Portugal - Traditions and Pleasures

We pick you up at the airport in Málaga and bring you to the tour hotel. 

If you are already accommodated on site, or your flight arrives early enough (in the morning before 11:00 am), you can remove this overnight stay from the included services during the booking process.

• Accommodation: Tourhotel Málaga

The first stage of your motorbike tour takes you through the mountains of Andalusia. You start this tour on a spectacular mountain road towards Ronda - welcome to the motorcycling paradise of Andalusia - and you continue on a winding ride through the almost untouched nature of Sierra Grazalema. Through the lowlands of the Guadalquivir, passing Seville in the distance, you reach Sierra Aracena, where your destination for the day lies.

• Destination: Aracena
• Distance / duration: 320 km / 6.5 h
• Highlights: Sierra de Ronda, Sierra Grazalema

You leave Aracena and pass through a magical cork oak forest with wonderful views of several White Villages along the way. Discover the impressive mines of Tharsis, where precious ores have been mined since biblical times. The imposing craters bear witness to the industrious work of the Phoenicians, Romans and all subsequent cultures. 

Near Mertola, with its well-preserved city walls and castle, you cross the Guadiana River and the border to Portugal. Along very entertaining roads, spiced with magnificent views, you pass mighty windmills and enter the green forests of Sierra Monchique. From here you can already see the Atlantic Ocean and swing down on long curves to the Algarve Coast.

• Destination: Algarve Coast
• Distance / duration: 300 km / 6 h
• Highlights: Tharsis, Mertola, Guadiana Valley

Today you spend enjoying the Algarve's beautiful coastline. You ride to Cabo de Sao Vicente, the most south-westerly point of the European mainland, where the legendary maritime academy of Prince Henry the Navigator is said to have been located. Here, where the European mainland plunges into the Atlantic, nature has created breathtaking rock and sand sculptures, the "Praias" - spectacular, beautiful, mighty - a sheer delight not only for your eyes. If you prefer, you can stay the day at the deluxe lodge and explore the beach or the coast by boat, among other things.

• Destination: Algarve
• Distance / duration: 180 km / 4 h
• Highlights: Cabo da Vicente, Algarve coast and beaches

You leave the Atlantic coast to give your motorbike a little run in the hinterland of the Algarve. You'll pass oak trees, charming villages and beautiful "quintas", the typical country houses of this region. Soon, however, the path leads you back to the Atlantic coast.  Fantastic views of the vast ocean and coastline await you on the way to Lisbon. You reach Cabo de Sines and the peninsula of Troia, where you take the ferry to Setúbal. After the ferry ride only a few kilometres separate you from the Portuguese capital. But before you finally get into the hustle and bustle of Lisbon, you stop for a moment at the "Christo Rei" monument. Enjoy the magnificent view over Lisbon and the "Ponte de 25 Abril", the impressive bridge over the Tajo. Incredibly beautiful!

• Destination: Lisbon
• Distance / duration: 260 km / 5 h
• Highlights: Atlantic coast, Lisbon

Today you will explore the capital of Portugal and its sights. The best way to get a feel for the atmosphere of Lisbon's historic centre is to walk through the Alfama barrio. Here you will find a labyrinth of unspoilt narrow streets and winding alleys with cobblestones, old houses, former palaces, fish stalls and pubs. Of course, the seafarers' monument and the Torre de Belèm are also worth visiting, as well as the impressive Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, and and and..... It is up to you whether you explore the city on your own or with our tour guide.

• Highlights: Cathedral, Torre de Belén, tram line 28

Before you say goodbye to the Atlantic, visit the lighthouse at Cabo da Roca, Europe's westernmost point, and take in the view of the ocean before heading inland, towards the medieval town of Obidos. Traditional salt mining in Rio Maior, the impressive monastery of Bathala and the pilgrimage site of Fatima are further points of interest on your way to the ancient Templar city of Tomar. The Monastery of Christ of the Knights Templar - a kind of monastery castle - towers over this small city and was also the spiritual centre of the region for centuries.

• Destination: Tomar
• Distance / duration: 270 km / 5 h
• Highlights: Cabo de Roca, Obidos, Rio Maior, Bathala Monastery

A real cultural highlight of the tour is the visit to the Convent of Christ (Convento do Christo). Right after breakfast, you visit the monastery with its integrated Christ Church and enjoy this cultural gem (UNESCO World Heritage Site). But the second part of today's agenda is also a challenge: beautiful panoramic roads with exceptional grip and curves, curves, curves... Wonderful views and traditional mountain villages as well as ancient, partly abandoned settlements in the sierra give you an idea of the splendour of times long gone. The last part of your journey will be on the main road to arrive in Porto in time.

