Minho Valley: Alvarinho wine route and castles in Portugal

Discovering famous vineyards of the Minho Valley riding a bicycle is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining things to do while visiting Portugal! As you ride through the vineyards, you will be stunned by this unusual experience that can only be lived while cycling.

Going slowly through the vineyards, we will visit family-owned wineries and explore the medieval fortresses as well as castles of Valença, Monção and Melgaço.

During this holiday, you will taste the best Alvarinho wines and the most traditional Portuguese cuisine.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival in Melgaço

Transfer from Porto, Valença or Vigo (Spain) to Melgaço

Free afternoon to explore Melgaço and visit Solar do Alvarinho for wine tasting and briefing about the tour.

Day 2: Melgaço - Monção (30 km)

This day we will cycle through the widely popular Alvarinho wine region: Monção and Melgaço, the very heart for Alvarinho wine. During this bike tour you will see incredible landscapes of the wine villages and of course the vineyards as well as the family-owned wineries. Along the day we will make some breaks during which we will visit two family owned wineries and stop for a picnic lunch.

After that you will be able to enjoy free afternoon in Monção.

Day 3: Monção - Valença (20 km)

We start the day inside the Monção fortress and after a guided visit around it, we will ride along the Ecopista do Rio Minho following the old railway line from Monção to Valença.

During this wine bike tour we will visit Brejoeira Palace and a family owned winery.

Along the way you will be able to see beautiful and picturesque views over Minho river and Galician villages (Spain) as we will be cycling along the Portuguese – Spanish border.

Day 4: Departure

Free morning in Valença in order to relax and visit Valença fortress.

Transfer back to the airport or to the city of Porto (Portugal) or Vigo (Spain).

What´s included?

• Briefing by a tour leader (day 1);
• 3 nights with breakfast in 3 - 4 star hotels; 
• 2 days bike rental (MTB or E-bikes) and handlebar bags;
• Local maps and booklet;
• GPS device with GPS tracks for each day;
• Luggage transfers between hotels;
• Telephone support for emergencies (24/7).
  
  

Optional services - available on request:

• Kids trailer or tandem bike;
  
• Transfer from Porto (Portugal), Valença or Vigo (Spain) to Melgaço;
• On request we can offer a vegetarian or vegan picnic as well as products without gluten. Therefore, we would like to ask you, while you book a tour, let us know about anyone’s possible food restrictions;
• Accommodation: different kinds of accommodation is available in the region, contact us in order to learn the alternatives.

This tour can be combined with our 5 day tour in Minho region: https://www.descubraminho.com/pt/toursnorteportugal/viana-do-castelo-serra-darga-vale-do-lima-e-costa

Make a request and we can send you more information!