Road bike tours in the centre of Portugal: Climbing through deserted mountain landscapes
Sven Bremer
· 23.11.2024
Sometimes Paulo Coelho gets on his racing bike and rides to the Algarve "because he wants to eat fresh fish from the sea", explains his mate Manuel, rolling his eyes and indicating his opinion with windscreen wiper movements in front of his face. "That's crazy, you have a racing bike paradise right on your doorstep and then you ride so far away," says Manuel, looking over at Paulo with a challenging look. He just smiles quietly. The man is at peace with himself - even in the saddle - and doesn't seem to care what Manuel thinks of his trips to the sea. And no, Paulo Coelho is not the famous writer, but he has the same name.
Perhaps we need to explain a little more about the trips to the Algarve. Paulo starts his tours in the Serra da Estrela, in the middle of Portugal; from there it's a good 500 kilometres to the Atlantic. He drives more or less in one go, preferably at night when the roads are clear and it's not so hot. But 500 kilometres just to eat fresh fish? You can't be that crazy!
You can see Paulo's eyes sparkling behind his rimless glasses. "That's true, even for me there's no better cycling region than the Serra da Estrela. But sometimes you just have to break away. As the saying goes: the journey is the reward, and if you believe in yourself, you can push yourself beyond your limits." And the fish in the Algarve, he explains with a connoisseur's expression, is really good.
For me, there is actually no more beautiful cycling region than the Serra da Estrela. But you have to break out sometimes. - Paulo Coelho
Road bike tour Portugal: going beyond the limit
You can also push yourself to the limit and beyond in the Serra da Estrela. The routes around the Torre, the highest peak on the Portuguese mainland at 1993 metres, are beautiful - and really challenging. On the very first lap through the Serra, the climbs are so steep that I constantly need the lowest gear ratio. I'm glad that there are hardly any cars on the roads, so I can at least zigzag and ease the brutal gradient a little. Paulo, who accompanies me, seems to know no limits at all. As I gasp for breath, he smiles and tells me about his zen moments on the road bike on a ramp that is at least 15 per cent steep.
Landscapes thousands of years old
"When I'm on my bike in the Serra da Estrela, I come completely round. Then I take in the landscape with all my senses and am simply happy." Legend has it that the "Star Mountains" got their name because a young shepherd was once guided to the highest peak by a star. He is said to have settled there with his animals and communed at night with his star, the brightest and most beautiful in the firmament. A king heard about this and promised the shepherd enormous riches if he would give him the star. But the shepherd refused, preferring to continue living in the lonely mountains with his star as his friend and companion. The shepherd has long since died, but the brightest of all stars is said to return every night and search for the shepherd. So the legend goes.
Shepherds still wander through the Serra da Estrela with their sheep and goats, which was recognised by UNESCO as a World Geopark in 2020. A landscape formed more than ten thousand years ago by the glaciers of the most recent ice age; the glaciers pushed huge masses of stone in front of them and ground the mountains round. When the ice melted, thousands and thousands of granite blocks were left behind, which the glaciers had carried with them and polished round. These erratic blocks characterise the face of the Serra today. They look as if giants had rolled or hurled them through the air in a wild, archaic game. Sometimes they are no taller than a man, sometimes they reach the dimensions of a skyscraper.
No driving up
"Look here," Paulo Coelho calls out to me, "that stone looks like a lion, this one looks like a rhinoceros and that one looks like a rabbit." And he explains to me that his surname, translated into German, means "rabbit". It is June and, as every year at this time, the granite blocks are surrounded by the yellow of the flowering broom. From the sea of flowers, the blocks, which are actually grey, sparkle like huge pieces of gold, as the morning sun makes the quartz crystals in the granite glisten wonderfully.
As much as my thighs may burn, this landscape makes up for all the exertion. Nevertheless, the next day I am still exhausted from the tour through the northern part of the nature park. So I decide to take the easiest of three possible approaches to the 1993 metre high Torre. South of my location in Manteigas, a road leads through the Vale Glaciar do Zêzere, the longest glacial valley in Europe at 13 kilometres, to the Torre. But after a few kilometres, I come across a road sign: the ascent is forbidden for cyclists, apparently because boulders have crashed onto the road from the slopes.
