EuroVelo 1 – Atlantic Coast Route (Portugal): which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 1 – Atlantic Coast Route (Portugal) is June: 84% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In June, riding Valença → Vila Real de Santo António meant an average tailwind of 7.3 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 21% | 86 | 14 °C | 0% | 4% | 9.7 † |
| February | 77% | 22% | 77 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.7 † |
| March | 75% | 25% | 87 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 11.8 |
| April | 77% | 23% | 76 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 13.2 |
| May | 84% | 13% | 45 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 14.3 |
| June | 84% | 8% | 21 | 24 °C | 8% | 0% | 14.9 |
| July | 81% | 2% | 6 | 26 °C | 18% | 0% | 14.7 |
| August | 79% | 2% | 7 | 26 °C | 19% | 0% | 13.7 |
| September | 83% | 10% | 36 | 24 °C | 7% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 78% | 21% | 99 | 22 °C | 1% | 0% | 11.1 |
| November | 76% | 24% | 104 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 10.0 † |
| December | 79% | 20% | 96 | 15 °C | 0% | 1% | 9.4 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Valença → Vila Real de Santo António, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Valença → Vila Real de Santo António | Headwind > 15 km/h, Vila Real de Santo António → Valença | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +1.9 | 10% | 15% | either |
| February | +2.0 | 12% | 17% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| March | +3.1 | 11% | 19% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| April | +3.3 | 9% | 18% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| May | +5.9 | 7% | 25% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| June | +7.3 | 4% | 27% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| July | +9.3 | 2% | 31% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| August | +8.8 | 2% | 29% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| September | +4.8 | 5% | 17% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| October | +0.7 | 12% | 11% | either |
| November | +2.0 | 11% | 16% | Valença → Vila Real de Santo António |
| December | +0.2 | 12% | 12% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 9 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Valença → Vila Real de Santo António in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Valença → Matosinhos | 126 | July | +5.0 |
| 2. Matosinhos → Gafanha da Encarnação | 94 | July | +6.6 |
| 3. Gafanha da Encarnação → Vieira de Leiria | 134 | August | +8.1 |
| 4. Vieira de Leiria → Lourinhã | 128 | July | +4.2 |
| 5. Lourinhã → Lisbon | 142 | July | +10.3 |
| 6. Lisbon → Sines | 103 | June | +8.1 |
| 7. Sines → Aljezur | 114 | May | +9.8 |
| 8. Aljezur → Albufeira | 120 | May | +7.9 |
| 9. Albufeira → Vila Real de Santo António | 124 | December | +5.2 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.
OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: en.eurovelo.com