The mythical N2: bicycling Portugal from north to south
- Datasista
- 22 hours ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Estrada Nacional 2 or EN2, often referred to as The Mythical N2, is the old main road in Portugal and by many considered the "Route 66" of Portugal. It stretches 739 kilometers from Chaves in the north to Faro in the south, traversing the entire country. It's actually one of the few roads in the world that crosses an entire country from end to end, making it a unique and iconic route.
Cycling along the N2 will take you through Portugal's diverse landscape, including 11 mountains and 13 rivers. You get to experience historical, cultural and gastronomical highlights as well as some breathtaking panoramic views.
In the summer of 2025, we finally found the time to ride and explore this route. In total, we set aside 15 days between our flights. We chose to ride from north to south, as Faro, where the N2 ends, has an international airport right on the doorstep. Riding south to north and ending in Chaves would mean an additional 190 km to reach Porto, the closest international airport. That said, the route works equally well in either direction.
On this page you can read about our journey along the mythical N2, bicycling Portugal from north to south, and pick up some pointers on what to keep in mind if you're planning to do this ride yourself. Please reach out to us, or comment below, if you have any questions or comments.
Day 1: Porto - Amarante
📏 Distance: 74 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 079 m
🏨 Hotel: Casa das Lerias
Arriving in Porto, we first had to make our way the 190 km northeast up to Chaves, to get to the beginning of N2. We thought this to be nice as a prologue. Considering that this would be the first days of riding in a new country, and also with temperatures quite a bit higher than what we are used to in Norway, we decided to split the 190 km stretch into three days of riding.
The trip out of Porto was a bit hectic and stressful for our taste, with a lot of traffic and intersections. But once we had navigated through this, and got a bit acclimatized to the scorching heat, it became far more pleasant. We ended the day in the old romanesque city Amarante, where we stayed at a hotel close to a beautiful monastery and church.
💡 Be prepared for heavy traffic and a lot of on and off sidewalks when getting out of Porto.
Day 2: Amarante - Vila Real
📏 Distance: 52 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 130 m
🏨 Hotel: Borralha Hotel
With 1 102 meters to climb, crammed into only 50 km, this day turned out to be one of the most demanding ones. Shortly after leaving the hotel, we began our climb up the Serra do Marão mountain range which separates the cities Amarante and Vila Real. During the first 30 km, we climbed almost 900 meters! The views were breathtaking, and we were rewarded with a long descent taking us almost all the way down to Vila Real at the end.
Day 3: Vila Real - Chaves
📏 Distance: 65 km
⛰ Climbs: 510 m
🏨 Hotel: Forte de São Francisco Hotel
From Vila Real, it would have been possible for us to get on the N2 and follow that up to the starting point in Chaves. However, to avoid taking the same route back and forth, we decided to take a gravel road instead. In Portugal, some of the old railroad tracks have been repurposed into eco trails. These often offer scenic views and perhaps most importantly, are closed to cars. If you don't mind getting off the asphalt for some time, these byways are great as alternate routes. We followed the Ecopista do Corgo along the Tamega river, passing old ruins along the way, witnessing a time where the railroad was the main means of transportation.
Day 4: Chaves - Peso da Régua
📏 Distance: 92 km
⛰ Climbs: 980 m
🏨 Hotel: Casa do Salgueiral Douro
Having finally made it to Chaves, we were ready to embark on the N2. We found the roundabout downtown Chaves where the milemarker for N2 is located, took the mandatory picture, and then went on our way. The first 60 km, we just followed the N2 down to Vila Real. Since the Ecopista do Corgo south of Vila Real was such a pleasant experience, we thought it would be a good idea to get back on that eco trail. It continues south of Vila Real, 30 km downhill to Peso de Régua. To our disappointment, the conditions on this stretch were quite different than north of Vila Real. The surface is extremely rough and rocky, and it took us nearly 3.5 hours to complete a measly 30 km. At last, we decided to not risk breaking our bikes, and were lucky to find a path through the bushes to the main road.
