Portugal

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

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.

We've done several European biking trips......a couple with VBT. I would give a 5 star rating to VBT administratively, the bikes, the initial meet and greet, the towns we ended up in, and the lodging. However, I was a little disappointed in the actual bike route of this trip. A few legs of the trip were repeated, some on very rough roads, and some a bit monotonous. Also, since it was self-guided, it would have been nice to have a bit more historical facts and information with the GPS. Directions were very easy to follow, but would have liked more info. All this being said, we still think VBT puts great packages together!

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.

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!

This trip was the perfect combination of biking and cruising. The Emerald Radiance was a top-notch level Riverboat with a crew that felt like family by the end of the trip. The rooms were small but had every important amenity. In the evening were entertained by local dancers and singers that were an excellent representation of the local culture. This trip should be on everyone’s list.

We really enjoyed our cruise along the Douro River. Everyone on the Emerald Radiance staff was helpful, courteous and genuinely friendly. The combination with our VBT bike trip made an exceptional vacation.

Really enjoyed the trip. The guides were excellent and very personable. The hiking took us through some very beautiful coastal inland areas. Some of the hiking was a bit strenuous but overall it was well planned. I would have preferred a bit more free time after the hikes in lieu of the pottery, cheese , and cider presentations.

I loved this trip. The group was so compatible, no "problem people". The hotels were top rate! The meals were great, albeit too much food. The guides became friends! The bus driver rocked! And the path/trails well thought out. Totally enjoyed it!!! Hope to do another country walkers trip again in near future. Jean

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 trip far exceeded our expectations. Everything was perfect, especially our guides Ana and Helene.