PORTO – BY BIKE

After returning from Pingo Doce, we decided to go for a bike ride. We had heard that Porto’s riverfront bike route to Foz was one of the best urban bike rides in Europe — perhaps another one of those Portuguese exaggerations — but we are always up for a new bike ride.  Everyone we talked to recommended we get a bike down by the river (Ribeira/Miragaia), not up in the center of town, so we avoided the steep and slippery cobblestone descents.

There are several excellent bike rental shops right on, or very close to, the riverfront so that you can roll straight onto the bike path.  We went with a rental company called Vieguini, slightly east along the waterfront, which required a bit of a longer walk but was still ideal.  They had a huge inventory of excellent electric bikes and a smooth rental process. We were riding in less than thirty minutes.

The bike route — it’s definitely not a trail — follows the Douro River all the way to the Atlantic, with continuous views and minimal elevation gain. It’s 4-6 miles each way, depending on how far you go. There really is no end because you aren’t on an actual trail. The bridge in Matosinhos is the logical endpoint. The surface of the ciclovia (bike path) is paved with bumpy cobblestones; it’s impossible to get lost because you just follow the river west, and there’s never a dull moment.

We started at (Ribeira / Miragaia) and rolled out under the bridges linking Porto and Gaia, passing old warehouses and riverfront cafés. For the first mile or so, it was a bit unsettling to be riding/bouncing down the middle of an active tram line. We had to stop and pull over several times to let a tiny, toy-like tram pass.

The mid-section (Massarelos → Foz) was the best stretch. The uneven cobblestones gave way to a wide promenade — though still not a dedicated bike trail — with an interesting mix of walkers, runners, and cyclists. It was calm and very scenic, and quite refreshing to get away from the busy road and get closer to the river. We were done dodging the trams until our return ride.

The final stretch (Foz do Douro) is where the river meets the ocean, and there are rocky beaches and seaside overlooks. This section was the closest we came to riding on a bike trail, but it was really just a very wide sidewalk. A circular, white, Guggenheim-like building stood at the water’s edge like a spaceship. It’s the modern cruise ship terminal, the primary gateway for ocean cruise liners visiting northern Portugal. It features a strikingly modern, award-winning central building designed by architect Luís Pedro Silva, which resembles a twisted, tile-covered white concrete ribbon and also houses a marine research center.

From here, we continued north along the coast toward the heart of Matosinhos on a dedicated coastal cycle path.  This area had a sort of strange Cubist feel, with big, modern apartment buildings and wide beaches — lots of right angles and snap, crackle, pop. We felt like we were riding through one of those surrealist Chirico paintings.

The route ended at a wide causeway filled with transport vessels and fishing boats.  Matosinhos is a vibrant coastal city celebrated as the seafood and culinary capital of northern Portugal. Hugging the Atlantic coast just north of Porto, it smoothly transitions from a bustling maritime shipping port to a lively beach destination famed for its expansive golden sands and world-class surfing conditions. The area is lined with seafood restaurants, selling fresh-off-the-boat fish, clams, and squid. We ate at an outdoor table at an amazing place on the main drag called O Antonio — definitely the best eatery we sampled in Portugal. There were more small, family-run seafood restaurants in this area than I had ever seen anywhere on earth.

It took us about an hour to ride back to the bike rental shop.  We ended up paying $50 for four hours, and the electric bikes were outstanding. There’s something almost addictive about electric bikes.  It’s hard not to keep juicing the power, getting that effortless rush.

Having ridden my bike twice across the United States, I know a bit about cycling. And while I don’t want to be too critical, Portugal is not really a fun biking destination. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of tour companies that will drive you around the country in vans and cut you loose, but it looked sketchy at best.

According to AI, tour-specific data is unavailable, but national transport authorities monitor general bicycle and road safety metrics:

• National Bike Accidents: The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) reported over 2,500 minor injuries, 138 serious injuries, and 23 fatalities involving bicycles nationwide during recent comparative tracking periods.
• General Road Risk: Broad traffic fatality rates in Portugal sit slightly above the European Union average (around 52 to 54 deaths per million inhabitants).
• Touring Safety: Commercial bike tour operators generally utilize low-traffic coastal paths or dedicated gravel and secondary routes to minimize vehicle interaction, though independent or mixed-traffic cycling requires heightened defensive awareness.

If you Google the best trails the country has to offer, they highlight the same three trails, and I use the word trail in the loosest sense of the word. They all lead you to the trail/route we took in Porto, and they spin a rather nice description. Porto to Matosinhos (Atlantic Coast Route): An easy, flat 7.3-mile ride. Perfect for catching ocean breezes along the northern coastline.

Then they recommend Ecovia do Litoral (Algarve): A 133-mile route connecting Cabo de São Vicente to Vila Real de Santo António, passing cliffs and beaches. Yeah, well, maybe. From what we saw, the coastal roads along the Algarve are narrow and extremely busy, with very few shoulders and a zillion crazy roundabouts. Much of this trail is gravel. We only saw a couple of cyclists outside the towns along Portugal’s southern coast during our stay.

And the final ride they offer is absolutely nuts unless you are in Tour de France shape. Douro Valley Loops: Winding river roads that slice through world-famous terraced wine vineyards. There are hairpin turns, no shoulders, lots of traffic (including buses and trucks), and the steep, nearly vertical hills were almost too much for a combustion engine.

It takes a special kind of fearless lunatic to ride a bike in most of Europe, so Portugal shouldn’t feel too bad. But in my opinion, if you must ride a bike in Portugal, stick to the cities. And ALWAYS wear a helmet!