💡 Avoid the Ecopista do Corgo south of Vila Real, unless you have a mountain bike. It is simply too rough for a loaded touring bike.
Day 5: Peso da Régua - Viseu
📏 Distance: 85 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 455 m
🏨 Hotel: Pousada De Viseu
This day started with a solid climb, right out of Peso de Régua. The climb is not too steep, but definitively challenging, especially in the blazing sun. It starts at about 60 meters above sea level and ends at about 900 meters above sea level, after 32 km. Luckily there are some shops along the way, where it's possible to buy supplies and get some shelter from the heat. At the top, a fabulous descent awaits, but it is worth noting that the rest of the way to Viseu is not exactly flat. It turned out to be a good choice to keep the pace down and conserve energy in the monster climb at the start of the stretch.
Day 6: Viseu - Aguieira
📏 Distance: 59 km
⛰ Climbs: 360 m
🏨 Hotel: Hotel Rural Quinta da Conchada
Ecopista do Dão runs between Viseu and Santa Comba Dão and is nearly 50 km long. After the rather traumatizing experience on the Ecopista do Corgo a few days earlier, we were really unsure if we wanted to take our chances with another ecopista. After some thorough research we decided to give it a try, and this turned out to be a great choice! The Ecopista do Dão was in supreme condition, mostly downhill and with asphalt and smooth gravel all the way. This turned out to be one of the easiest stretches of the entire trip.
💡 Be on the lookout for the neat little bike maintenance station at Tondela, where you can tighten loose bolts and check tire pressure.
Day 7: Aguieira - Pedrógão Grande
📏 Distance: 90 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 535 m
🏨 Hotel: Hotel da Montanha
Leaving Aguieira, there are a few comfortable kilometers at first, passing though the City of Gois, before taking on the last big climb before Faro. With a total of more than 1 500 elevation meters, this is definitely one of the more demanding climbs of the N2. Amazing views await at the top of the mountain, and even a little café with cold drinks. After a day with a lot of climbing, we were looking forward to just cruising into Hotel Montanha. We assumed the name of the hotel was inspired by the American state of Montana (yes, we have been watching Yellowstone..), but after a mean climb to reach the hotel, it dawned on us that Hotel da Montanha actually means the Mountain Hotel. It certainly lived up to its name, as it was beautifully situated on top of a mountain right outside Pedrógão Grande, with an amazing 360 view of the surrounding landscape.
💡 Right before the climb up to Hotel da Montanha, you pass the Cabril dam, an impressive structure that's worth a moment to take in.
Day 8: Pedrógão Grande - Abrantes
📏 Distance: 71 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 025 m
🏨 Hotel: Luna Hotel Turismo
South of Pedrógão Grande, the landscape changed drastically. The mountains in the north were traded for rolling hills, and cork tree fields. After a rather easy day of cruising along the N2, we ended in Abrantes. Again we had managed to book a hotel at the highest spot in the City. Absolutely splendid views, but that last climb at the end of a long day is not for everyone.
💡 It didn't feel unsafe, but there is a lot high-speed traffic on this stretch. An alternative route exists, but with a lot more elevation it seems.
Day 9: Abrantes - Mora
📏 Distance: 81 km
⛰ Climbs: 530 m
🏨 Hotel: Lilases Boutique House & Garden
Leaving Abrantes, another day of rolling hills, surrounded by countless cork tree fields and vineyards, awaited. We passed through the charming city of Montargil, before reaching our destination in Mora. Here, we met a local business man who told us how the cork trees are the backbone for big business in this part of Portugal, and that it takes an astonishing nine years between each harvest from the trees. Obviously not a business for the impatient..
Day 10: Mora - Odivelas
📏 Distance: 105 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 110 m ascent
🏨 Hotel: Hotel O Gato
The stretch from Mora to Odivelas was the only ride that exceeded 100 km, but somehow this did not feel that hard since, since it was still mostly gentle rolling hills. Biking through endless fields of cork trees and wineyards, it was actually a quite pleasant stretch and the elevation gain of 1 100 meters did not feel that demanding.
