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

This is the only way I want to vacation from now on. I’ve never been a fan of the typical sightseeing vacations. I loved cycling through orchards, small villages, and along the coast. Weather was perfect and hotels top-notch. The equipment was excellent and the VBT staff were wonderful. Not a single complaint.

It is such a beautiful country with some of the nicest people I have ever met.

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!

What an amazing trip! The Douro Valley was nothing short of magical. Cannot recommend this trip highly enough. The bike-boat experience was phenomenal (Emerald Cruises was top notch) and the Portuguese VBT leaders and entire boat crew made it an unforgettable experience. The exposure to the historical culture and centuries-old commerce along the Douro were a highlight. Bravo VBT

We love VBT and the best part of this trip was our leader, Manu. He is awesome! All VBT leaders are great, and he is at the top. It was the initial offering of the trip, and some kinks will be addressed, I am sure. Coordinating the boat and the buses (there were A LOT of buses) and biking is complex. We enjoyed the chance to mix with other travelers on the boat. We enjoyed unpacking only once. The Douro is not a river where you can bike alongside, like the Danube--so there is a lot of bus transfer time on twisty steep roads (some complained of car sickness). It is a hilly area--definitely on the "moderate" scale, not the "easy-moderate" scale. Climate always a question-in late April we had both cold (40's) and wet and warm (70s) and sunny. The olive oil mill and winery were good experiences. The archeological site was sketchy.... If you like hills and don't mind the bus, a good trip to some less accessible areas.

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.

Great trip with Country Walkers. The highest of the highlights, of course, were the guides, Ana and Helene, who were wonderful; kind, professional, knowledgeable, humorous, patient; just lovely, wonderful people. The itinerary was good and interesting and the accommodations and food were very good, although in Porto apparently the hotel we were booked in canceled the booking and the replacement hotel, while in a great location and very nice, had really minuscule rooms. (To its credit, CW gave us a considerable refund because of this.) The walks were good and all had long and short options, and because it was quite hot in some places the short options were welcome. We visited interesting places and met interesting people. I do have one complaint, and that is CW's total lack of help with managing covid-travel requirements. CW kept referring us to web sites, but with their experience on the ground, they could and should have given us actual, real-time advice. The e-med Navica test kits they recommended were just too hard to use (and not cheap), especially if you have only one device; they weren't needed at all to go to Portugal or Spain; and there are several inexpensive, convenient options for getting covid tests, including at airports and in towns, for only 29 euros.

Excellent trip.Excellent guides.Very well organized.