N2 END TO END
7 DAY TOUR
Portugal is one of the undiscovered jewels of Europe; a country of diverse landscapes, amazing architecture, and fascinating history. There’s no more intimate a way to experience it that than on a bike. We roughly follow the legendary N2, the spine of Portugal, starting in Chaves, in the lush, green North, and travel through the fairly flat, arid centre, with its endless vineyards, fruit plantations and olive groves, finally arriving in the charming, ancient city of Faro.
£1,800, 8 NIGHTS
We offer this tour in two options. This page describes the 7-day tour (8 nights), which gives you time to take photos or stop for a coffee, and usually we arrive in the hotels by mid-afternoon, so you get the chance to have a shower and wander into town to explore. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more demanding (perfect for a fit group or a cycling club) it’s also available as a 5-day challenge (6 nights), which you can see here.
770KM, AROUND 10,000 METRES OF CLIMBING
Portugal is one of the least developed countries in Europe, and that gives it a quaint, unspoiled character that makes it the perfect destination for cyclists. We ride on quiet roads, through pretty cobbled towns and villages, and past lots of forests, vineyards and olive groves. We stay in some wonderful hotels, enjoy all the local food specialities, and of course, we have to try all the wonderful, local wines. 3-course dinners with beer or wine are all included in our tours.
The N2 is known as the spine of Portugal and has been the road that connected the North to the South for centuries. It’s a lovely road to cycle at the ends, but there are sections in the middle where it merges with a motorway and becomes a busy dual carriageway, and for that reason we deviate from it and ride on some of the smaller roads until we get back to the quieter, more interesting sections.
The Portuguese climate lends itself to tours in spring and autumn, when the days aren't too hot. All in all, Portugal is a beautiful place, full of history and culture, and we're sure you'll really enjoy exploring it. The stages have been selected to allow you to arrive at our destination each day and still have time and energy to go out and explore before dinner.
Like our St Malo to Nice Relaxed tour, we also accept Non Riding Partners on this tour, so if your “Other Half” wants to come and spend the days doing their own thing, but join us at the hotel for dinner each night, they can. We offer a special package (£1,200) that covers half board accommodation, but doesn’t include any of the cycling aspects of the tour - sports nutrition, souvenir jersey, support vehicle, etc.
ARRIVAL DAY
We'll be at Porto airport to meet you, and then we'll take you to our beautiful, historic hotel in Chaves, where we’ll have all the tools and pumps you need to assemble your bike. Depending on your arrival time, you’ll probably be able to go off and explore this ancient Roman town before dinner, or even take your bike out for a test run - perhaps the 10km to the Spanish border, and back again. “Chaves” means “keys”, and was historically a border stronghold known as the Keys of the Kingdom, hence the name. It’s also a Roman spa town, famous for its healing waters. Finally we'll enjoy a delicious dinner while we brief you on the trip and then it's off to bed for a good night's sleep.
DAY 1 - CHAVES TO PESA DA REGUA - 90 KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,400 METRES
After a hearty breakfast (eggs are fairly standard at all hotels in Portugal) we head off to the start of our tour, the roundabout that forms the beginning of the route. A quick photo opportunity and the official N2 milestone, and then we’re off, following the Rio Tâmega as we head south towards the Douro Valley, one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. At first the roads are fairly straight - what did the Romans ever do for us ? :0) - with long, gentle climbs, as we pass through forests of pine and the ubiquitous Eucalyptus. Portugal is one of the world’s major producers of Eucalyptus (who knew?), used for making paper and essential oils, but it comes at a price - it greatly increases the devastation of forest fires, and Portugal has had some enormous forest fires in the last ten years. When that stuff burns, it burns! We usually like to have a stop for coffee about a third of the way into the day, and then lunch once we’re over half way. The terrain is much hillier now and we start to see glimpses of vineyards - and then suddenly that’s all you can see as you descend down the steep hills and terraces of the Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its wineries and the estates (or quintas) of one famous port producer after another. We stay in a lovely hotel with a view of the river, and you should have plenty of time to explore the town and enjoy a glass of porto or vinho with a view.
DAY 2 - PESA DA REGUA TO TONDELA - 108 KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,900 METRES
We leave the hotel and head straight across the Rio Douro, still following the N2. It’s a long, steady climb - about 30km - through rocky terrain, on winding roads, up the Serra da Bigorne, where there’s a café for our morning coffee stop - you’ll have earned it! Then we have the equally long descent, to Castro Daire where we cross the Rio Paivô. Another short climb, a couple of kilometres, and then we’re descending again to Rio de Mel. It’s up and down (only short climbs) for the rest of the afternoon, through sleepy, cobbled villages. We pass through the interesting and historic city of Viseu and continue our undulating descent to the town of Tondela, well known in Portugal for its football club, as well as its local wines. Here’s our stop for the night.
