Minho Region Family Bike Tour

Minho Region Family Bike Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Porto

Today you’ll arrive at Porto Airport, where you’ll be picked up and taken to your hotel. Get settled and enjoy the time to explore everything Porto has to offer.

Overnight Location: Hotel in Monção
Distance: None
Meals: None

Day 2 Transfer to Monção

Start the journey with a transfer to Monção. Get settled into your beautiful rural hotel, which was a former convent.

In the afternoon, relax by the pool or head out to explore the fortified town. The ancient walls of the city enclose historic monuments including the Mother Church and Santo António dos Capuchos monastery.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Monção
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 Explore Monção

Today you and your family are free to explore the town as you please. Monção is surrounded by mountains and green parks, and there are many hiking and biking trails nearby if you’re feeling up to exploring.

In the morning, you can take an optional half-day rafting excursion. The Minho River offers a family-friendly whitewater experience that the kids (and you!) are sure to love.

This afternoon, there is another optional excursion available that takes you to a Vinho Verde wine estate for a tour and tasting from a family-run vineyard. In the evening, choose one of the great local restaurants for dinner.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Monção
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4 Bike Ride Down the Atlantic Coast

Today you’ll be riding along an old railway line that follows the river to the coast. Enjoy the pleasant fields, vineyards, and tiny villages along the way.

Soon you’ll make it to the ancient town of Vila Nova de Cerveira. Explore the medieval square and learn about the town's history before relaxing during the evening.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Monção
Distance: 2 hours, 34.5km, 110m of total ascent
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 Choose Your Adventure

Today, you’ll choose between two activities. The first option is to take a bike ride to Valença. This impressive fort has a double row of battlements and bastions that surround the center of the town.

If you’re looking for a different kind of adventure, two excursions operate in the afternoon. You can choose between a half-day paddle down the Minho River in a canoe and a 4-wheel drive adventure into the mountains. Both excursions are for an extra charge.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Vila Nova de Cerveira
Distance: 3 hours, 33.1 km, 45m of total ascent
Meals: Breakfast

Day 6 River Cruise and Cycle to Viana do Castelo

Your day will begin with a river cruise from Vila Nova de Cerveira to Caminha. Along the way, you’ll see little islands that are home to heron, ducks, and kingfishers.

You’ll start your bike ride in the seaside town of Caminha. From here, you’ll ride down the coast of the Atlantic and enjoy the fresh sea air and golden beaches. You’ll also pass through some charming fishing villages on your way to Viana do Castelo.

When you arrive, you can take a short guided walk through this town that was founded in Roman times. Learn about its rich maritime history and explore its picturesque streets.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Viana do Castelo
Distance: 2 hours, 30km, 72m of total ascent
Meals: Breakfast

Day 7 Explore Viana do Castelo or visit Barcelos

Your last full day in Portugal can be spent exploring the town at your leisure. Overlooking the town on the mountaintop is the Byzantine church, Santa Luzia. Take the steep 2.1 km climb over 659 steps to reach the top and experience magnificent panoramic views.

Alternatively, walk from your hotel to the Santa Luzia cable car station. You can ride to the basilica on the longest cable car trip in the country. You may also want to visit the Gil Eannes Hospital Ship, which has recently been restored into a maritime museum.

If you wish, you can opt for the second option and head inland, with a train journey to Barcelos (transfers not included), a pleasant riverside town, Barcelos is a medieval town known as the country’s leading ceramics and crafts market. In Barcelos, you'll find one of the oldest markets in the country and a meeting point for farmers to sell their produce and buy their supplies. Stretching across the main square, it offers everything from agricultural implements, pottery, baskets and wine barrels to fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and bread, shoes, clothes and hats (held every Thursday).
Overnight Location: Hotel in Viana do Castelo
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast

Day 8 Transfer to Porto

This morning, round up the family to head back home. You’ll be driven to the airport after breakfast.
Overnight Location: None
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast