Portugal

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.

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 self guided tour with VBT, and we enjoyed the self pace tour.

Portugal was culturally rich and the people were warm and friendly. The self guided tour worked well and the routes were well marked. I didn't realize that October was the foggy season or might have scheduled the trip at a different time.

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!

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.

It was wonderful to visit rural parts of the Douro Valley on e-bikes. I was impressed with the challenging and scenic rides mixed with local tours to olive press, winery, port warehouse, and medieval city tour. We liked not having to pack our bags every morning for a hotel move and it was nice getting to know the service staff on the boat. Well done!

Wonderful trip, great guides, good food, well-organized. Guides Alberto and Pol were a great team and anticipated our every need. Moreover, they were fun to be with and full of helpful information. The route was well planned to experience both the Camino Norte and the Camino Franca. The paradors were generally good though not spectacular, with the exception of that in Santiago de Compostela. Visits to the winery and cheese factory were also pleasant and provided variety to the walking treks. The length and elevation gain of the walks were fine for the elderly group, though the initial information should be checked for accuracy. Some walks were more and others were less than advertised.

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.

Our trip was fabulous. It included not only communing with nature as we walked but Portuguese history and culture. We walked vineyards, ancient Roman roads, and part of Camino de Santiago and even sailed the Duro Valley. None of this would have been possible with our superior guides Anna and David who were very knowledgeable and unobtrusive in their management of the group. From hills and vineyards, Moorish castles, medieval towns and the beautiful cities of Lisbon and Porto, this was a trip to remember. We will definitely take another Country Walkers Tour.

One of the best, if not the best, organized tours, all due to our two tour guides, Helen and Rita.