Tag Archives: North of Portugal

Portugal: 5 Days By Bike From Porto To Coimbra

5 Days By Bike From Porto To Coimbra

Accompanied by a friend keen on cycling, I accepted the challenge of spending 5 days by bike – in fact 4 days actually pedaling – from the north of Portugal, Porto to the center, Coimbra. Or 180.7 km in 4 days! Hello! Far from being a great sportswoman, I had never done even more than 10-20 km in a day: the exceptional bike ride! In short I knew nothing about it and so much the better (lol)!

I was recommended for more comfort, an electric bike. My friend preferred a traditional bicycle. I’ll stop you right away: we also pedal on an electric bike! It’s not a moped, lol! Certainly less difficult than a real bike, but we pedal anyway! And I can say it remains physical, especially if you do it for 5 hours straight.

So that this challenge takes place in a pleasant way, without having to think about practical details, such as: what do we do with our luggage each morning (because we sleep each night in a different place)? Etc … The VOS Travel agency specializing in bicycle trips, organized our trp: starting with the route mainly on cycle paths in beautiful landscapes, our bikes with local assistance (we received a phone with an emergency number). And of course, our flights, hotels and restaurants. 

One of our bikes is equipped with a GPS with our route recorded day by day. No more unnecessary maps, a simplified navigation! Awesome! In the morning, our luggage is transferred by taxi to our next hotel (from one town or village to another). Our breakfasts and dinners are also planned in advance. And we discover for ourselves picturesque restaurants where to have lunch on the way. What happiness! And a lot of sweat (lololol!) …

Pictures of the best times and locations of our bike trip below.

Day 1: The Arrival In Porto

Day 2: From Porto To Ovar (46,7 km)

Day 3: From Ovar To Aveiro (40 km)

Day 4: From Aveiro To Praia de Mira (40 km)

Day 5: From Praia de Mira To Coimbra (54 km)

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

Informations  

www.vostravel.be

Related articles : Destinations & Hotel Review

Many thanks to VOS Travel for this amaing invitation. As always these are my opinions.

Vidago Palace: A Futuristic Spa

I take you to the Vidago Palace, a superb Belle Epoque palace in the amazingly beautiful Douro valley (picture 3), in the North of Portugal. Calm amind the lush green, the spa is located in the futuristic new wing of Alvaro Siza Vieira (one of my favourite architects). Wow!  Seduced, I cross the long corridor from the main building to the 2500 meters squares spa. The retina dazzled by the spectrum of the light, I enter in a minimalist spacious hall  in white marble : the reception of the spa. The responsible of beauty treatments diagnosed : it will be a face treatment, including the new generation mesotherapy and a hand massage. Divine. He starts with a soft skin cleansing and the meso without injection (picture 2). I feel like quite being in a high tech laboratory… with an edonist vibe.

The atmosphere changes, by candlelight and bed heating (picture 1), I fall in sleep during the massage. When I wake up, my skin looks brighter and  my face relaxer. Then I go to the chill-out room, like a sas before going back down to earth. I could stay for ages, just drinking green tea. Unfortunately, I can’t give you the name of this made-to-measure facial treatment, I lost my prescription… oops! Good news,  in this refine spa, I’ve discovered an excellent Brit skin line with essential oils, Aromatherapie Associates. To be continued in a coming-up post…

Info : Vidago Palace Spa, Phone (+351) 276 990 970.

Related posts : DESTINATIONS & BEAUTY