Bicycle Tour through Douro valley

Your bicycle tour through Douro valley begins with an approximately three-hour transfer from Porto airport (departure at 2 p.m.) to the small town of Miranda do Douro, which lies directly on the border with Spain. The drive there will amaze you, as the landscape of the Douro Canyon with its cliffs over 200 meters high is extraordinary. The Douro River has been carving monumental gorges into the landscape for thousands of years. Don't be surprised to see bilingual road signs in Miranda do Douro and the surrounding villages! Portugal's only regional language, Mirandés, is spoken in this region. If you're lucky, you might be able to witness a traditional stick dance, which dates back to the Celtic settlement.

Saddle up your bikes and start the first stage of your bicycle tour through Douro valley in the eastern part of the International Douro Nature Reserve. The pristine, tranquil landscape on the high plateau is home to more than 170 bird species, wild boars, Egyptian vultures and the Iberian wolf. You will spend the night in Sendim. Stroll through the medieval village with its granite stone buildings and visit the Roman archaeological site. An evening meal, which is already included in the tour price, rounds off a successful day on the bike.

You cycle along a former railroad line through an area full of olive groves and almond trees. Your destination is Torre de Moncorvo. The small town is part of the Alto Douro wine-growing region, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. There are several architectural monuments in the town, such as a number of manor houses, stone fountains and the three-aisled Renaissance church built in the 16th century. The town is known in Portugal as the iron capital, as iron ore was already being mined here in Roman times. However, top-quality olive oil is also produced here, excellent wines are pressed and almonds, which are famous throughout the country, are harvested.

The fourth stage of your bicycle tour through Douro valley is very short and takes you directly along the river for the first time. The descent to the river takes you through olive groves that produce some of the world's finest olive oil. Prepare yourself for a magical landscape and fabulous views. You will spend the night in a quinta, a winery. The dinner, which is already included in the tour price, includes the finest home-made specialties from the region, such as home-made cheese, sausages, home-baked bread, olive oil and, of course, home-made wine. Once the plates are empty, a digestive walk under the clear starry sky will do you good.

You cycle on through the lush vineyards that nestle in terraces on the slate hills. This is where the famous port wine comes from, but the Touriga grape grown here is also an award-winning grape variety. Now you can put your feet up. Take a trip down the Douro on a Rabelo boat, which used to be used to transport wine barrels from the Douro Valley downstream. Enjoy the view of the vineyards from a different perspective. You land in the small village of Pinhão with its 700 inhabitants. The train station is a special feature: it is decorated with 24 large-format tiles, known as azulejos, which depict scenes from the Bible, agriculture and viticulture, among other things. You can then take a comfortable transfer to Sabrosa.

The last day of your bicycle tour through Douro valley begins and you cycle first through the hinterland, then along the river to Peso da Régua, the center of the Port wine-growing region. It is beautifully nestled in rolling, vine-covered hills and is a lovely place to end the cycle tour. Visit the Museu do Douro, which provides you with all kinds of information about the region. Enjoy the last few hours of your stay in this graceful setting of the Douro and raise a glass of port wine to the past few days on the bike saddle.

After breakfast, your bicycle tour through Douro valley ends. You will be taken to Porto airport at 10 a.m.. Your individual return journey will then take place.