5-day luxury wine tour to Porto and the UNESCO Douro Valley

Program

DAY 1: ARRIVAL PORTO – PORTUGAL (D)

After your flight, you will arrive at the second largest city in Portugal, Porto. After arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to your hotel. After check-in at your hotel for the next two nights, you will be expected in one of the most beautiful rooftop bars in the city overlooking the Douro.

After check-in you go to the cozy and oldest district of Porto called Ribeira, which is located on the water. In the labyrinth of alleys you will find many nice bars and restaurants. Here you can spend the rest of the late afternoon, early evening, and take some time to relax after the flight, preferably with a good glass of Port.

After this you are expected for dinner in a wine restaurant.

Overnight.

DAY 2: PORTO (B, D)

After breakfast you will explore the historic center of beautiful city of Porto. Porto is a compact city, far from vast and therefore easy to explore on foot. While you stroll through the streets and the boulevards, you can relax from time to time on a terrace and enjoy the Portuguese life that passes you by. During this walk we recommend at least the following sights:

• The panoramic view from the Torre dos Clérigos connected to the eponymous Baroque church (Igreja do Clérigos). Do not hesitate to climb the 240 steps of the tower, the view of the city is breathtaking!
• The beautiful Livraria Lello bookshop, whose architecture is the author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, inspired when she imagined the library and entrance steps of the Harry Potter saga. The outer facade is very richly decorated, but it is especially the inner staircase that attracts all eyes with its beauty. The interior has transformed this shop into a real tourist attraction (entrance not included / payable locally).
• The sprawling Praça da Liberdade, the official center of Porto that opens onto the Câmara Municipal do Porto (City Hall).
• The beautiful Saint Ildefonso Church, whose outer facade is covered with 11,000 tiles decorated with traditional patterns.
• If you like mosaics, go to Sao Bento station, perhaps the most beautiful station in Europe.
• The old fortified cathedral of Sé and the episcopal palace
• Avenue of the Allies (Avenida Dos Aliados): this impressive boulevard represents the heart of Porto and leads to Câmara Municipal do Porto (city hall) and its impressive 70-meter-high bell tower. In fact, the splendor of the marble and granite buildings along the avenue of the Allies represents a nonexistent history, as the whole place was not designed until 1916.

After the hike you will go on a mini cruise. During this mini cruise of about 1 hour, you can relax from walking and see the city from a different perspective than you have experienced during the walk.

During the afternoon you will visit a wine cellar and you will be offered a wine tasting with 3 port wines.

In the evening you have dinner in a wine restaurant.

Overnight.

DAY 3: PORTO – DOURO VALLEY (B, D)

After breakfast, pick up your rental car this morning and drive on the small roads to the Douro valley. After arrival, check-in at your hotel and the rest of the morning is at leisure.

In the afternoon you will visit one of the best quintas in this wine region and you will be offered a wine tasting with 2 Douro wines and 2 Port wines. After the wine tasting you will be expected for dinner including a selection of local wines.

After dinner with wine pairing, return to the hotel.

Overnight.

DAY 4: DOURO VALLEY (B, L, D)

After breakfast you travel to an authentic winery in the Douro Valley where you will be guided and offered a wine tasting. You will taste the Moscatel de Honra. Below you can see the whole process of vinification of port wine and Moscatel. After your visit, go for a traditional lunch with music in the quinta’s restaurant. All menus are made with regional products and cooked in the traditional way.

After lunch, head towards the port of Pinhao, where you’ll take a mini cruise of about two on the Douro (Pinhão – Tua – Pinhão). During the mini cruise you will be offered a glass of port wine.

After the cruise, return to your hotel.

Dinner with wine pairing and Overnight.

DAY 5: DOURO VALLEY – PORTO – HOME

After breakfast and depending on your flight schedule, drive back to the airport. You hand in your rental car and complete the final formalities before taking your return flight home… or extending your trip to one of the other beautiful wine regions of Portugal or why not discover the unknown wine region of the Azores and Madeira? Ask us about the possibilities.