Cyclists coming from the Torre are still allowed to ride down the road to Manteigas, but not to climb up. So instead of climbing the Torre directly southwards, you have to change your plans and first turn northwards, then make a wide arc westwards and finally southwards to reach the summit. However, even with this option, the ascent begins immediately after Manteigas, where nine hairpin bends cover around 750 metres in altitude. At first, I climb through dense mixed forests, where wolves are said to roam alongside wild boar.
Road bike tour Portugal: Up to the roof of the world
At higher altitudes, heather grows in the barren rocky desert alongside the ubiquitous gorse. Lizards sunbathe on the rocks and two birds of prey circle in the sky. From the small road that winds its way westwards along a mountain flank, the nearest town of Sabugueiro is not yet visible, but you can see for kilometres to the north, and later westwards into the plain. Behind the sleepy village of Sabugueiro, which lies at an altitude of around 1050 metres and falsely describes itself as the highest village in Portugal, there are almost a thousand metres of elevation gain through an archaic, alpine-looking mountain landscape up to the Torre.
For the locals, this mountain is the "roof of the world"; below the summit, skiers can even enjoy themselves in winter on the only halfway serious piste in Portugal. In summer, the Torre is more of a forgotten, somewhat desolate place. A bare summit with a wide asphalt plateau, two towers of anachronistic-looking radar stations, a few souvenir shops, in front of which a few seasonal workers hang around, tinkling boredly on their mobile phones. Their sheepskins, hats, sausages and colourful ceramics seem to be shelf warmers.
Off to the Serra do Açor
After two routes through the Serra da Estrela, I move on to the Serra do Açor, which I would describe as its little sister. It's not quite as high up there as in the Star Mountains, and the landscape is perhaps a little less spectacular, but on neither of the two tours did I regret my decision in favour of the Açor Mountains. And quite often, when I turned my gaze northwards, I could see the Torre peeking out of the clouds in the distance.
At the Quinta da Palmeira, a pretty country hotel in the small village of Cerdeira, I meet António Queiroz to get a few tips for my tours through the Serra do Açor. António has changed his career: He used to work as a dentist and now organises road bike tours in the region. "Do you know what people ask us when they've ridden the routes?" António asks me. He laughs and gives the answer himself: "They actually ask us if we've closed the roads to car traffic just for them." The question may sound daft - or at least naive - but you can understand it a little, given how lonely the area is.
Road bike tour Portugal: Deserted in the centre
In the centre of Portugal, life is not pulsating, it seems to have come to a standstill. "For racing cyclists, of course, it's something thoroughly positive to have so little traffic," says António, "but basically it's a huge problem and a huge challenge for the whole of Portugal that people are moving away from here." In Cerdeira, the starting point for my tours into the Serra do Açor, the village community still seems to function.
But if you listen or look closely, there are a lot of British, German, Swiss and Scandinavian newcomers at the village festival, even at the traditional and ritual dances over burning herbs. On my second day in Cerdeira, for example, I am approached by Andrew. The Brit wants to know whether I have bought a house here and whether we are now new neighbours. I have to disappoint him and explain that I came here to ride my racing bike. This is followed by a combination of F-words and the question of whether I'm completely crazy. Yes, says Andrew, the landscape is "really marvellous", but he would prefer to explore the area by car and proudly points to his monstrous SUV in the driveway. Andrew weighs an estimated 120 kilograms and exercise would certainly do him good.
Tourism prospects in rural Portugal
But I already know what he means. I'm certainly glad that I no longer have to chase Paulo and can ride at my own pace, especially on the climbs. Because the climbs in the Serra do Açor are also tough. Again and again, I have to climb up from the deeply cut and wooded valleys to one of the nameless passes that lead over the barren mountains. Saving the villages in the centre of Portugal is now even part of the EU programme called "rural revival", which aims to offer rural areas a perspective through tourism and halt depopulation. However, the financial resources for this are rather modest. Most of the money is being channelled into the restoration of the traditional slate villages, the so-called "Aldeias do Xisto".
While in the Serra da Estrela the light grey granite stones are the traditional building material for the typical houses of the region, in the Serra do Açor it is the dark slate that characterises the image of the historic buildings. Fajão is one of these picture-book villages where EU aid has clearly had an impact.
