South of Portugal by bike
Cycling trip in Portugal to discover the Praia de Mira and the Center Region, to meet the villages and their inhabitants. Experience the warm welcome of the Portuguese!
As a couple, with family or friends, experience unique moments in complete freedom and at your pace. We offer various circuits to choose from with different levels of difficulty, on roads and cycle paths accessible to all.
You will be accommodated in a charming hotel in Mira with evening meal and breakfast.
We offer 5 courses of difficulty level 1 to 2. If the customer wishes, we have also 3 circuits of difficulty level 3 and 4 which may replace some of the days initially proposed.
The days and itineraries are offered as suggestions but can be perfectly inverted to the customer's taste.
Highlights of the stay:
- The beach
- gastronomy and culture
- Typical villages
Day 1 - Arrival in Mira
Installation at the hotel. Depending on your time of arrival, you can do a brief exploration.
Star circuit around Mira. Nights, breakfasts and dinners at the hotel.
Day 2 - Mira, its beach and the ocean 25 km
Discovery tour of Mira beach. It takes you along the cycle path to La Barrinha, a lagoon fed by small freshwater streams. You will be able to bypass it and take full advantage of a very present and preserved nature. Then you will continue to Poço da Cruz beach, which at low tide forms a heavenly bay. You will then find Mira beach, known for its artisanal fishing, its chapel and its fishing village. Also take the time to visit the ethnographic museum.
Day 3 - Olhos da Fervença - 33 km
This circuit will take you through characteristic villages of this region. You will ride in the middle of unspoiled and still authentic nature. The beach along the Olhos river, a local tourist spot, is the perfect place for a rest stop. Let's go back to the pines and back to Mira.
Day 4 - Ilhavo and Vista Alegre 48 km
Ílhavo and Vista Alegre: 2 villages that have marked this region of Portugal.
Ílhavo: The Maritime Museum of Ílhavo maritime and its aquarium, as well as the Santo André Museum Ship which once belonged to the legendary Portuguese White Fleet, the Santa Maria Manuela Ship. Indeed, throughout the twentieth century, most of the captains and sailors who made up the cod fishing fleets were natives of Ílhavo.
Vista Alegre: was the first Portuguese porcelain production unit. Founded in 1824 by José Ferreira Pinto Basto, this Portuguese porcelain factory was awarded the title of Manufacture Royale and continues to produce magnificent pieces of porcelain today.
Day 5 - Tocha 32 km
Following the cycle path, then the road, you will come to Tocha, known for its very picturesque and colorful Sunday morning market. Do not hesitate to stop by and eat a grilled chicken, prepared in the Portuguese way, it is delicious. You will then follow the forest road, which will take you to Tocha beach and its village bathed by the ocean and finally, its wooden dwellings where fishermen still live.
Day 6 - Costa Nova 44 km
The most picturesque image of Costa Nova is undoubtedly its little striped houses, very colorful. Originally built by fishermen, these wooden constructions were used as dwellings, but also for the storage of fishing equipment. They are now restored and constitute pleasant holiday resorts. Costa Nova beach extends to the south towards Vagueira beach. Nature, fauna and wild flora are of any beauty, a real pleasure for the amateurs of excursions. You will follow the Ria d'Aveiro then a seawater lagoon, subject to the tides which is today a nature reserve.
Day 7 - End of the tour after breakfast
End of stay, departure of participants after breakfast, possible transfer from Mira / Porto Airport.
Longer circuits:
Figueira da Foz 92 km -
In the direction of the lakes of Vela and Braças, to discover a unique and green nature, you will follow the coast to find Figueira da Foz. This route invites you to dive into a pine forest as far as Quiaios, a beach that will accompany you towards Serra da Boa Viagem, a splendid viewpoint over the bay of Figueira da Foz and the coastal coast. Going down towards the ocean, you will arrive on a beautiful Atlantic coast, at the same time cliff and rocks, then an immense beach of fine sand. Figueira da Foz is a very lively seaside resort, with its shops, its small pedestrian streets, its marina and its fishing.
Aveiro, 65 km -
A city nicknamed “the little Portuguese Venice”, Aveiro is a must-see destination. The city is organized around its central canal which also allows it to be connected to the Ria and the ocean. From the boats (Moliceiros) which crisscross this canal, you can admire the riches and particularities of this city. This route also passes through Gafanha da Boa Vista, you will see its typical fishing boats.
Luso and Buçaco, 86 km -
This circuit takes you through plains and hills to the very old spa town of Luso, which today gives its name to one of the most important mineral water productions in the country. You will then climb the last kilometers, which separate you from the Serra do Buçaco in the middle of a plant park where rare species thrive. This century-old park has gigantic trees from distant lands, once colonized. A fairytale castle awaits you now: The Palácio de Buçaco ....
