Portugal

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.

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

Beautiful, mostly easy riding through farmland, residential neighborhoods, and ocean roads. The route is mostly bike paths and back roads. Some short trafficked areas and some hills, but mostly flat to rolling. Self guided is the way to go with the smartphone app. You go at your own pace. Beautiful scenery, nice people, wonderful hotels, and very inexpensive compared to the USA. A trip that will not be forgotten.

This was my first trip with VBT, but it won't be my last! Some of their excellent attention to detail: two days into the trip they sent a mechanic to fine tune any issues with the bikes (in general, there really wasn't much he needed to do); created a WhatsApp group prior to the start of the time to make communication with other members as well as VBT quick and efficient; "Ride with GPS" had the 'regular instuctions' plus great details like "turn at sign with green background that says..."; head towards the bright yellow house; you might like to walk your bike here; etc. AND, on our last day, we unfortunately had a thunderstorm forecast so the majority of our group didn't want to ride. VBT quickly organized transport for us to our last destination - at no extra cost. Very professional and dedicated organization!

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!

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.

The guides and the boat and staff were great. However, the trip did not meet the usual VBT expectations. The trip itinerary lists a warm up ride in Porto. This does not exist. The "warm up" and bike fitting are in a small parking lot the next day where there is no space to adequately test the bike. So you're immediately out on a road with no shoulder in heavy traffic for 16 miles along the river. No doubt there are some nice views, but when you're only concerned about safety and figuring out the bike, there is no time for scenery. The next couple days riding were moderately uninteresting scenery. The best ride was the Rails to Trails - Safe, beautiful, interesting. We were looking forward to the final ride to the Atlantic Coast but got rained out. Because of being on the boat there are daily transfers by bus of up to an hour each way to get to the biking areas and back to the boat. Too much time on a bus!! While it was nice to only unpack once, the trade off of charming hotels and villages with our bikes on the property was not worth it.

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).

Wonderful tour of Northern Spain. The best way to appreciate the scenery is walking. This trip as compared to others gave us plenty of options which we liked. The hotels and food were superb. The guides have always been great but Alberto and Pol went above and beyond expectations, trying to please us.

This was our third Country Walkers / VBT walking vacation and it did not disappoint! Superb guides (thank you Ana and Helene!), a thoughtful itinerary, excellent food and gorgeous landscapes, plus two extra days in beautiful Lisbon. We had a great trip - highly recommended!

This trip was above and beyond our expectations. Our guides were amazing. Accomodations were great.