Forests of pine and eucalyptus, groves of orange and almond trees and honey-coloured cliffs punctuated by sleepy, whitewashed fishing villages. This isn’t the well-known face of the Algarve, but it is a side to the region that’s just as real – and which you can discover for yourself on a cycling holiday in southernmost Portugal.
The Algarve is a region ideally suited to two-wheeled exploration, with a wide choice of routes that includes such wonderful long-distance trails as the Ecovia do Litoral – which spans the entire southern coastline – and the Via Algarviana, an excellent way to discover the timeless lands of the interior. Thanks to the Algarve’s year-round warmth, cyclists can avoid the busy summer months and instead enjoy the region when tourists are thin on the ground: in spring when the fields and headlands are awash with wildflowers; in autumn when the chestnut woods of the Monchique hills glow; and in winter when the orange trees hang heavy with fruit.
Although the Algarve is not yet a destination Inntravel explore on two wheels, we can introduce you to a perhaps even more idyllic Portuguese coastal region – the
Aveiro, where our traffic-free trails take in lakes, lagoons and vast, sandy beaches. We also visit the northerly
Lima Valley – often described as the greenest and most picturesque corner of Portugal, with delightful riverside scenery, ancient towns and abundant birdlife.