Portugal

Enjoyed this trip to Portugal. Good mix of easy and moderate riding to work off the fantastic food/beverages.

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.

Portugal is a beautiful country with spectacular scenery as well as many historical sites. We generally road south along the coast line with excursions inland into farm land and orchards. We traveled through small towns and villages, many of which had cobblestone streets, castles, and very old churches. The hotels were all nice and clean, although the rooms in some were quite small. The rides were generally easy to moderate, although the final day was quite challenging with many hills. Both Porto and Lisbon are worth spending some extra time visiting. The "Ride with GPS" app generally worked pretty well, although traveling through some towns it was easy to miss turns and have to backtrack. Our group of 12 got along really well and we would cross paths frequently during the day. While this was a self-guided tour, there is a need for at least some level of support. One of our group had a low tire, and the small pumps on the bikes are not adequate to inflate a road bike tire to the recommended pressure. It took some cajoling to get the local support person to provide us with a floor pump. I would recommend that a floor pump be included with each group. Alternatively, a CO2 inflater with each bike would be helpful, at least for road bikes. The bikes were nice, and several in our group road e-bikes, which they enjoyed. Overall, we enjoyed the trip, particularly the people, although I am not sure I would do another self-guided trip.

We are experienced riders and found this trip to be moderately challenging. Ride very doable with ebikes for hills, cobblestones and gravel. Majority of ride on roads with little traffic while we were there. Back up support was available to assist with chain problem. Rides a mix of ocean views, small towns, and agricultural areas.

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!

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.

Incredible experience getting out to the villages and learning about the history of the land. The guides were terrific, tending to our needs while riding and along the way. I would suggest that if you are considering a road bike for this tour, think twice and go with the e-bike simply because there is a fair amount of areas where you will ride on cobblestone, which proved to be tricky for even the experienced road bikers in our group.

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

The trip was VERY Good, but it should be noted that it is not a walk on one Camino, it is a taste of the areas around several camino routes. We walked, but we also were able to learn about cities in various locations, from excellent local guides, and we experienced visiting a cheese farm and a pottery Artist at work. If you are looking for a CAMINO hike with spiritual significance, this is not it, BUT if you want truly wonderful experience of Camino and the beautiful Northern Spain, this is a trip you should make a must do.

This was a fabulous trip in every way. The hiking and scenery were wonderful. The guides were superb and attentive to every detail. The hotels were beautiful, comfortable and in interesting and fairly remote places. The placement of the hotels made for a a very scenic trip and the ability to get to places that I could not do on my own. The food and wine were outstanding. Even the transfer of luggage as we were hiking was so smooth that we did not have to worry about anything. I also took the extensions including Porto at the beginning and staying in Lisbon at the end of the trip. I actually worked out a special airfare arrangement with the company and booked a hotel for a longer time staying eight full nights in Lisbon, which is a beautiful city. I cannot say enough positive things about my experience on the trip to Portugal. The entire experience exceeded my expectations. Thank you.

What a joy this trip was! Our guides, David and Ana were simply awesome; they were extremely knowledgeable, attentive, entertaining, and supportive from start to finish! I enjoyed this experience with an awesome group of walkers as we learned and enjoyed together. We had beautiful scenery, delicious food and wine, and learning about the places we visited. Each accommodation was unique, and all were very comfortable and welcoming. Couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable tour!