did not find it very good. I am sure this is regional. The area is not by the sea. The people of the region eat a lot of meat. Country walkers did a good job to make sure that there were food options for everyone. There was always a fish option (cod) and a vegetarian option. But again, in my opinion, the food to the region was plain and simple. Not a lot of flavoring is used. I thought the food in Porto and Lisbon was different, there you can find some very savory palate pleasing meals. The walking part of the tour was well planned, and the length options were good. My favorite walking days were on the first and last days. I loved walking through the National Park. Most of the walks were downhill and on uneven surfaces. I would not recommend this tour if walking down hill or on uneven surfaces is an issue for you. The guides always discussed the walks the day before hand so one could make a decision to walk or not. And the guides were very safety conscious about the walks keeping everyone under a watchful eye. The other activities such as the boat ride and Port wine tasting were much appreciated and interesting! I would recommend this tour with a whole heart if you came in with knowing that the food may not be the best tasting. Go for the adventure of walking in beautiful areas where the history of long ago is still standing and to brush elbows with the local people who are lovely, friendly and very proud of their region and country. You will not be disappointed!