Portugal

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

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 was our first self-guided VBT tour, no glitches! Routes were great, very scenic. The towns we stayed in were great for touring, good selection of restaurants and shops. Locals were very friendly and helpful! We do enjoy what local guides bring to a tour, but VBT did provide information on all stops along the way.

What an amazing bike trip with my sister! We were blown away by all the incredible sights we have seen along the way. The quaint beach towns, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and the beautiful fruit farms. The tranquil challenging routes that VBT chose have been so nice and peaceful and then arriving in a great town for lunch and shopping. VBT thought of everything--they chose perfectly placed hotels and towns along with great riding routes. My sister had an e-bike and I had a hybrid, additionally, we met the most interesting women from all around the world to have breakfast and a couple of dinners with. A++

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!

Good route, and the ship, with unpacking once, makes it better. The guides were very good, and the food on the ship was excellent. The group of 18 were very enjoyable people.

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.

Our Guides, Alberto and Pol, made this trip one to remember! Surprises at every bend on the Camino. We especially enjoyed the Northern Coastal areas and the Vineyards (Ribera Sacra) in the mountains overlooking the Sil River. But the cultural experiences really made the trip POP! From the Queimada demonstration to the Pottery making demo at Rectoral de Gundivos, to the Good Shepherd Demo, and did we mention the Paradores! Overall, a great sampler of the Camino, and one we hope to revisit as Pilgrims. Wish we could have spent more time hiking the Camino and less time on the charter bus, but we understand the limitations. Perhaps CW will extend this trip by a few days down the road (path).

Outstanding guides who make the days and evenings fun, stunning and variable terrain, lovely paradors - and beautiful, beautiful Northern Spain.

Loved our trip!!! Great hiking especially the Douro Valley!! Terrific guides giving us lots of information and assistance!

I have been on 4 CW trips and the guides have been great. Helene and Luís were next level. They were definitely one of the highlights for me. The accommodations were historic and amazing. I did not enjoy the hikes as much as previous trips but didn’t feel disappointed.