Exploring the city park and the waterfront of Porto​ As a tourist I visited many cities in Europe and in some I opted for a bicycle tour on the first day of my stay. This is such a wonderful way to have a solid overview of more than just the historic centre and escape the busy tourist attractions during the day. It is also a way to share an active day or half-day with your partner, family or friends, especially those who are not into running - or not willing to take you up on that 7AM sunrise running tour you had in mind...! In the next lines I will pinpoint a few reasons why a bicycle tour + (maybe) a running tour + the city of Porto are actually the perfect combination! Cycling in downtown PORTO...
...is not a safe or a comfortable experience... an attempt at doing that will earn you a free unsolicited 'massage' from riding up and down those steep cobblestoned streets in the historic centre, where there's not a single cycling lane... During the day, you'll also have to face traffic and large groups of tourists who get dumped in the city's main attractions, as part of their shore excursions from the oceanic and river cruises... so....
...to avoid all that, a relaxed bike ride to the waterfront and the city park (located at the northern limit) is an alternative programme I usually recommend to most visitors.
My opinion: it's better to have an early AM running tour in the city centre, beating the crowds to it and then, later - or the next day, for the not so athletic - heading out on that bike tour with others! Porto Running Tours has recently partnered up with Bai de Bicla, a local bike rental shop, to provide bike tours to that part of town with a knowledgeable local guide and comfortable city bicycles. This way you virtually won't miss out on any of the areas where locals run or bike and you also don't have to worry about navigating there and back to the centre. Bike-riding and running complement each other
The map above is meant to illustrate the different areas we help exploring with the running tours and with this brand new 'parks&waterfront' bike tour. Rather than overlapping, the areas are complementary. Porto is a small-sized and compact city and therefore both can be explored in just one day of biking and running! Think of it as a really relaxed guided duathlon that provides a full perspective of the city :) Or the only way to keep a good conscience when there were a ton of local food and wine tastings you had to endure during the previous days...!! :)
About the bike tour
There's two starting time options: 10AM and 3PM. All tours start & end at Bai de Bicla,​ Rua de Cedofeita, 27 (city centre) and cover around 18 kms /11.2 miles in about 3 hours. The pace will be easy and accessible to all and the group must ride together the whole time. There are some stops for sharing information, a few fun stories and, of course, there will be time to take in the scenery.
These are group tours and you will have other people joining you on this activity. The launching price per person is at 25.Eur. and all tours are held in English. ​ ​If you made up your mind already:
This will redirect you to our partner's website
Comments are closed.
|
Autor/Author
Sérgio é o fundador da Porto Running Tours, corre regularmente desde 1999 e desde 2015 que guia visitas em corrida na Invicta enquanto revela algumas das suas mais fascinantes histórias. Categories
All
Archives
October 2022
PORTO RUNNING TOURSWe're passionate about running and passionate about Porto! REVIEWSWE'RE LISTED ONYour gateway to fun and unique running tours worldwide.
We practice sustainable tourism!
|