Day 11: Odivelas - Almodôvar
📏 Distance: 83 km
⛰ Climbs: 670 m ascent
🏨 Hotel: Quinta Solar de Portela
As we got further south on the N2, and closer to the ocean, the landscape became ever more flat. A very welcome change for our legs, after the rather challenging climbs further up north. As we came further south, the cities we passed by also seemed to be smaller than in the north. We still had no problems finding hotels, but we did find that the cuisine got a bit less varied. The black pig seems like some kind of national dish in Portugal, and in one restaurant the only thing on the menu were different parts of the pig, sided with french fries.
💡 Not all restaurants in the smaller towns accepts credit cards, so make sure to always have some cash at hand. This can be particularly useful if you need to stock up on water between cities.
Day 12: Almodôvar to Faro
📏 Distance: 90 km
⛰ Climbs: 1 040 m ascent
🏨 Hotel: Ria Farmosa
On our final day of riding, that would take us from Abrantes to Faro, we encountered a road block, practically speaking. The last part of N2, from Barranco do Velho to Faro, was closed due to a landslide. Luckily, we found a scenic byway that only gave us an additional 5 km and an extra 200 m of climbing. We were rewarded on the top, with a magnificent view of the ocean. From there, it was all downhill and flat, all the way into Faro. Be prepared for quite heavy traffic the last 10 km before reaching Faro.
💡 Once in Faro, do make make sure to follow the N2 all the way, until it ends in the same kind of roundabout as it starts with in Chaves, with a milemarker in the middle, with tons of stickers from other adventurers. Just down the road from the roundabout, there is a nice little N2-souvenir shop where you can buy something to remember this epic ride by. It's well earned!
🚨 Things to keep in mind 🚨
The temperatures in Portugal, particularly in the interior, can be extremely high during mid summer. On several days we saw temperatures well above 40 degrees celsius. We would not recommend doing the N2 in the hottest summer months because of this.
Large parts of the N2 do not have streetlights and shoulders are often narrow, so it's best to ride in the daytime.
It's a good idea to bring electrolytes, to make sure your body is not only hydrated, but also get all the salts it needs.
On quite a few stretches of the N2, places where you can stock up on food and water are limited, so remember to always bring plenty of that before heading out.
The eco trails are beautiful and scenic byways, but they can be a bit rough at times, so make sure to bring tires that can handle a bit of gravel. Touring- or gravel tires will do just fine.
We prebooked all our hotels, since certain members of the peloton had particular preferences in that department, e.g. “must have a pool”. But in any case, prebooking could be a good idea, as you don't have to worry about getting a room, and can skip tent and camping gear as a backup solution. That saves a lot of weight. The downside is of course if something happens, and you start to lag behind schedule. With relatively short distances each day, we thought this to be an acceptable risk, and it turned out to work perfectly.
If for some reason you need to skip a few stretches here and there, Rede Expressos Buses have great connections, at least between the bigger cities up north. They ask that bikes have some kind of cover, but that is easily cared for with a few big litter bags and some duct tape, which are both easily accessible.
If you end up in Faro, as we did, there is a little bike shop called OnTrack that will pack and prepare your bike for air freight, for just 35 EUR. This is really worth the money. They will even pick you up at the hotel, and deliver both you and your bike to the airport in Faro.
If you decide to start in Porto, and wish to get on the road immediately, there is a bike station at Porto airport, where you can assemble your bike and get it ready for riding, right off the plane.
For the N2, we found it to be a very good idea to keep each stage shorter than we usually would. The hilly terrain, particularly in the north, and the high temperatures, really takes its toll, so the km does not roll by as easily as they would in other surroundings.
Epic Road Rides have written a pretty good article about riding the N2, that's worth checking out.
If you don't feel comfortable planning and putting together this adventure yourself, Bike-Alive offers package deals that seem pretty reasonable.
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