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.

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.

Enjoyed the freedom of not having a deadline to meet or being able to stop when I wanted to however wasn't aware of the fog this time of the year and often left me unable to see the vistas that were a part of the tour. Loved the small group size and the flexibility that came with a self-guided tour.

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!

Having been on many VBT trips, this one didn't quite measure up. Two problems: 1) the E- bike was very heavy and as a small woman was difficult to manage and get on and off. You do need an E-bike though as many long hills. Number 2 was Portugal itself. There wasn't much to see or do in comparison to other European trips, esp. the bike and barge trips. Here, no cute towns to explore and for the first 4 days the scenery was mostly uninspiring. Also, difficult logistics catching the river boat.The guides and boat were excellent but couldn't compensate for a trip with little off-road interest.

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.

Enjoyed the trip. leaders were great as always with Country Walkers.Just the right amount of hiking and difficulty. scenery beautiful.

Another great experience with CW, this time in Northern Spain. Top quality guides (who were also a lot of fun), carefully curated walks (including parts of the various Caminos), interesting and authentic places to stay and great meals, especially the fantastic lunches (in places we would never have found). The walks were accurately rated at easy to moderate. Overall, a fantastic vacation - I learned a lot about Northern Spain and had a great time doing it.

VERY LOVELY GUIDES. LOVELY HIKES. LOVELY ACCOMODATIONS. MEDIOCRE MINUS FOOD. WE WERE LEFT TO TAKE CARE OF DINNERS & LUNCHES IN PLACES WHERE THERE WAS ALMOST NOTHING TO GET. IN ONE OF THE HOTELS, THE RESTAURANT WAS CLOSED, UNBEKNOWNST TO COUNTRY WALKERS.

This was my 18th. Country Walkers Trip and it was great. The guides were very friendly, organized, and knowledgable, as are all the guides I have encountered over the years. They did an outstanding job modifying some portions of the trip that had to be changed due to flooding conditions and kept everyone on the trip safe as well as providing great alternative activities.