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What a great trip. Two fabulous cities. Really nice hotels. Great cycle routes on quiet roads past beaches and villages. And a fab local team to guide us through.
Trying an e-bike for the first time! A lightbulb moment.
Ruben and his 2 buddies were the best. Such professionals, but so charming and fun.
Dont worry about the cycling. The trails are easy and quiet. There is a support vehicle most of the time. And get an e-bike if you still arent sure.
Although my fitness level is high my cycling prior to this trip was limited to Spin classes so I was a little nervous that the 55-60K per day would prove too demanding. I need not have worried – the pace was leisurely and extremely pleasant, mostly cycling on quiet roads and cycle paths beside the sea, and inland through villages and woodland passing rivers and lakes and always with plenty of time to appreciate and enjoy the often breathtaking scenery. I was impressed with the route planning and the timing/locations of coffee, lunch and viewing stops each day, and with the variety of our overnight hotel stops – and the fact that our bikes were always checked over, cleaned if necessary, and lined up outside the hotel ready for us to hop on each morning after breakfast, whilst our suitcases were spirited away to the next hotel and lined up ready for us to collect with our room keys on our arrival, with checking in all done. Excellent service! This was my first experience of holidaying with Exodus – it will definitely not be my last!
Probably the fun on day 4 of switching on my e-bike for the first time and clicking straight into Turbo mode to race up the mountain and enjoy the amazing view from the top with everyone before the spectacular Atlantic Ocean views on the way down to our seafront hotel and a sundowner glass of wine on the rooftop bar
Reuben, our group leader, was fantastic, as was his colleague Joao who on our week was responsible for driving the support vehicle, moving our luggage and organising the group’s hotel check ins, arranging our restaurant and picnic lunches, and generally keeping in close contact with Reuben to ensure everything ran smoothly, which it certainly did. I understand the guys take turns week by week through the season to lead the cycling group/drive the support vehicle etc, which is a great system. Both men were local to the area that we were cycling and their love of and pride in their region was both infectious and endearing. In our briefings at the end of each day’s cycling Reuben was genuinely excited at what we would see and what he would be able to share with us the following day which greatly added to our anticipation and enjoyment. His wider knowledge of Portuguese history was also extensive and very well transmitted - we learnt loads!
Relax and enjoy - you are in good hands!
A brilliant trip all round. The cycling, accommodation, food, bikes – all excellent. Variety of coastal roads, forest paths, villages. Good road surfaces. Liked the hotel to hotel cycling nature of the week.
Zooming downhill at a speed never reached before!
Ruben was a superb leader. Joao too, they made a great team. Ruben was attentive, friendly, ensured all were happy and well organised. His warmth and love for his country came through at all times. A briefing at the end of the day provided a summary, forecast for what to expect the next day and great recommendations and advice about what to see and where to go for dinner. This was followed up with reservations made and maps to make sure we got there! Joao was a great driver, back up and picnic provider. Nothing was too much trouble. Can honestly say they are the best team I have had on my various Exodus holidays.
Enjoy! The pace is leisurely and plenty of time to regain your breath after the odd hill!
The ride, accommodations, and dining were superb. Armando Nava is an excellent guide who provided many insights along the way. Beautiful ocean towns and ocean sights. There was a nice north to south tailwind for the whole ride; you would not want to do it in the other direction! The Level 2 designation is appropriate. Porto, Lisbon, and Nazare are fascinating towns (cities) . Highly recommend.
The Big wave museum in Nazare
Armando Nava is excellent.
Don't expect to swim. The Atlantic is very cold.
This was my third cycling trip with Exodus but the first one that is more or less hotel-to-hotel cycling, with only a bus transfer at the end to get to Lisbon. I loved that the focus was very much on cycling (as opposed to other trips that combine the cycling with lots of sightseeing) and the pace was nice and relaxed. I’m a pretty fit 40-year-old and, yes, I could’ve cycled faster and further and I still would’ve enjoyed it but for an active holiday that’s not super-strenuous this was perfect. Since I loved the cycling so much I found the beginning of the tour in Porto and the end of the tour in Lisbon to be the least enjoyable. In fact, I think it would be better if the final day was a choice between a day trip to Lisbon for those who want it or an additional day’s cycling around Óbidos. Most of us signed up for a walking tour in Lisbon, organised for us by our cycling tour leader, but for me this was definitely the most disappointing part of the whole trip since the guide just wasn’t very good. In general, we were all left to our own devices in Lisbon and somehow it felt like an anticlimax after the five days’ cycling togather. However, there were plenty of other positive points – the accomodation was of a very good standard and all the hotel breakfasts were delicious, the bikes were pretty good, and the cycling routes were a lovely mixture of coastal roads and forest paths.
