Portugal

This was our first VBT vacation. We were very impressed with the planning, accommodations, and route. It was a wonderful experience to bike along country roads with guides who knew the area. The hotels were lovely and the meals were delicious. Everything was top-notch.

Portugal was our 11th VBT trip and 12th biking trip. It was the best or at least equal to our other great trips. The guides were the best ever and the hotels , especially the Farm House, were excellent. The biking was challenging at times but very good overall. We highly recommend the trip and very much want to return to Portugal. Great food, great wine and a beautiful country. We felt very safe on the roads and highways as Portugal drivers are very courteous to bikers. Absolutely nothing to complain about and as with all VBT trips, a great value.

Amazing experience - highly recommend! Beautiful countryside and stunning coastal views! I also recommend the E-bike due to some very challenging hills!! The bikes were high quality and held the charge! Great hotels and everyone was so kind and welcoming throughout the entire tour!! We are looking for our next VBT experience now!!

How much more than I could ever anticipated. Enjoyable and problem free!

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!

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 enjoyed cycling through the Douro River region and seeing the charming villages. The arranged lunches at local restaurants were a highlight. The recent fires in the area did take away from some of the natural beauty, but despite that, we had fun cycling. There are plenty of lovely views to enjoy. Our trip leaders did a great job. The terrain is quite hilly, - be prepared! Cruising on the Douro added to the experience.

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.

Fabulous trip! The guides were great, landscape unbelievable and the rain made it an adventure

It was well planned, had great accommodations and super guides. We experienced the best landscapes of three separate caminos. I give it a 5 in spite of some rainy days

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.

This was our first Country Walkers trip, and won't be our last. Our guides, Helene and Ana, were terrific. They worked hard to make the trip smooth, organized, and lots of fun. The areas we hiked were gorgeous and varied, and our itinerary left us waiting for the next day's delightful discoveries.