DAY 3 - TONDELA TO PEDROGAO PEQUENO - 132 KM, CLIMBING AROUND 2,100 METRES
This is the hardest day of the tour, from the point of view of both distance and climbing, and the landscape is heavily carved by the many rivers that we cross. There’s one big climb towards the end of the day (about 14km), but for the rest, it’s just up and down constantly. A short kick up from the hotel, then we’re descending through mixed terrain - vineyards, olive groves and forest, interspersed with scrubby land and “naked” cork oaks - to cross the Rio Dão, after which we’re climbing again. Still on the N2, we follow alongside the new motorway for a while, before the two roads finally converge, and we turn away to find quieter roads and more interesting views. We cross the Rio Mandego, which is the boundary between two different regions in Portugal - Viseu and Coimbra. Portugal is still very much a Catholic country, and you’ll see churches and little shrines just about everywhere.
The roads are fairly straight between the climbs, where there’s usually a hairpin or two to help you out. At 65km we turn sharp left and we’re back on the N2 again. At Góis we start the 14km climb up to Amieiros; there’s a café at the top where you might like to stop for a rest and a drink. Then we have a fairly long descent down to the Ribeira de Mega, followed by a little bump in the road, and finally we cross the Cabril dam and we’re in Pedrógão Pequeno. There’s a 2km ramp up to the hotel and you’ll be well rewarded with a hot shower, a cold beer, and an amazing view of the lake.
DAY 4 - PEDROGAO PEQUENO TO MONTARGIL - 128KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,300 METRES
We start out on small roads, riding past occasional houses with gardens full of olive trees, and vineyards. This is another big wine-producing area of Portugal, Alentejo, which translates to “beyond the Tagus river”. We dip down into the town of Sertã and climb back out again on a bigger road, which is still strangely quiet, and continue on to Vila de Rei. The terrain here is quite rocky, with sparse vegetation, but it’s also very open, with amazing views. There are a number of climbs (nothing too scary), but some big, sweeping descents, and we gradually lose altitude throughout the day.
At 53km we pass the N2 380km marker in a small village called São Domingos Saúda-Vos, and then you’re out into the forest where you ride past the most amazing mural called the Caminho de Mémorias (Path of Memories). It’s literally in the middle of nowhere! We descend to cross the big Tagus river, and now it’s much easier. We ‘re riding across a big plain, surrounded by wheat fields, until we arrive in the small town of Bemposta. We descend into Ponte de Sor, well known for its cork production, and continue to Montargil, where we stay in a 5-star hotel overlooking the lake.
DAY 5 - MONTARGIL TO EVORA - 89KM, CLIMBING AROUND 900 METRES
After our long day yesterday, we thought we’d give you an easier day. We leave the hotel and continue to follow the lake, before bearing left to cross the Montargil dam. The terrain for the rest of the day is fairly flat, as we ride alongside endless fields, interspersed with small towns for about 60km. We stop for coffee in Ciborro and have our photos taken at the 500km route marker. We usually stop for lunch at Montemor o Novo with its narrow cobbled streets, and ruined castle on a hill overlooking the town, but then we decided you might like a little diversion. The choice was more fields for another 30km to a hotel in the middle of nowhere, or a short diversion to the roman city of Evora with its aquaduct, roman temple, and other historic buildings, so we decided to give you a little cultural treat and turn left, off the official route for a bit. You’ll arrive in Evora in plenty of time to explore the city, or perhaps have a beer and relax before dinner.
DAY 6 - EVORA TO CASTRO VERDE - 121 KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,000 METRES
The cork oaks on the side of the road provide welcome shade as we leave Evora and return to the official route, across the Campo Branco, or white plains. We ride on long, straight, quiet roads, through endless wheat fields, interrupted only by the regulation small cobbled towns and villages with their whitewashed houses and colourful window trims. We’re still in the Alentejo wine region, and apart from some wonderful wines, these small towns produce some olive oil and cheeses. As we approach Castro Verde, keep an an eye out for the local area markers which are called Windows on the Plains. These are stylised house profiles which include a window, to encourage visitors to look at and appreciate the panorama. The main industry in Castro Verde is zinc and copper mining.
DAY 7 - CASTRO VERDE TO FARO - 97 KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,000 METRES
The last day, and we ride out of Castro Verde with its cobbled streets, heading for the Faro and the coast. The roads are still straight at first, and we pass through the town of Almodovar, which was historically a centre for shoe manufacturing, and on again, with the road snaking more and more as we start to climb up to Caldeirãno, from where you can see for miles over the stunning landscape. This is the highest point of our day and now we have the rolling, winding descent, past the N2 700km marker and the town of São Brás de Alportel, and then you can almost smell the sea as we make the final 20km descent down into Faro. It’s a short day, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore Faro before we enjoy a wonderful dinner with plenty of wine, beer and laughter while we reminisce on our mutual adventure.
DEPARTURE DAY
After breakfast we load up and deliver you to Faro airport or train station. Unless, of course, you want to stay and enjoy a few extra days in Faro.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Airport transfers • Accommodation in 3 & 4* hotels, in shared ensuite rooms (single rooms are available and a supplement of £325 applies) • Buffet-style breakfasts every morning • 3-course evening meals every night, with water, wine, beer, soft drinks and coffee • Snacks to keep you going during the day, such as bananas, crisps, nuts, cakes, fruit and chocolate, plus quality energy gels and bars • Bottled water, as well as High5 Zero electrolyte tablets • Maps of the route for you to refer to as you ride • GPS files for you to upload to your device and follow during the day • High quality Gobik Portugal N2 souvenir jersey