• Destination: Porto
• Distance / duration: 300 km / 6 h
• Highlights: Convento do Christo, Sierra de Lousa, Porto 

Porto or Oporto means harbour, and Portugal's second-largest city developed into a harbour city as early as Roman times. Today, Porto is known for the wine of the same name from the region, the Rio Douro, which is transported to the world from its growing area to Porto. The colourful city, whose historic centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, also has a lot to offer for you. Besides the magnificent views over the Douro River from the charming bridge "Ponte Dom Louis I", the port wine bodegas of Vila Nova de Gaia, countless squares and buildings invite you to stroll through. Very typical are the tiled house facades, like the vestibule of the Sao Beneto railway station or the facade of the Santo Ildefonso church. Your hotel is located in the middle of all these cultural gems and the historic centre.

• Destination: Porto
• Highlights: Dom Luis I Bridge, São Bento Railway Station, Livraria Lello bookshop.

Today's tour has two headliners: the Douro River and the vines cultivated along its banks. Fortunately there are also wonderful roads winding along the river - sometimes above, sometimes beside it - so you have the opportunity to appreciate this wonderful landscape from all directions. Your destination for today is - it couldn't be any other way - a Quinta (winery), where you will learn everything about the cultivation of this world-renowned wine.

• Destination: Douro Valley
• Distance / duration: 200 km / 4.5 h
• Highlights: Magnificent views in the Douro Valley, insights into port wine cultivation

You leave the Douro Valley to enter more vineyards. Grapes as far as the eye can see and now in autumn in the most beautiful colours - golden-yellow-red-orange-brown - what a feast for the eyes! 

Where the Douro forms the border with Spain, you meet it again. Here the river becomes quiet, a couple of old villages with strong fortifications suggest that it was not always so quiet in this area. You enjoy the beautiful landscape, the fantastic views and of course the winding roads. It looks like they were built just for your riding pleasure! 

Before you wake up from this motorcycling dream, you see the mountains on the horizon. You start to feel fresh energy as you breathe in the pleasant coolness of the mountain wind that carries you upwards, curve after curve, to your accommodation in the Serra da Estrela Nature Park.

• Destination: Manteigas
• Distance / duration: 290 km / 6 h
• Highlight: Serra daEstrela

You extend your stay in Serra da Estrela by one day, because there are wonderful mountain passes and panoramas in the area. At Torre summit (1993m) you are at the highest point in Portugal, the ascent is one of the most beautiful motorbike routes in Europe! 

The Vale do Zezere valley - once carved by a glacier - is another highlight in this mountain paradise. In the afternoon there is still time to relax in the hotel pool or to explore the mountain world of the Serra by foot. At the end of the day, you will be spoilt with culinary delights from the restaurant and the wine cellar.

• Destination: Serra da Estrela
• Distance / duration: 220 km / 5 h
• Highlights: Mountain panoramas of Serra da Estrela

Before you leave Serra de Estrela, you ride through beautiful roads and enjoy the view over the peaks. On the way out of the mountains, you ride past fields of grain, olive trees and old vineyards. Over the bridge of Alcantara, still the best preserved bridge from the Roman era, you are leaving Portugal. Back in Spain, you visit the once mighty fortress of Badajoz, then continue through the vineyards of Ribera del Guadiana to Zafra.

• Destination: Zafra
• Distance / duration: 360 km / 6.5 h
• Highlights: Bridge of Alcantara, Extremadura

On today's last day of riding, you can expect some great routes in Andalusia. The mountains of Sierra Morena and Móntes de Málaga provide two more motorcycling gems before you return to Málaga. During a joint farewell dinner, you will reflect on the impressions of the past week.

• Destination: Málaga
• Distance / duration: 350 km / 6.5 h
• Highlights: Sierra Morena, Montes de Málaga

If you are already accommodated locally, or your flight departs late enough (in the afternoon from 17.00), you can remove today's overnight stay from the included services during the booking process.

The luggage is packed and according to your flight time, our transfer service is ready to take you to the airport. We say goodbye and hope to see you again soon on one of our future motorbike adventures. 

Please note: We reserve the right to make small changes to the tour schedule.