I can barely get a seat at the O Pascoal restaurant. The landlord recommends the regional speciality chanfana, goat meat marinated in herbs and red wine, but I opt for the trout - and think of Paulo Coelho, who travelled 500 kilometres for fresh fish from the Atlantic. In four days in the Serras in the centre of Portugal, I covered just 400 kilometres. An exhausting, but also magnificent 400 kilometres. But I could bet Paulo that I like the trout just as much as he likes his fish from the Algarve.
Info about the Road bike tour Portugal
Journey
- Car: It is around 2,100 kilometres from Frankfurt to the Centro de Portugal. The best route leads via Orleans and Bordeaux across France and finally via San Sebastián in the Basque Country and Valladolid and Salamanca in Spain to the centre of Portugal. In addition to the petrol costs, there is a toll of around 150 euros for the outward and return journey.
- Flight: Several airlines fly directly to Lisbon from Germany. If you book in good time, you can fly there and back for less than 300 euros. It is around 300 kilometres from Lisbon to Manteigas, our location in the Serra da Estrela.
- Railway: Not recommended, complicated and lengthy: at least 40 hours and five changes, especially if you want to take your own racing bike, which excludes some trains.
Time zone
Western European time applies in Portugal. The clock must be set back by one hour.
Best time to travel
The best times for road bike tours in the Região Centro are May, June, September and October. The climate in the Serra da Estrela differs from that on the coast, as the Atlantic influence is hardly noticeable inland. Summers are dry and warm, but not as blisteringly hot as in the Alentejo, for example. Most of the rain falls from November to March and the snow line in winter is around 1,000 metres above sea level.
Don't miss it!
Granfondo
The Granfondo Serra da Estrela has been taking place in the region at the end of June for almost ten years. Those who tackle the 154-kilometre route with start and finish in Manteigas through the central mountain range have to conquer 4,200 metres in altitude, while the route of the "Mediofondo" still has 2,800 metres in altitude.
Historic villages
There are hardly any classic sights in this remote region. However, our tours take you through some of the historic slate villages (Aldeias do Xisto) such as Podão, Benfeita, Vila Cova de Alva or Fajão. If you are travelling in MTB shoes rather than classic road cycling shoes, you can take a stroll through the alleyways of these villages.
Food and drink
The speciality of the Serra da Estrela is Queijo da Serra, a sheep's milk cheese that is served in all imaginable consistencies, from creamy to rock-hard, depending on how long it has been stored. It has a rather strong flavour, made only from sheep's milk, salt and the rennet of a type of thistle, and is best enjoyed with something sweet, such as fig jam. Otherwise, hearty meat and stew dishes dominate the menus of the mountain region. They include kid (cabrito), wild boar (javalí), suckling pig (leitão à bairrada), rabbit (coelho), stews such as feijoca à Senhora do Monte with beans and meat as well as sausage specialities such as farinheiras and morcelas.
No wine grows in the barren Serra, but grapes grow in the hills around Cerdeira, from which a simple country wine is made. In almost every bar, you can get delicious snacks and almost always a toast with cheese and cooked ham (tosta mista) for little money during the cycle tours. The prices in the bars of the sparsely populated region are very reasonable: an espresso often costs less than one euro and even the Feierabend Sagres or Superbock is often available for less than 1.50 euros (0.33 litres).
Accommodation
Manteigas
Vila Galé Serra da Estrel: Located just outside Manteigas, this modern four-star hotel has a pool, fitness centre, sauna and spa. Double room with breakfast from 150 euros.
Cerdeira
Quinta da Palmeira: Highly recommended country hotel, run by a Portuguese woman and a Dutch man. Modern, cosy rooms, good food, pool and spa. Double room with breakfast from 120 euros.
Bike service
Seia
Serra da Estrela Cycling Centre: Bike shop with racing bike hire. Wilier bikes, for example, cost between 133 and 158 euros for five days, depending on the equipment.
Info
- Official tourism portals of Portugal, Centro de Portugal (both in German): visitportugal.com; centreofportugal.com
- Organiser of hiking and cycling tours in Portugal: portugal-a2z.com
Map
"Centro Portugal", 1:250,000, Turinta-Verlag 2010; 10.90 euros, available for example from freytagberndt.de
Tour characteristics
The road from Manteigas to the west, the N232, is probably one of the most winding roads in Europe. It's a dream to drive down, but if you're climbing up, you'll definitely suffer. The Serra da Estrela is a territory for climbing goats and mountain fleas; everyone else should make sure they have the right gearing for the long climbs and the sometimes brutally steep ramps. The road surface is mostly good, but you will often be shaken up on historic cobblestones when passing through towns.
