Cycling in Portugal: Lisbon to Algarve part 2

For CyclingDestination, Dale Boom went on an adventure in Portugal with his wife Kirsten. They followed the route from Lisbon to the south. They went cycling from Lisbon to the Algarve. Much of the route goes along the EuroVelo 1. EuroVelo routes are perfect for this kind of long-distance adventure! In Part 1 read about the first two stages. Those are already very inspiring: now we are moving on, towards the finish line. Are you reading along again?

Stage 3: The Cape

Today we drive along the coast towards Portimao. The route takes us past Cabo de São Vicente. This is the most south-westerly point of continental Europe, which is of course nice to tick off. Anyway, first we need to score breakfast. Fortunately, it's only 15 kilometres to the village of Zambojeiro do Mar. We start with a good bit of gravel, but then a comfortable tarmac road soon follows. The village is beautiful, perched on the cliffs, with sandy beaches below where the first surfers are already in the water. We have some breakfast, then drive on. It goes briskly up and down along the sea here at times, which is quite a challenge, especially with the pack. Fortunately, the climbs are short! At 26 kilometres, near Odeceixe, we enter the province of Algarve. Here we tackle a stretch inland, on nicely rolling roads through greenery. Some 40 kilometres later, we make another turn towards the coast, for one of the prettiest segments yet. We follow a gravel path over the cliffs, with the raging ocean on our right. Breathtaking!

All those stops

After another stretch on tarmac, we make a quick stop at an Aldi in Vila do Bispo for provisions. After this, we take a dirt road towards Cabo de São Vicente. It is a beautiful and deserted stretch, which already gives a bit of end-of-the-world vibes. As we turn back onto the tarmac, however, it soon becomes clear that we are definitely not alone. Buses, vans, hire cars and motorhomes abound! At the fort, at the far end of the cape, we take a photo, of course. There is not much else to do there, so we are soon back on our bikes - after all, we still have 40 kilometres to go! We ride back to Vila do Bispo, where we take the main road N125 towards Lagos. With its wide promenade and marina, this town really feels like the inhabited world again. We have to collect the key from an estate agent's office, after which it is another 6 km to our sleeping place in a town further down the road. For the first time, the Airbnb is not your thing, but fortunately it is on the edge of the village, where there is a fine neighbourhood supermarket and some cafés.

Day 4: Golf courses and villas

Today promises to be a completely different day. We head straight through the coastal area of the Algarve, which is crowded and densely built-up compared to the previous days. We first drive back to Lagos to do another lap of the promenade, and then set course for Portimao. This really is a completely different Portugal. We drive over a kilometre-long wooden bridge along the beach, count the golf courses, behold the discotheques in Albufeira ('Albufissa'), and traverse extremely luxurious neighbourhoods at Vale do Lobo and Quinta da Lago, where prices above ten million for a little villa are not uncommon.

Almost home

And then, suddenly, we see Faro airport popping up again. We are almost home! But even on this last stretch, we try to enjoy ourselves a little more. We catch as many stretches of Ecovia, a network of gravel and shell paths along the coast and tidal flats of the Ria Formosa Nature Park, as possible. Due to resistance from some landowners, the project was only partially realised, so you sometimes have to cycle along the busy main road. Still, the existing sections are definitely worthwhile, and also very well signposted. The Ecovia leads us almost all the way home. But first a SuperBock at a roadside tent to toast a successful trip. Saúde!

What a cool trip

All in all, the trip was absolutely worthwhile and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We saw various faces of Portugal: from the big city of Lisbon to quaint villages, and from quiet, tranquil areas to luxurious resorts. Of course, there are some areas for improvement: for example, with a little less kilometres per day and some wider tyres, we would have more time to explore adventurous trails and cycle closer to the coast. The weather was super, and apart from the broken spoke, we had no bad luck - not even a puncture, despite the many gravel lanes. Affordable accommodation was also easy to find, noting that our trip fell outside the regular holiday periods. This trip showed us again how diverse and beautiful Portugal is, and we can recommend it to anyone looking for a unique cycling experience full of adventure, nature and hospitality.

More about the Algarve? Then also read on the site of Visit Portugal about this region. We have also touched on some great points about this region where you can cycle beautifully. For that, read this article: Cycling in Portugal: looking for the sun!

Cycling from Lisbon to Algarve - cycle route