Along The River and The Market Private Tour

LISBON HALF DAY PRIVATE BIKE TOUR

Friends and family that play together, stay together. That’s why we offer any tour as private. It’s your trip, with your group, on your schedule. Pick your date and ride, and we’ll reserve it for you alone. Act now to lock in your date while it’s open, and take advantage of our private pricing. It’s perfect, and perfectly personal.

Pedal with us through the most renowned sites of our capital city. We refuse to pass generic info, that you can find on the web. From day one of this adventure, we use funny episodes to tell you about the main and most interesting intimate stories of Lisbon. In the words of a Cyclinglisbon fan: “This tour is also about Smiles, not Miles”

After descending the main boulevard and pausing to taste the traditional Ginginha, you’ll be in the center of the action to witness the daily hustle of the locals and the African descendants bartering on the street.

Get to know the vibrant and lively old Market, the primary choice for ingredient collecting for some of our well know Chefs. Time for a pause, to chat with the vendors and a chance for you to buy some fruit, always accompanied by the tastes and smells coming from the stalls.

The river and a flat bike lane will now transport us and our bikes, as if it was a conveyer belt, to what used to be the main Gate for the loaded vessels coming into Europe.

Whether you want to maximize the amount of downtown Lisbon that you experience, want to learn a whole lot about what is behind our city, or just want to have an utter blast, come ride with us on our most popular tour.

More interested in a private tour that shows more of Lisbon as well as a ride along a cork forest? Try the City of the Senses Private Tour.

Why take THIS tour, Why THIS tour with Cycling Lisbon?

We have fine tuned this tour since we started this adventure and we commit to making it better every day. By the end of the tour you’ll have a brand new understanding of Portuguese culture and history in the capital city – and know a damn good place to find your next meal!

Our tours are up-close and personal, so you won’t have a problem understanding your guide and learning whatever else you may ask.

Who might not enjoy our tours?

We made a list of 2 types of people who may not enjoy our tours.

#1 says: “People who want everything organized perfectly from day one to the final departure.” This tour visit markets and other public places, which means it can be chaotic. We bike through a capital city of almost 1 million people and you can expect the unexpected Meet all the 2 types of people who may not enjoy our tours.

Tour Details

Start Time – 10 am or choose your schedule
Price – 57€ (Ask for a discount with groups over 4)
Duration – 3 hours – Do you prefer a Full Day Private Tour?
Availability – everyday (call or email us to book)
Start –the upper part of park Eduardo 7th, you can spot an enormous flag of Portugal, we will be right at the flag post. The adress:
Alameda Cardeal Cerejeira
Finish – In front of the Presidential Palace, Belém district

Distance – 9 km
Difficulty – Relaxed. But be confident on the streets with your bike.
What to Bring – Only yourself and comfy clothes
Inclusions – Helmet, Nata pastry, bottle of water, Cherry Liqueur, admission to go up the Arco da Rua Augusta, sunscreen, bilingual guide and your machine (bike)
Not included – Pick-up

Tour Itinerary

10:00 am: We will spend some time getting to know each other and the bikes. Once you are kitted out with helmets we begin our pedaling through Lisbon.

10:30 am: As a result of the destruction of the greater part of the city by the 1755 earthquake – the most violent registered in history – a complex reconstruction scheme was imposed by the commanding figure Marquês de Pombal.

Here we will tell you about this main part of the city but doing such in funny episodes and bringing up to the conversation unexpected details that made all the difference.

Terreiro do Paço

11:10 am: Why did we built such a huge square here? The King had to have control over the spices, silk and other goods that were transforming Lisbon into the wealthiest capital in Europe (for a certain time…).

What better than have the Palace built by the river, the dock and the customs next door? It´s good to be the King and collect the taxes!

We will go up to the top of the Big Arch you can see in the picture.

Ribeira Market

11:30 am: Follow the lead of locals and come for a browse in the main market. You probably heard about the sucess of the recently opened Ribeira Market food court.

Now, do you know where do these famous chefs buy the ingredients
for their restaurants? That´s right, in the old and original market under the same roof and we will explore the daily show of fresh fish, locally farmed fruit and veg.

Witness how the renovation and the new riverside promenade helped boost the wining and dining scene in the hip Cais do Sodre area where 14 restaurants and bars have opened up in the past year.

Ciclovia

12:00 am: Beautiful and romantic: a new set of bike paths placed next to the Tejo river, are tatooed with phrases and poems by famous Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa.

While it would seem a little strange to read while pedaling you will witness that it´s very relaxing.

6 km of pure joy on a bicycle!

Belém

12:50 am: Once upon a time there was a King who wanted to turn a hermitage into a monastery. The King was Manuel, the date was 1501 and part of the money for the work on the monastery came from the flourishing trade that followed Portugal maritime discoveries.

Appropriately enough, the monastery is a prime example of the Manueline style. But the most exciting moment was the extinction of the religious orders in 1834, so the monks left the monastery and opened a pastry shop next door: our beloved Pastel de Nata was born.

The Tour ends in Belém area, a district you don´t want to miss. There are Unesco World Heritage sites and we will explain you about the different places for you to visit. It is definitely worth it! And because there´s nothing worse than being starving, we will also give you recommendations on places to eat. From Belém back to Lisbon centre there are public transportation options available (bus, train and tram), we will point you out where they are located.