This was our first trip to Portugal, and we loved having a guided tour. We did this tour in early June when the weather was unseasonably cool, but great for biking. It was too cold to get into the water, but the scenery was beautiful. We signed up through the website about 5 months before the trip. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the 2 of us were getting an exclusive trip on our own, with 2 great guides, Jorge and Maria-Jose (“Ze”), to keep us in line. They were friendly, courteous, informative. The communication before the trip was no problem, but “relaxed” but everything was very organized in the end. The itinerary is hotel door to hotel door on bike with a single exception. You travel in the van from Lagos to Olhao to skip the busy part of Algarve. We stayed in Faro a couple of days on arrival to acclimatize since that is the pickup point, so that area was familiar. If you do that, the commuter trains run fairly often along the coast and you can visit places like Olhao (wonderful Saturday market) on your own without a car. Each day is about 40-50km of fairly relaxed riding with breaks, starting around 9:30 and arriving at the destination around 4-5 PM. Since dinner is not until 8, there is plenty of time to wash up and explore each area. The hotels were very good, and the pousada at Sagres was more than that. The description on the website very accurately states that about 75% of the route is on unpaved roads. There is some riding on asphalt roads, and drivers are very courteous and careful. The unpaved surfaces ranged from very rocky (walk up and down a path through Barranco), to sandy, to gravel, and cobblestones. Many of the streets in the core areas of the towns are cobblestones. The bikes were hybrid with front shocks and fairly wide treaded tires (37-42 mm I would guess), and well-suited for unpaved. Rear rack with a trunk stored the extra layer, phones, cameras, etc. The food was delicious without attempting to be fancy. The 2 picnic lunches were great. Guides enthusiastically shared much information about historical and present day Portugal, gave us tips on Setubal where we were planning to go. We hope to do another trip with them on a return visit in the future.

I just wish to let you know what a fabulous cycle we have just enjoyed with Mario. He is an inspired leader passionate about Portugal, imparting lots of information, considerate and thoughtful of his cyclists and great company. We also enjoyed wonderful accommodation and superb food. All in all a tour I would highly recommend and we can’t thank you enough. John Larking.

Had an amazing bicycle tour of the wild Algarve. Theresa, Maria, Manuel and Andre were spectacular. They are a top-notch group who does whatever it takes to make your trip fantastic, fun and safe. They are very knowledgeable about the area and provided history as well as scenic beauty. The accommodations were eclectic and fun. We had great meals along the way with two beach picnics prepared by the gang. This tour company is the best combination of professionalism and fun you will find. They were always timely and prepared. We were a large group and Theresa was able to provide us with options to accommodate all our wants and needs. Making us happy was definitely their top priority. If you want to see the wild Algarve, you should definitely do it this way with this company. I left feeling like I made new friends.

Susan P

Wow! What a fantastic week of biking and touring this amazing area! Our tour guides and leader I highly recommend for an incredible way to visit this beautiful country! Thanks again to Teresa,Maria,Andres and Manuel!

I have been on many bicycle tours in Europe and this is top-notch! Teresa, Maria, Manuel and Andre are a wonderful tour guides with great personalities and very accommodating. They go over and above to make the tour special and their first priority is your enjoyment and safety, the accommodations were wonderful, each with a different vibe. Food was regional and delicious, especially the picnics, I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone wanting to visit Portugal close up and personal .

We had a fantastic time on our one week guided tour! Teresa, Maria, Andres and Manuel are the best! Rides on asphalt and dirt. Great info on local history along the way. They took care of everything and accommodations ranged quaint villages to city hotels. All were perfect. Picnic lunches were a wonderful sampling of local dishes on amazing sites. Even include a day of kayaking in Lagos.

We recomand this tour. Good guiding, we learned a lot about Portugal´s history, culture and geographi. Safety was good taken care of. Each stage was good planned , Hotels and meals was very good

We did this trip as a guided week long cycling tour with ever-enthusiastic and fun guide Maria in October 2017. The cycling became secondary to Maria’s cooking and restaurant choices, her passion for her country and its culture and heritage, and her constant smile. We so much enjoyed this trip we cant wait to go back for more and cant recommend this company and Guide Maria highly enough! Many thanks.

Algarve late September a very nice cycling experience
The guides of Portugal best Cycling were really helpful and professional in every way. Good instructions and information about the area made the trip very interesting. Parts of the route were offroad cycling, mostly firm paths but some streches had a bit demanding surface with gravel and sand. The lunches were very good, nothing better than a picnic at a beautiful beach a sunny day !

Palmela to Lagos via Sagres
My wife and adult daughter tried out their “Go Active” van guided ride from Palmela to Sagres, which was often along the coast, but sometimes went in the hills further inland. My wife had broken her wrist 6 weeks prior, which tended to slow us down, so most of each day was spent on a bicycle. Our guide, Jorge, was very conscientious about making sure we were well fed, well informed, not lost, and comfortable. The accommodations ranged from over the top unbelievable (staying in a castle on the first day) to beyond our expectations. The food was great, and the scenery was wonderful. Biking might well be the best way to see this part of Portugal. This company was very fairly priced, and as a local company seemed to be much cheaper than the international biking companies (or American companies). I absolutely would go with them again.

