Cycling the Algarve's Rota Vicentina
Cycling the Algarve's Rota Vicentina
Cycling the Algarve's Rota Vicentina
8 Days Starting in Setubal, Portugal and ending in Vila do Bispo, Portugal
Visiting: Setubal, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Aljezur, Vila do Bispo, Sagres, Faro
Tour operator:
Tour code:
C07RV
Group Type:
Independent
Guide Type:
Self Guided
Age range:
14-99
Trip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Embark on an unforgettable adventure cycling the Algarve's Rota Vicentina, a self-guided e-bike tour through Portugal's stunning landscapes. Starting in Setubal, you'll traverse the breathtaking Natural Park coastline, renowned as one of Europe's most beautiful and well-preserved. Discover peaceful beaches, charming fishermen's villages, and indulge in the region's delectable cuisine and seafood. Your journey includes a ferry ride through the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, cycling past rice fields, and exploring quaint villages like Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes. Experience the rugged beauty of Almograve Beach, the historical charm of Aljezur, and the dramatic cliffs of Cabo de Sao Vicente. Accommodation ranges from 2 to 4-star hotels, offering spectacular views of the Mira river bay and the Atlantic. With luggage transfers and a Headwater Navigation App included, this tour promises a seamless and enriching exploration of Portugal's coastal treasures.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival In Setubal
Location: Setubal
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Transfer from Lisbon airport to your hotel. Located on the Sado river bank, explore Setubal and wander in the town centre to the convent and the fort where you can enjoy fantastic views over the city and the river.
Day 2 : Setubal - Santo Andre
Location: Setubal
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Start with a ferry crossing through the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve. Enjoy bird watching during this short journey. This reserve is a protected area for many species such as storks. The most friendly local inhabitants and symbol of the Nature Reserve are the dolphins. It's rare to find them in Europe, freely swimming in their natural habitat, but here is an important colony. Then, cycle through rice fields and along beaches. Right by Santo Andre Lagoon, and part of a Nature Reserve, the Costa de Santo Andre Beach is a long stretch of sand with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the calm waters of the lagoon on the other. Surrounded by golden dunes, this beach with its challenging waters is very popular among surfers.
Day 3 : Santo Andre - Vila Nova De Milfontes
Location: Vila Nova de Milfontes
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Ride through quaint villages until Sao Torpes Beach very popular for surfing. Continue your ride on the coastline before reaching Porto Covo, a picturesque fishermen's village which is a mix of whitewashed cottages, cobbled streets and pretty squares perched on the low cliff tops of the Alentejo coast. In the village, all roads lead to the little fishing harbour which clings to the side of a deep natural inlet. Then arrive in Vila Nova de Milfontes located on the Mira river banks and offers large beaches on the coastline and is surrounded by unspoilt rural countryside.
Day 4 : Vila Nova De Milfontes - Rogil
Location: Vila Nova de Milfontes
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Follow the 'Rota Vicentina Historical Way' punctuated with many highlights such as Almograve, a quaint village. Almograve Beach with red cliffs and dunes is one of the most beautiful beaches along this rocky coastline and is part of the Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina Natural Park. Continue to Sardao Cape a natural and unspoilt site offering stunning views; Then, ride to Zambujeira do Mar, a quaint fishing village. This place offers an excellent view over the beach, and is a small and very peaceful village. The beautiful beaches are one of the main attractions as its natural environment is one of the best preserved of this region.
Day 5 : Rogil - Alfambras
Location: Aljezur
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today you have a choice of routes; both routes take you first to Aljezur, with its Moorish castle; from there the shorter route takes you directly to your hotel, allowing plenty of time to visit the nearby beach; the longer route takes you on a coastal loop past several beaches on a variety of tranquil gravel tracks.
Day 6 : Alfambras - Vila Do Bispo
Location: Vila do Bispo
Accommodation Name: hotel
Cycle towards the village of Carrapateira and enjoy breath-taking views over the cliffs that will mesmerize your memory; take a break at Bordeira and Amado beaches before heading for a seafood lunch in Carrapteira. Head inland along sandy tracks to arrive in Vila do Bispo, a peaceful village full of narrow streets and whitewashed houses.
Day 7 : Vila Do Bispo - Sagres - Vila Do Bispo
Location: Sagres
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Ride to Cordoama beach overlooked by cliffs. Surrounded by foaming Atlantic waves, Cabo de Sao Vicente marks the most south-westerly point of Europe. The path to the edge of the continent should prove to be one of the highlights of your week! You are spoilt with amazing coastal scenery on this wild and unpopulated route that follows sandy paths and gorse-strewn meadows to the very edge of the Iberian Peninsula. At the Cape there is a lighthouse, museum and small bar, offering wonderful photo opportunities.
