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.

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.

Portugal has unexpected beauty! An incredibly clean country with incredibly gorgeous surroundings. The accommodations were average, not as nice those we had on other guided tours from VBT. We missed not having daily insights to the culture and the surroundings that come with a guided tour. The Portuguese food we had was bland and average at best, but their bread and pastries were exceptional. The route was mostly easy, except for the last two days were moderate to difficult, which should be outlined in the trip description.

This was our first self guided tour with VBT, and we enjoyed the self pace tour.

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!

What an amazing trip! The Douro Valley was nothing short of magical. Cannot recommend this trip highly enough. The bike-boat experience was phenomenal (Emerald Cruises was top notch) and the Portuguese VBT leaders and entire boat crew made it an unforgettable experience. The exposure to the historical culture and centuries-old commerce along the Douro were a highlight. Bravo VBT

Very enjoyable trip. Guides were excellent. The meals on the River Boat were also excellent. Would highly recommend this trip.

Manuel and Alberto were both excellent guides - good communicators, they kept us all on track. overall it was a good balance of walking and cultural activities. we covered a lot of ground which meant many hours in the bus - would have preferred a little more 'walking'. One the other hand the cultural activities were a highlight.

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.

What an incredible journey through the OldWorld/New World history of early Portuguese exploration and nation-building, breathtaking walks through gorgeous vineyards and olive groves, capped by history-laden and current must-see Lisbon, led by our excellent guides Anna and David—don’t wait another season!

What a wonderful trip! Portugal was wonderful, the guides were also great, and the group of travelers were all so very nice! So many surprises, the places where we stayed were incredible, and the food was very good! Visiting Portugal brought back the realization of that culture’s historical importance as colonizers of so many places around the world in the days of the conquistadors. Such a rich heritage!