Wild Algarve and Castles and Wine Fully Supported Cycle Tours
My husband and I enjoyed two back to back cycle tours – Wild Algarve and Castles and Wine, in October 2019. We felt spoiled by the exceptional service provided on these fully supported tours. I can’t say enough about our support team, Mario and Jorge in Algarve, Maria and Joanna in Alentejo. Portugal is a beautiful, welcoming country that can stand on its own. It was our guides and van drivers who made the trip extraordinary. They were knowledgeable, fun, easy going yet professional, and truly made our trip awesome. The well maintained hybrid bikes were really appropriate for the variable terrain – we really appreciated having front shocks for the gravel and cobblestones! These tours are not intended for novice cyclists. That being said, one couple on the Castles and Wine Tour were struggling with the (many) hills and with the assistance of Portugal Best Cycling switched to e-Bikes, which made their cycling much more enjoyable. I have no hesitation in recommending Portugal Best Cycling as truly Portugal’s BEST.

October 2019

My husband and I enjoyed two back to back cycle tours – Wild Algarve and Castles and Wine, in October 2019. We felt spoiled by the exceptional service provided on these fully supported tours. I can’t say enough about our support team, Mario and Jorge in Algarve, Maria and Joanna in Alentejo. Portugal is a beautiful, welcoming country that can stand on its own. It was our guides and van drivers who made the trip extraordinary. They were knowledgeable, fun, easy going yet professional, and truly made our trip awesome. The well maintained hybrid bikes were really appropriate for the variable terrain – we really appreciated having front shocks for the gravel and cobblestones! These tours are not intended for novice cyclists. That being said, one couple on the Castles and Wine Tour were struggling with the (many) hills and with the assistance of Portugal Best Cycling switched to e-Bikes, which made their cycling much more enjoyable. I have no hesitation in recommending Portugal Best Cycling as truly Portugal’s BEST.

I don’t know where to start but what an amazing trip. The landscape was great with cliffs, pine nut tree groves, pomegranate trees, salt marches, and of course great ocean views. The small villages were charming with great people to go along with them. The Pousadas we stayed at were also fantastic. The picnics were great. The best thing however were my two guides Jorge and Mario. Jorge made sure I was fed and hydrated the whole time and Mario made sure I wasn’t getting lost especially since I was ahead of the group. We all had good conversations and most of the time we closed down the restaurants. Such a good group. I feel like I made some friends along the way. I highly recommend doing a week trip like this. It was truly unforgettable!!!!

We enjoyed a wonderful self-guided bicycling tour in the Algarve in August. Portugal Best Cycling made all the arrangements for the cycling trip from start to finish and everything was perfect. We were a bit nervous because we were a group of three adults and two kids aged 12 and 14. We’re not avid cyclists but we’re up for an adventure. We reserved the electric-assist bicycles and that was the right choice for us, as it made the trip much more of a vacation for everyone. The bikes are very easy to use and the e-assist turned what could have been a physically demanding bike ride into a fun and easy ride. The route maps PBC provides are very detailed and easy to follow, with clear turn-by-turn directions for each day of the ride. For the most part, the rides were on very quiet rural roads (often dirt roads), with just an occasional few kilometers on a busier paved road. The scenery was varied but always beautiful. Sometimes we were riding along the coast, coming upon beaches or stunning cliffsides, while at other times we were inland and riding through sparsely-populated farmland or park land. The routes pass through towns at just the right time for a snack or lunch. We were impressed with the lodging as well. We stayed in a small inn, a medium hotel, and a very nice pousada. The luggage transfers were flawless, our luggage was always waiting for us when we arrived at the end of each day’s ride. PBC provides the tools and supplies needed in case you get a flat or need to do other maintenance, and they were easy to reach by phone when we needed a little help tuning up one of the bikes during one of our rides. We would happily plan another self-guided cycling trip with PBC!

We had a phenomenal trip. Great weather, gorgeous views! The cycling was reasonable – some long climbs, some steep climbs, lots of downhills too and flats. All very reasonable for a novice a cyclist. Very well organized, great support from the cycling company. We self-guided and at the end of day 1 had a significant bike malfunction. The team had us repaired and ready to go first thing day 2 – great service. Decent maps and great suggestions for stops along the way. An amazing trip! Highly recommend.
Written August 12, 2019

Quite literally, from the minute we met Jorge and Mario our fantastic guides, we were treated like royalty. Everything was about how my wife and I could have the best experience in Portugal. Until our last day we had a ball and easily the best holiday of a lifetime.
We did two back to back tours, Atlantic coast & Wild Algarve and can thoroughly recommend both. We saw the beauty of the Alentejo region and some of the best sights in the Algarve. We ate the best food daily. How the lads managed to provide varying picnics daily and also give us the opportunity to sample such a range of Portuguese food for the length of our tours beats me. The range of beautiful wines selected was spectacular.
The bikes – excellent quality, 27 gears, much of my time spent in the granny gear!
The guides – wonderful guys, interesting, humorous, knowledgeable, friendly.
The scenery – spectacular.
The picnics – unreal.
The accommodation – we did select the upgrade and were delighted with the rooms and hotel facilities.
The cycling – we felt really safe with Mario and Jorge, they prepared us thoroughly each day as to what was ahead for the day, they stopped before any serious hazards to warn us beforehand, we learnt such a lot of cycling tips for the off road sections.
The admin – We found the handling of our booking to be excellent. With the changing government Covid travel requirements, our flights were cancelled twice, but nothing was too much trouble. Our hotels were all rebooked and alternatives sorted for those unavailable. This was all achieved without any hassle by the admin staff. The itinerary provided was detailed and the daily trips and routes well laid out and referred to regularly.
We found no fault at all with this holiday. It was without doubt the best holiday we ever had, thanks in no small way to Jorge and Mario’s efforts.

August 2021