Day 8 : Leave Vila Do Bispo
Location: Faro
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Transfer from your hotel to Faro airport.
What's Included
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All Breakfasts
Breakfast is included for each day of the tour.
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Headwater Navigation App
Access to the Headwater Navigation App is provided for the duration of the tour.
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Mountain bike
A mountain bike is provided for the cycling tour.
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Luggage transfers between hotels
Luggage will be transferred between hotels for your convenience.
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Accommodation
Accommodation in a mix of 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star hotels is included.
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Transfer from Lisbon airport to your hotel
A transfer from Lisbon airport to your hotel in Setubal is included.
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Transfer from your hotel to Faro airport
A transfer from your hotel in Vila do Bispo to Faro airport is included.
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
Travel insurance is not included and must be arranged separately.
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Single accommodation (available on request)
Single accommodation is not included but can be requested for an additional charge.
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Visas or vaccinations
Visas and vaccinations are not included and must be arranged separately.
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Compulsory supplement for a single room
A compulsory supplement applies for a single room if there is an odd number of people or for solo travelers.
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Additional charge for solo travelers
An additional charge applies for solo travelers to cover transfer costs.
Food
Taste the delicious regional cuisine, seafood, fresh fish and the appetising dishes. In the Alentejo, a meal starts with a variety of appetizers. Cured ham, or Presunto de Barrancos, are local delicacies, and goat and sheep cheeses usually accompany thin slices of cured ham. Olives, whether black or green, harvested from olive groves throughout the Alentejo are a staple. Other Alentejo specialties include roasted peppers, bread stews and octopus salad flavoured with onion and peppers seasoned in olive oil. On the fish side, there is rich fish stew, fresh crab, grilled fish and octopus. Good quality meat is also on the menu, beef and pork are of a high quality and lamb in season is superb. Vegetables are plentiful and with big harvests of almonds and oranges, fruits are in good supply alongside another local vegetable, the sweet potato. The Algarve’s other surprise is the quality of cheese; from mild to strong using cow, goat or sheep milk there is a great range of cheeses for all tastes, Queijo de Cabra do Algarve, is a particular favourite.
Accommodation
Your accommodation reflects the best of Portuguese hospitality, with stays in a mix of 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star hotels offering amazing views of the Mira river bay, the Atlantic, and Furnas Beach. Prices are based on two persons sharing, with a supplement for single rooms.
Mode of Transport
The tour includes a transfer from Lisbon airport to your hotel in Setubal and a transfer from your hotel to Faro airport at the end of the tour. Luggage transfers between hotels are also provided, ensuring a seamless travel experience.
Check out our Q&As
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What type of accommodation can I expect during the tour?
You will stay in a mix of 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star hotels offering amazing views of the Mira river bay, the Atlantic, and Furnas Beach, which is officially one of Portugal's Seven Wonders. All prices are based on two persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people traveling in your party or you are traveling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration. For a solo traveler, there is an additional charge to cover transfer costs.
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What is the starting point of the tour?
The tour starts in Setubal, where you will be transferred from Lisbon airport to your hotel.
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What is the final destination of the tour?
The tour ends in Vila do Bispo, from where you will be transferred to Faro airport.
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Is there any special equipment provided for the cycling tour?
Yes, a mountain bike is provided for the cycling tour.
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Is luggage transfer included during the tour?
Yes, luggage transfers between hotels are included in the tour.
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What kind of natural attractions will I see during the tour?
You will see a variety of natural attractions including the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, Costa de Santo Andre Beach, the Rota Vicentina Historical Way, Almograve Beach, Sardao Cape, and the cliffs at Cabo de Sao Vicente.
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What kind of wildlife might I encounter on this tour?
During the ferry crossing through the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, you may enjoy bird watching and possibly see dolphins, which are a symbol of the Nature Reserve.
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Are there any optional routes during the tour?
Yes, on the day traveling from Rogil to Alfambras, you have a choice of routes. Both routes take you first to Aljezur, with its Moorish castle. From there, the shorter route takes you directly to your hotel, while the longer route takes you on a coastal loop past several beaches.
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus Adventure Travels allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus adventure travels, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus Adventure Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus adventure travels charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.