Coimbra to Lisbon Cycling — Self-Launched

Arrive in Coimbra by train from Porto (about 1h, £10–14) or Lisbon (about 2h, £18–25) and check into a guesthouse in the old town/baixa area. Spend the evening wandering the cobbled lanes of the Alta, the riverfront Parque Verde do Mondego, and the steep stairways around the Sé Velha. Pick up any last bits at a supermarket before your riding days begin.

🚌Train from Porto (~£12) or Lisbon (~£22)

🛏Guesthouse or small budget hotel in Coimbra old town (double from £30–45, dorms from £18)

• →Explore Coimbra old town on foot
• →Sunset along the Mondego river

Collect your rental bike today (independent shops like those around Rua da Sofia rent hybrids from roughly £15–20/day; weekly rates are cheaper — many also deliver to your guesthouse). Test-ride along the Mondego cycle path to check gears and brakes. Then sightsee: the Joanina Library and university tower (combined ticket ~£12), the Machado de Castro Museum in the old Bishop's Palace (~£6), and the Santa Clara-a-Velha monastery. In the evening catch a live fado performance — small local bars in the Alta host nightly sets for £8–15, cheaper and more intimate than a staged dinner show.

🚌On foot / bike

🛏Guesthouse or small budget hotel in Coimbra old town

• →Collect rental bike and test ride
• →Joanina Library and University of Coimbra
• →Machado de Castro Museum
• →Live fado in a Coimbra bar

Ride out of Coimbra down the fertile Mondego valley, past farmland and rice fields, on quiet back roads. Break at Montemor-o-Velho for lunch and a look at its hilltop castle (free to walk the walls, small charge for the keep), a monument predating Portugal itself. Continue west to the coast, finishing at Figueira da Foz and its long sandy beach. Evening seafood dinner near the marina.

🚌Bike 53 km; luggage by pre-booked taxi transfer (~£25 total, or ride with a daypack only)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Figueira da Foz (from £35–50 double)

• →Cycle the Mondego valley
• →Montemor-o-Velho castle
• →Figueira da Foz beach promenade

Follow the flat coastal cycle path south through the immense Leiria pine forest, with the salty Atlantic breeze on one side and resin-scented pines on the other. Stop at Lagoa da Ervedeira for a swim and a picnic, and take a break at Praia do Pedrógão among the forested dunes. Finish in the low-key fishing village of Praia da Vieira.

🚌Bike 44 km; luggage by pre-booked taxi transfer (~£30)

🛏Guesthouse or surf hostel in Praia da Vieira (from £30–45 double, dorms from £16)

• →Leiria pine forest cycle path
• →Lagoa da Ervedeira swim
• →Praia do Pedrógão beach stop

Ride the Estrada Atlântica south through what remains of the 15th-century Leiria National Forest, planted to supply Portugal's shipyards in the Age of Discoveries. Leave the trees at São Pedro de Moel, then bay-hop down the coast into Nazaré. Climb to the Sítio clifftop for the classic view over the red-roofed village and the crashing Atlantic below.

🚌Bike 38 km; luggage by pre-booked taxi transfer (~£30)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Nazaré (from £35–55 double; book ahead in summer)

• →Estrada Atlântica ride
• →São Pedro de Moel
• →Sítio clifftop viewpoint and Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré

A full day off the saddle. Walk the seafront where fishermen mend nets and sardines dry, and visit the Museu do Traje e do Peixe (small entry fee) to understand the town's fishing culture. Cross to Praia do Norte to see the giant-wave zone made famous by the Nazaré canyon — winter swells have produced the biggest ridden waves in history. Fresh grilled sardines or a seafood plate for dinner; the beachfront at sunset is the place to be.

🚌On foot (local funicular/stairs between beach and Sítio, ~£1.50)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Nazaré

• →Praia do Norte (giant waves viewpoint)
• →Fishermen's beach and dry-fish racks
• →Seafood dinner on the promenade

An easier day heading south via charming São Martinho do Porto, whose almost-enclosed shell-shaped bay is perfect for a lunch and a swim. A coast road then carries you on to the tranquil Óbidos lagoon at Foz do Arelho, where the water shifts between emerald and topaz depending on the sandbar and light. Perfect evening for a lagoon-side sunset.

🚌Bike 27 km; luggage by pre-booked taxi transfer (~£30)

🛏Guesthouse in Foz do Arelho (from £40–55 double)

• →São Martinho do Porto bay swim
• →Óbidos lagoon at Foz do Arelho
• →Sunset over the lagoon

Your shortest day on two wheels, leaving time for a morning at the beach before rolling out past little fishing boats and along the valley towards the hilltop town. Óbidos is one of Portugal's most complete walled settlements — whitewashed houses inside flower-splashed alleys, and a castle wall you can walk (free, no handrails, watch your step). Try ginjinha, the sour cherry liqueur often served in a chocolate cup (~£1.50), and stay inside the walls for the atmosphere.

🚌Bike 15 km

🛏Small guesthouse inside the walls of Óbidos (from £45–65 double)

• →Beach morning at Foz do Arelho
• →Walk the Óbidos castle walls
• →Sample ginjinha in a chocolate cup

One last wander around Óbidos in the early morning light, then ride or transfer to Caldas da Rainha or Óbidos station and take the regional train to Lisbon (Óbidos/Caldas line, change at Cacém or take the direct service, roughly £6–10, ~2h). Arrive in the capital and check into a hostel or budget hotel in Baixa, Alfama or Bairro Alto. Evening stroll down to Praça do Comércio and the riverside.

🚌Bike to station + regional train to Lisbon (~£8)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lisbon (dorms from £20, private double from £45)

• →Morning in Óbidos
• →Train to Lisbon
• →Evening by the Tagus

Start at São Jorge Castle for panoramic views over the city and Tagus (entry ~£12, or view for free from the Miradouros de Santa Luzia and Graça). Wind down through Alfama, Lisbon's oldest quarter, with its tiled facades and Fado drifting out of doorways — the Sé Cathedral and the Feira da Ladra flea market (Tuesdays and Saturdays) are both worth the detour. Ride Tram 28 outside rush hour or just walk; the streets are the point.

🚌Tram 28 / metro / on foot (day pass ~£6)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lisbon

• →São Jorge Castle
• →Alfama walking tour
• →Feira da Ladra flea market
• →Miradouro viewpoints

Catch the Sintra line train from Rossio (~45 mins, £4.50 return). Pre-book Pena Palace (~£18) and Quinta da Regaleira gardens (~£12) online to avoid queues, then wander the old town and try travesseiros and queijadas from Piriquita. If you'd rather have sea air, take the Cascais line instead for the promenade, the Boca do Inferno and Fortaleza de Cascais. Back in Lisbon for a final dinner — grilled bacalhau or bifana.

🚌Rossio–Sintra train (~£4.50 return)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lisbon

• →Pena Palace
• →Quinta da Regaleira
• →Sintra old town and pastries
• →Alternative: Cascais coast

Depending on your flight, squeeze in one last pastéis de nata and a final look down the Tagus before heading to Humberto Delgado Airport on the metro (Aeroporto line, ~£2) or a Bolt/Uber (~£10–15). Return your bike before departure if you didn't ride it into Lisbon, or arrange drop-off with the rental shop you used in Coimbra.

🚌Metro to Lisbon Airport (~£2)

🛏—

• →Pastéis de nata breakfast
• →Metro to airport