The mostly bare peaks of the Serra do Açor are often only half as high as the Torre in the Serra da Estrela, but anyone who thinks it is less strenuous there is very much mistaken: the constant ups and downs add up to even more metres in altitude than around the Torre. Sometimes you are travelling on towel-width roads, many of which are in top condition, but a few are real rumble strips. The biggest advantage of the region - especially in the Serra do Açor - apart from the fantastic landscape: sometimes you won't see a single car for hours.
For orientation in Portugal
The Serra da Estrela (Star Mountains), located almost 300 kilometres north-east of Lisbon, is the westernmost part of the Iberian Sheath Mountains and belongs to the Região (region) Centro and there to the sub-region Beiras e Serra da Estrela, which borders Extremadura and thus Spain to the east. The Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela was established in 1976 and covers an area of 1000 square kilometres, making it Portugal's largest protected area.
The highest peak in the Serra da Estrela is the 1993 metre high Torre, the highest elevation on the Portuguese mainland (the highest mountain in Portugal is the 2351 metre high Ponta do Pico on the Azores island of Pico). To the south of the Serra da Estrela is the Serra do Açor, with peaks that mostly rise only around a thousand metres into the sky. Parts of this lonely and sparsely populated mountain landscape are also protected.
Road bike tour Portugal: The four tours in detail
Tour 1: Lonely, lonelier, Serra do Açor
86 kilometres | 2300 vertical metres | max. 16 % gradient
From Cerdeira via Côja up and down to Folques, where a longer climb begins with an average gradient of seven per cent. Past the old Selada das Eiras forester's lodge to the slate village of Fajão, where you can savour wonderful regional dishes in the O Pascoal restaurant. Although the food is so delicious, you should take it easy, because after lunch there are three more climbs of around 1000 metres each. After a little over 70 kilometres through the almost deserted Serra do Açor, the last pass of this tour is reached and all that remains is the thrilling 13-kilometre descent back to Cerdeira.
Tour 2: Slate villages and bare peaks
103 kilometres | 2100 vertical metres | max. 15 % gradient
From Cerdeira to Côja, from where a moderately busy country road leads through the Rio Alva valley before a tiny road branches off behind Vide and climbs to Piódão, the most famous of the historic slate villages. From the nameless pass behind the village, you have a magnificent panoramic view of the bare peaks of the Serra do Açor. Back down to an altitude of around 600 metres to tackle the last climb of the day to just over 1000 metres. After 87 kilometres, we leave the N344, which leads directly back to Cerdeira, for a nice diversions. We branch off onto a road to Benfeita, where we rumble over cobblestones for around two kilometres. The last few kilometres back to Cerdeira are mostly downhill on a well-maintained country road.
Tour 3: Glacier valley and distant views
74 kilometres | 1900 vertical metres | max. 13 % gradient
Because the ascent to the Torre through the Vale Glaciar do Zêzere was closed to cyclists after a landslide during our visit in summer 2024, we had to change our plans and climb up the many hairpin bends on the N232, first through dense mixed forest and later before Sabugueiro with magnificent views towards the Atlantic. After the sleepy mountain village, there were almost 20 kilometres uphill through a breathtaking high mountain landscape to the Torre and the descent through the valley of the Zêzere glacier - because unlike the ascent, this was not closed to cyclists.
Tour 4: Monster climbs and monster rocks
89 kilometres | 2000 vertical metres | max. 18 % gradient
From Manteigas, the first few kilometres lead slightly downhill through the valley of the Rio Zêzere before a small road branches off in Valhelhas, which turns out to be a monster after Famalicão, as the road climbs in long ramps of up to 18 percent. Before Videmonte, the same climbing game before you hurtle down into the valley and ideally take a break in Linhares (1.5 kilometres south of the route). After Folgosinho, the climbing continues. It leads us through a deserted and, as the altitude increases, almost treeless mountain landscape interspersed with rocks. After a good 80 kilometres, we reach the winding N232 road and enjoy the descent down to the starting point of Manteigas.
- You can find these and many other tours at touren.bike-magazin.de
- Direct access to the four routes via QR code
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