Atlantic Coasting - 3 weeks
Western Spain (Galicia) and Portugal

On this page, you'll find...

• ...a description of the trip,
• a thumbnail itinerary with links to the detailed region-by-region routes that it follows, and...
• ...prices and departure dates.
  

A whimsical excursion in western Europe’s farthest outpost.  You are riding to the west of Dublin and the south of Naples, 1,000 miles from Paris.  This isolation pays off in unspoiled scenery and villages where touring bikes are as rare as spaceships (and your helmet completes the illusion)....

The rugged lands along the ocean, cut off by mountains from Spain, turn seaward.  Seafood aficionados will be delighted, even far inland. Architecture also reflects the ocean, influenced by explorers who set sail for “new worlds” returning with culinary and cultural surprises (and whatever else they could stuff in their pockets).  Tiny Portugal was once the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nation!

En route treats include glorious cities:  Santiago de Compostela and Lisbon; Coimbra and her University (founded in 1291, it was a contemporary of Oxford); “local” music, with overtones African to Celtic; port tasting in the city that gave the wine its name; and the scenic joys of two national parks.  Boa Viagem!