Trip along the coast, through the surf spots, the castle of Obidos and the amazing and underground Caldas da Rainha… All in one !
My favorite cycling trip is still the one we followed in the center of Portugal but here with this trip along the eurovelo 1, we’ve been amazed by the diversity of landscapes and activities. Beaches, cliffs, hills, countryside paths, historical village, lake, fortresses… and even on the food side we have had some surprises, picnics, snacks, taverna, bistronomy and gastronomy with on top of this an awesome night spent in Caldas da rainha discovering the art of cocktails… such a perfect trip before heading home !
If you’re tempted by the adventure, follow the guide :
In green and red the starts and stops of the eurovelo sections. In brown the available camping spots. In blue the points of interest out of the sections. And for downloading the GPX and make your own map, it’s here !
Lisbon – Cascaïs
Along the railway until one of the most touristic city of the coast of Portugal. It was not so easy to find the right path here because of all the one-way-streets and the slalom in between tourists and surfers… but both parts until Belem and after Cascaïs were definitely worth the pain.
Cascaïs – Ericeira
Discover the most western spot of Europe. This part of the trip was extremly windy and often on car roads without any space for bicycles but it was still gorgeous and surprising. (For pretty landscape pictures, skip this section since we were under the clouds when we cycled there).
Cabo da roca – The most western spot of Europe
Old windmills transformed into homes
Ericeira – Sainta Cruz
This is where the real adventure begins ! The route is a bit tough since the eurovelo is not exactly well designed and sometimes goes on path that would even be difficult to walk. Be aware you will need to change your way and allow yourself a few little detours if you still want to see the gorgeous spots.
beach of Sao lourenço, absolutely not bicycles friendly but really gorgeous
And not swimmers friendly either…
This was supposed to be a eurovelo path… well, it’s impossible to ride this one but the view is still breathtaking there.
Gorgeous road along the praia de Cambelas
And the Eurovelo keeps being surprising with this amazing and beautiful praia where you’ll have to cross the sand for about 15 to 20 minutes… But it’s worth it… REALLY !
The inside branch of the Sizandro
Santa Cruz – Peniche
Countryside and fortresses…
Forte no Lugar de Paimogo / Forte de Nossa Sra
The forteress “Forte da praia da consolaçao” (on top)… And the light house of Peniche at night (bellow)
Peniche – Foz do Arelho
Through Obidos, the very well preserved and gigantic citadel…
The very cool small town of “Baleal” and its wild cliffs
Where Obidos’ lake meets the atlantic
Around lagoa de Obidos
Little detour to visit Obidos
Foz do Arelho – Caldas da rainha
Our plan was just to rest and take the train back to Lisboa in Caldas da Rainha but thanks to Instagram, we have been led to a “work in progress” street art spot and our curiosity did the rest. We ended up spending a full day chasing street art and we actually spent one of our favorite day of this trip.
Fresco by @2carryon – Work in progress – More to come on the blog about street art in Caldas
Little and well deserved break in the parque Dom Carlos I
The ONE tip not to miss
Have supper at “Raizes“, a very cool bistronomy style restaurant in the parque dom Carlos I, where you’ll try delicious cocktails made by a very talented and passionate mixologist. He will make sure to follow your tastes and food choices and can even offer a tasting style experience. If your traveling budget is not too tight, just go for it and let these two brothers surprise you with their vision of what gastronomy should be.
Little pie with goat cheese mousse and poached pears (in Gin)… Amazingly delicious !
One of the many cocktails served by “Zé” to make us understand the difference between two mixing methods with the exact same recipe… Very impressive !
And after all the fun… It’s time to go home !