The reward of the beautiful view at the top of THE hill on day 3 made the physical effort well worth it. The food was also really good everywhere we went (if you like fish!)
Cristóvão was the best! He and van driver/mechanic João worked really well together, they were super-organised and seemed to have thought of absolutely everything so that our trip went really smoothly. Cristóvão seems like a natural tour leader; he's really enthusiastic, fun, warm and friendly, and knows a lot about the history and culture of the areas we visited. Cristóvão and João even found the time to teach me some basic Portuguese since I said I wanted to learn a little during the holiday - they were so kind and patient with me, thank you!
Learning how to order coffee or tea in Portuguese is definitely worthwhile. It took me three days to figure out that the kind of cofee I usually drink - known as 'cortado' in Spain or 'macchiato' in Italy - is 'pingado' in Portugal. Don't be surprised if you can't pay by card everywhere you go, especially for small amounts such as a couple of beers - make sure you have plenty of cash. Finally, don't be conned by the Lisbon hotel's offer of an airport transfer for 20EUR, since you can get a normal taxi out on the street for only 10EUR!
We had a well organized cycling trip. Our leader Rita C and her partner Denis were great!! The planned lunches were a time saver!! and they were healthy and delicious!!! We were a group of 15 cycling plus our guide. Good size for a group. Would not want it any bigger. Most of the cycle paths in Portugal are great!! We did come across some rough roads full of potholes and bumpy, good thing there were not too many of those!! There was a long board walk that needs several repairs. I commented on that in the last section. The coast of Portugal is beautiful to ride!! We also had amazing weather, sunny every day with a warm breeze. All of the hotels are nice except the last hotel in Obidos. I commented on that in the last section.
The scenery is so beautiful!! The people of Portugal are kind and helpful.
Rita Caetano was a good Leader and her partner Denis was helpful and well organized. We received a briefing at the end of every day so we had an idea what to expect for the next day's ride. Thank you. A guide is needed on this trip as we do have to go away from the coast at times and it would be confusing to know where to go without a guide. Denis was our shuttle service and he also prepared our 2 picnic lunches and they were delicious!!! Thank you.
Take at least 3 days to visit Porto before the cycle trip, and take two days in Lisbon at the end. During the trip, include everyone to meet up at the restaurants for dinners/ evenings. Your leader can make reservations for all of you. From Lisbon, you can take a train to the Algarve. Take the time to visit this area and enjoy the beautiful beaches and the coastline. Spectacular scenery. Take a boat ride along the coast!!
refer to my comments hereunder
Small cycling group, cycling along the coast, experiencing Portugal's culinary cuisine (prices for our evening dinners were within reason)
Very organized, excellent communicator, patient, and always made sure everyone was safe
if you are an occasional rider, think about using an e-bike, some days it can be very windy along the coast;
From start to finish I was impressed with this trip. There is so much awful (non-existent) customer service around these days that it heart-warming to speak to real people who really cared and knew how to organise and make things happen to suit me. Only my flights gave me grief (BA was a cosmos away when it came to their customer service) and this was no fault of Exodus, who did everything that could reasonably be expected to resolve the issues. Well done Exodus and the guides. I will definitely be joining you again for some future breaks.
For me the most magical and memorable moment was lunch on the third day (I think) where I swam in the clear spring water pool before enjoying a delicious lunch organised by the guides.
Excellent, just excellent. So attentive, aware of the groups needs and a nice friendly guy all round. He and the other guide (bus driver, bag man, picnic maker) made a perfect team. They worked so well with each and for us; great professionals and much appreciated. My only suggestion is that they shouldn't worry so much, what they did was perfect, first class.
Don't overpack! (okay, so that advice is aimed at me!)
