Portugal cycling holiday: along the Algarve coastal trails

Morning bike delivery  before you start your cycling trip.
Bike ride from Faro to Tavira, via Olhão, the largest fishing port in the Algarve. We recommend taking the time to explore the streets on the old town of Olhão and stopping by the market where you can purchase fresh and dry fruit for the day before continuing alongside the Ria Formosa park with its salt marshes and the canals of its lagoon. Multianecular trees line the country road that leads to Tavira, one of the most charming towns in the region with beautifully preserved architechture. 

Ride : Faro > Olhão > Tavira | 44 km – 27 miles | Elevation: +/- 200m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Tavira

Following the bucolic Gilão river, explore the Barrocal: the back country with soft rolling hills laden with orange, olive, almond, and carob trees. Your itinerary takes you to the traditional village of Santo Estevao where "eau-de-vie" is made from arbutus berries. You can take the footbridge onto the path leading to the long stretch of beach on the Tavira island for a swim or a drink, or visit the tuna fishing museum with its collection of anchers. Return to Tavira via the picturesque octopus fishing village of Santa Luzia.
We recommend exploring the Pego do Interno, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Algarve, tasting a medronho in Santo Estevão and enjoying a pit stop in the village of Santa Luzia. 

Ride : Along the Gilão River | 25 km – 15 miles | Elevation: +/- 200m | Optional extra 5km - 3 miles on foot to the Tavira beach
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Tavira

You set off from Tavira on a cycle-path following the salt flats and the Rio Formosa to the spectacular fortified village of Cacela Velha overlooking the barrier islands and the lagoons with fisherman and oyster farms. You reach the town of Via Real and then Castro Marim with a medieval castle overlooking the Guadiana River and natural border with Spain. You can continue by following the river to the south-eastern point of Portugal. Return transfer to Tavira.
We recommend heading to the beach in front of Cacela Velha (on foot or by boat, depending on the tide) & visiting the Castro Marim castle. 

Ride : Towards the Spanish border | 40 km – 25 miles | Elevation: +/- 150m
Meals included : breakfast
Night: Tavira

Transfer by private taxi to the west to Odiaxere (1h), a small village close to the famous Meia Praia beach. After this first part of the itinerary, you arrive in Lagos, where the first of the great Portuguese sailing ships departed in the 15th century. After visiting the city linked to the Age of Discoveries, you head towards the spectacular Ponta da Piedade, one of the most impressive geological sites of the Algarve with its small islands and ochre cliffs that plunge into the ocean. Continue towards the village of Salema on the coast.  Or to Burgau and transfer to Sagres and night in Sagres for the charming accommodation option.
We recommend having a drink or a swim at the Meia Praia beach, visiting Lagos on foot and walking to Ponta da Piedade

Ride : Odiaxere > Lagos > Salema | 27 km or 33km – 17 or 20 miles | Elevation: +/- 350m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Salema or Sagres

For the charming accommodation option: transfer from Sagres to Burgau, the start of the ride. 
From Salema, ride to Cape Saint Vincent via the village of Vila do Bispo. Europe’s extremity is untamed: from the cape, the western coast carves its way northward and the cliffs covered with moorland rise above the waves. Continue towards Sagres point where we recommend visiting the fortress where Henry the Navigator’s finest minds prepared the nautical expeditions of the 15th century. Transfer from the fortress in Sagres to Salema. 
We recommend: 
. Pit stop at the beaches of Zavial and Ingrina
. Visiting the museum in Cape Saint Vincent
. Taking the time to listen to the sounds of the ocean from the famed fortress in Sagres, called "furna de Sagres" 

Ride : Salema > Cape Saint Vincent > Sagres | 37 km or 43km – 22 or 26 miles | Elevation: +/- 400m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Salema or Sagres

Transfer to Faro by private transfer (2h30). Free day in Faro. You can explore the Ria Formosa Natural Park by boat or by kayak, enjoy swimming opportunities on the extensive beaches and stroll through the streets of the intramural city.

Meals included: breakfast
Night: Faro

End of your trip in Faro after breakfast. Transfer from your hotel to the airport in Faro 

Meals included: breakfast

Faro, the capital of the Algarve deserves a visit at the beginning or end of your stay !
The preserved inner city is largely pedestrianised, with storks nesting over certain monuments and Jacaranda trees.
. The Cathedral, the Chapel of the Bones and the City Museum are worth a visit, and there are several possibilities to discover the Natural Park of the Ria Formosa departing from the marina.
. The islands of Farol, Culatra and Deserta are very close to Faro and boast lagoons, sandbanks with turquoise waters, barrier islands with dune cords and inifinate beaches. From the marina you can take a boat out to these islands. Kayak excursions or guided boat trips are possible.

You can also continue onwards to Lisbon with our walking city trek in Lisbon.