Portugal Cycling and Cooking Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Alvados
You will arrive in Alvados, a small village hidden in a deep valley in the heart of the Serra d'Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, in a depression almost 300 metres deep. Rock walls built by hand mark the roads and properties of a barren landscape of boulders and fissures, while underground lies a network of caves home to 18 species of bats, the symbol of the park. Dinner is included (drinks excluded).

Day 2: The Limestone Caves, Alvados round trip (42 km; +800 m)
You will climb to the Santo António caves for a guided visit of about one hour: discovered in 1955, they were formed more than 150 million years ago and are adorned with stalagmites and stalactites. The ride continues through olive groves, with a chance to visit an olive mill. This is the hardest day of the tour, with long steep hills: an e-bike makes it medium. Back at the hotel you can relax in the baths, then meet the chef in the kitchen for your first cooking class and make your own dinner.

Day 3: The Monasteries Route, Alvados – Évora (46 km; +560 m)
A hilly route with challenging climbs and wonderful downhills on a narrow mountain road leads to the Monastery of Batalha, a masterpiece of Gothic art mingled with Manueline style, and the Alcobaça Monastery, with its 13th-century façade and the tombs of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro. At 4 PM a three-hour transfer will take you to the countryside farmhouse Monte do Serrado de Baixo near Évora, where dinner awaits.

Day 4: The Wine and Cork Route, Évora round trip (43 or 63 km; +213 m)
You will ride toward Igrejinha, one of the most picturesque villages in the Alentejo, with white houses painted with colorful stripes, through countryside where you will hardly meet any cars. Fita Preta winery, set in a 14th-century palace, the family estates of Comenda and Coelheiros and a prickly pear plantation are on the way, and at the cork factory you will see how cork is harvested and transformed. In the evening you will join your second cooking class at the farm.

Day 5: The Famous Carpets, Évora round trip (41 or 60 km; +293 m)
A bike path built along a former railway line will lead you through small farms to the hamlet of Graça do Divor and on to Arraiolos, with its hilltop castle and tapestry museum. Along the way you can taste Mrs. Ilda's meat pies and the local sweet, Pastéis de Toucinho, and stop at the wineries of Ravasqueira, with its carriage museum, and Fita Preta. Depending on the winery you choose, the ride is 41 or 60 km.

Day 6: Évora – Santiago do Cacém (12 km; +62 m)
An easy ride along the ecotrail will take you into Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to explore its cathedral, the Roman Temple, the University and the Bones Chapel. After lunch (not included) a car transfer will drop you at the castle of Santiago do Cacém, and you will cycle to your hotel, where the chef awaits you at 6 pm for the third cooking class.

Day 7: From the Mountain to the Sea, Santiago do Cacém – Vila Nova de Milfontes (57 km; +335 m)
After visiting the last operating windmill, you will head toward the coast through a lush green oak forest. The blue ocean and schist cliffs frame the arrival in the fishermen's village of Porto Covo. Next you will pass the Fortress of Pessegueiro and a fishing port where you can walk into the ocean on a rock pier and watch the fish being unloaded. Dinner is included tonight.

Day 8: Departure
After breakfast your journey comes to an end. A transfer to the airport can be booked as a supplement.