A relatively short trip from Porto to Lisbon – only five days cycling but excellent nonetheless. It helped that I was with a terrific group of people who all enjoyed each other’s company and the tour leader, Cristovao and support driver Joao were probably the best team I’ve encountered on my many trips. The ride is fairly easy, with one ‘mountain’ and a few minor hills but an absolute doddle on an E-bike. The Atlantic coastal scenery was breathtaking and we rode for 99% of the time on secure bike paths. Portugese cycling infrastructure is very good and whenever we approached a small town, car drivers always gave way to cyclists – quite a treat after riding in the UK where many drivers treat cyclists as a nuisance. Some of the pathways were unmade – in other words, rocky and bumpy and the cobbles in town were a nightmare, although, in fairness, we only encountered them a few short times. We rode through nature reserves on boardwalks and through forests, some regenerating after recent forest fires. There were lagoons, rivers, lakes and a short ferry crossing. We spotted flamingos and storks nesting on telegraph poles and plenty of wildflowers and butterflies. But the beaches with dramatic waves were the high spot for me and it was glorious riding along for miles with the Atlantic in sight. All the hotels were extremely comfortable with varying degrees of facilities like kettles and refrigeration in the rooms. We ate out every night and enjoyed a variety of meals, not to mention wine. Unsurprisingly, Port is quite a feature and we went to a tasting in the first evening which was included as part of the trip. We had two picnic lunches provided by Joao which were really sumptuous and it was hard getting back on the bikes after over indulging. (It wasn’t mandatory, but the food was so good…)
Riding along independently, looking down on the crashing Atlantic waves and beautiful sandy beaches.
Cristavao was a delight! Hard to believe this was only his first trip as a leader, having previously been a support driver. He gave briefings for the next day when we arrived at each location and always followed up with a resume of the day via WhatsApp. (He set this group up on the first evening by using a QR code which was really sensible). He was very caring and thoughtful and always enabled us to ride independently of the group whenever it was safe to do so. His restaurant suggestions were spot on and he was always able to give a brief informative insight into whichever location we visited. On the two occasions when he had to use his medical expertise he was calm and efficient and always considerate of our abilities after these minor events. I believe he will go from strength to strength. Our support driver, Joao was a lovely man who was always there when we needed him and a great help. His picnics were a delight and he also took many photos of the group which he sent to us after the trip.
I went in mid-May and whilst it was great weather - sometimes hot - it did become cool in the shade and quite chilly in the evenings. The wind was strong during the rides, which added to the comfort level so take a cycling jacket to put in the bike bags which fit on the handlebars. These are quite roomy and could easily contain everything needed for the day. Take a water bottle - there are holders on all the bikes, including the E-bikes. The saddles were surprisingly comfortable but it’s ok to take your own. I would say this trip was perfect for those who don’t cycle too often and the E-bikes make it easy for those who find hills difficult. Having said that, even the confident, regular cyclists in the group enjoyed the trip and we all managed to set a good pace.
What prompted me to write was returning from another excellent trip with a different company where the group was constructive and the guides understood the needs of the group. The Porto to Lisbon ride with Exodus was rather different. There were several couples who were delightful but went off on their own at dinner. The other folk who were travelling on their own quickly formed a clique leaving out one woman and me. Some nights we eat on our own and other nights we went out together. The guide and the driver though good at their jobs chose not to go out to eat and didn’t understand Group process. I’d happily go on another exodus trip where the group eats out together like the other company I often go away with.
Beautiful scenery and the Portuguese are very kind and friendly.
Great but didn’t understand Group process.
Even if you are a friendly person you may find yourself excluded if the group is cliquey.
We’re grateful for Cathy for taking the time to leave a review, and are glad to read that she enjoyed cycling across beautiful Portugal. However, we are sorry to hear that she didn’t feel her group gelled as well as she had hoped; while from our experience our trips attract like-minded, sociable travellers who bond during the time they spend together, and we find that Cathy’s experience is a rare one, we do regret that she felt this way during the trip. We would like to mention that on all our trips, our groups go out to dinner together on most nights accompanied by their tour leader, though on some days we leave the evening free for travellers to make their own arrangements if they like, with their leader’s help. We are confident that Cathy would have a much more positive trip if she travelled with us again, but we have taken her comments on board, and have spoken to our local team to remind our leaders to facilitate a sociable atmosphere within our groups as best they can, and to provide support if necessary.
– Danny Bell, Exodus Product Manager