Portugal Trail Runs
Portugal boasts some of the greatest coastal trails in the world with spectacular vistas, swaths of wild spring flowers and perfect running flow on an endless variety of different routes. I explored Portugal’s southern coast – many routes run along sections of the beautiful Fishermen’s Trail.
In and around Lisbon I combine coastal tracks and hill running with city runs passing major sights. The Sintra hills petering out at Europe’s westernmost point on the Atlantic coast are criss-crossed by hiking paths and shared mountain bike trails connecting peaks dotted with monumental castles. The fishing town of Ericeira makes for a delightful destination to get out of the city. All routes are within an hours drive from one of my favorite European capitals – they start locally in Ericeira or Ulgueira simply because I stayed in these villages.
Individual posts below describe the trails illustrated with lots of photographs. For detailed maps including gps data follow the links to my Komoot Collections.
As this blog has just gone live, I will be adding many more completed trail-run descriptions over the coming weeks.
Portugal South
Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos
Sweeping vistas across the sea, beaches, and cliffs from a flowing coastal trail make this a great run to explore the heart of the Algarve coastline. The trail is in excellent condition and very well secured, which makes it suitable for any skill level. Alas, as one of the most popular walks in Portugal’s most…
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Lagos to Ponta da Piedade
This leisurely route starts right in the heart of the old town of Lagos and follows wooden walkways along one of the Algarve’s most photographed stretches of coast. A dramatic limestone coastline is formed of sea pillars and rock arches, which makes it an incredibly popular tourist destination. Start early and off season! After pounding…
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Vila do Bispo to Carrapateira
An absolute top run along one of the finest sections of the Fishermen’s Trail. It takes in a variety of sweeping coastal vistas, valleys, and windswept plateaus in a great figure eight circuit. Wide tracks sweep down towards a magnificent coast through fields of spring flowers. Perfect flow trails hug the clifftop for spectacular views…
Keep readingPortugal Around Lisbon
Lisbon
Alfama to Monsanto Forest
This Lisbon 20k loop starts in picturesque Alfama, runs through lively Graça, to leave the city center along the strict lines of Parque Eduardo VII for Monsanto Forest, its largest green space high above the city. Intricate trails lead through dense riots of vegetation down to the Rio Tejo and back along its broad promenade.…
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Alfama to Torre de Belém
An absolute classic Lisbon route, this run hugs the banks of the Rio Tejo for a juicy half-marathon to the famous historic harbor fortress, the Torre de Belém. It passes many of Lisbon’s major sights crossing the hilly, picturesque Alfama and Bairro Alto districts, the heart of the city center, and along the river. In…
Keep readingEriceira
Ericeira to Praia de São Lourenço
Varied and easy, the run follows coastal flow trails north of the fishing town of Ericeira along a string of beaches to Praia de São Lourenço. Retracing part of the track to feast on the spectacular cliff-top views, the route continues inland along a beautiful, hidden trail through a lush creek valley circling back to town.…
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Ericeira – Lizandro River and Coast
Starting in the middle of the picturesque fishing town of Ericeira, the run follows the Lizandro river through an off-the-beaten-track agricultural valley that takes you back in time. It circles back to the coast for spectacular, flowing cliff-top trails with a detour high above the wide bend of the river’s estuary to show off the region’s…
Keep readingAtlantic Coast and Sintra Hills near Lisbon
Sintra Coastal Hill Circuit
A sheer endless network of lonely trails branches through the western part of the Sintra Hills. In a magical, overgrown forest, nestled between tourist hotspots on the coast and Palácio da Pena, one really gets away from it all on this short circuit. It is but one variation of many possible routes that I suggest…
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Cabo da Roca Lighthouse – Praia da Ursa – Praia da Adraga
This loop around the picturesque coastal village of Ulgueira touches the westernmost tip of the European mainland with its striking lighthouse, before following one of the most stunning stretches of the Portuguese Atlantic coastline featuring sweeping cliff-top views and strikingly beautiful beaches. Running the largely easy to moderately technical trails is great fun, but they are…
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OffPavement Trail Running 