The Portuguese EuroVelo (EV) 1, which begins in the north at the Spanish border, runs down the Atlantic coast and then along the Algarve to the south-east. The section to the Spanish border in the north was only opened in Figuiera da Foz at the end of May 2024. As a result, there may now be a few more touring cyclists who not only ride the Portuguese Camino de Santiago to Porto, but also take the alternative route via Valença to Porto and then down the coast.
Sand, dunes, dead straight paths as far as the eye can see.
We take the ferry in the port town of Figuera da Foz. The only bridge over the River Mondego, which is 1,421 metres long, is undergoing construction work and traffic is restricted to a single lane. We decide to give this adventure a miss.
It is all about variety: rocky coastline, wide beaches. After three days, we head inland on quiet national roads and decide to bypass Lisbon. Historic towns, villages, vineyards, vegetable fields and wild landscapes await us. Eucalyptus forests give way to cork oaks as we travel south.
From time to time, you will find yourself on sandy and gravel roads. Due to the lack of signs, dead ends sometimes mean long detours. There are few prohibition and instruction signs. If there are no road markings, it does not necessarily mean that riding is dangerous. Even GPS route planning does not always show us the best routes. Sometimes the road ends in nowhere, sometimes there is a deep sandy track. This is our cycling adventure in Portugal. We are rewarded with photo opportunities along the way. We cycle through the sparsely populated Alentejo region.
Railway cycle path – surf along a gravelly to sandy trail for around 30 kilometres. Pass the carpet town of Arraiolos on your way to Evora. It is great fun and reminds us of its counterpart in Bosnia, in Eastern Europe.
Évora, capital of the Alentejo region. In 2027, it will be the European Capital of Culture.
Évora has 2,000 years of history: a Roman temple, an aqueduct and a university dating back to the 15th century. The university was closed in the 19th century but reopened in the 1970s. We visit it while professors and 8,000 students are sitting in lectures, the library and the canteen. Centuries old and young in one place.
Visiting a pastelaria is almost a must when we visit cities. The cakes taste as good as homemade. You eat or sample them right at the counter.
The Sé Cathedral is above all a magnificent viewpoint. From its roof, you can see the rooftops of the city.
Our route planning takes us to Alcazer do Sal. As the name suggests, salt is harvested here. The town is located in a delta connected to the Atlantic Ocean. After riding 80 kilometres through the steppe, everything suddenly turns green. Rice is grown throughout the river valley. Grown in salt water, heated by the sun, and the ready meal can be bagged straight away.
On the way, we meet a Brazilian who is cycling through the country where his mother tongue is spoken. He is riding an ‘antique’ Trek bike and has a list of stages written in large letters in pencil, which only lists the distance in kilometres for each stage. Unlike us, he has the immense advantage of being able to ask people on the road for directions. Perhaps we will meet him again in Faro. We meet two people from Luxembourg and a German couple who have been living in Lagos since three years.
Over the last ten days, we have discovered that Portugal is more than just Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve. Even if the road signs sometimes suggest otherwise.
We are approaching the Atlantic coast and the Rota Vicentina hiking trail. Foreign tourists also know it as the Fishermen’s Trail. Philipp and Angie were here in the spring. We are excited to see how we like it. It is the Atlantic west coast, the coast of Alentejo. It is longer than the Algarve, as the lady at the Evora Tourist Information Office proudly told us. It looks like our journey is coming to an end. The holiday is beginning.