Cycling holiday in Portugal, self guided

The O Autêntico is the ideal tour to relax. Rather than jumping straight on your bike the first day, there is time to familiarise yourself with the rhythm of life in the inlands of the Algarve at a beautiful "quinta", not far from Querença.

The owners take tremendous pride in their "quinta", and we are proud to make it the starting point of this tour. The environment is very suitable for walking. A route description around the picturesque village of Querença is available and highly recommended. After two nights at this "quinta", which has a beautifully located swimming pool and a splendid kitchen, the journey continues via Nave do Barão, in the direction of Alte, some 30km further west.

Alte is one of the most attractive and typically Portuguese villages in the area. It is well-known for the quality of its spring water at "Fonte Grande" and "Fonte Pequeno". The Portuguese visit these springs from far away in order to replenish their own drinking water. The hotel in Alte is very comfortable and has very much retained its Portuguese atmosphere.

The tour now continues in the direction of Silves, a lovely old town situated on the river Arade. You will cycle on quiet back roads surrounded by orange trees and cork oaks and breathe in some of the most unpolluted air in Europe. And on your way, you can take a refreshing dive in the "Barragem do Funcho" or the "Barragem do Arade" (a water reservoir). Of Phoenician origin, Silves was one of the most thriving centres of the Arab-Iberian world. Then called Xelb, it was inhabited by the Moors, who introduced their culture (scholars and poets), architecture and agricultural techniques to the Algarve.

In those ancient times, Silves was an important city, more important even than Lisbon. The Algarve has been and still is a melting pot of various cultures, not least of which were the Moors and reveals multiple influences in the architecture of its houses. One feature common to all Algarve houses is the whitewash on the walls, eaves and chimneys. Cylindrical or prismatic, Algarve chimneys go beyond their function and play above all an ornamental role. The most striking craft is the making of decorative tiles known as azulejos, a technique the Portuguese learnt from the Moors.

Two nights have been arranged in Silves, so there is plenty of time to savour the atmosphere of this town. A visit to the castle or the much praised cork museum are amongst your options. Dinner at Café d´Inglès, next to the cathedral with its fantastic ambience will wipe out the last traces of worry and stress, and make the thought of your holiday ending seem unreal. Some 30 kilometres from Silves is Monte de Cima, a hamlet of about 15 or 20 houses. In Monte de Cima is your next accommodation, a restaurant with beautiful surroundings. This restaurant can compete with any top restaurant in the region. They have recently added accommodation facilities and the place is a marvel. After that, you won't want to go home……

For more of our cycling holidays in Portugal, click here.