Alvor
Flat, boardwalk over the estuary at the end.
- Distance
- 9 km
- From
- Portimão
- Climbing
- 60 m
- On the bike
- 35 min
one way, by road
nearest delivery town
one way
unhurried, with the assist
What is worth stopping for in Alvor
Not an itinerary. These are the things people come back and mention, in no particular order — see two of them or all four.
- 1Church
- 2Marina
- 3Long ride roads
- 4Beautiful views
Before you ride to Alvor
- The boardwalk over the Ria de Alvor runs for kilometres across salt marsh and dune. Cycling on it is generally not allowed — lock up at the entrance and walk out, it is worth the walk.
- King João II died in Alvor in 1495, when the place was known for its waters. There is a plaque, and honestly that is all there is to see of it.
- The church doorway is Manueline — rope and sea motifs carved into the stone, the style Portugal invented for itself and used nowhere else.
One bike, and it does this ride
60 m of climbing over 9 km is nothing the motor cannot absorb. It is a hybrid with a motor on it — if the assist runs out you ride on, on seven gears.
- Model
- Wayscral Everyway E200
- Battery
- 468 Wh
- Gears
- Shimano Altus, 7 speed
- Rider height
- 150–170 cm
€30 a day
Book a bikeIf that is too much, or not enough
Ferragudo
- Ferragudo town centre
- Angrinha beach
- Grande beach
- Church
Flat river road, cobbles in the old centre
Worth knowing · The castle at the river mouth, São João de Arade, is privately owned. You photograph it from the beach and that is as close as anybody gets.
Carvoeiro
- Carvoeiro beach
- Fort of Our Lady of the Incarnation
- Algar Seco
- Paradise beach
Quiet back roads, a short climb into town
Worth knowing · Algar Seco is ten minutes east of the beach along the clifftop boardwalk: eroded sandstone with two holes worn through it that everyone calls A Boneca, the doll.