A popular rural stopover in any trip to Portugal is the Douro Valley. Named for the Douro River that runs through the valley, it built a claim to fame as the grower of the port wine grapes. While many visitors aren’t able to add this to their Portugal trip, this itinerary makes a point to stop here. 2 days spent in the Douro Valley is perfect for getting a feel of the area, gaining an appreciation of the port winemaking process, and enjoying a more relaxed pace of tourism.
This is the third part of a four-part Northern Portugal Itinerary. All four parts are linked below (and will be updated as they are published):
- Lisbon – Portugal’s Capital City
- Fatima and Coimbra – Rural Religious Site and Ancient University Town
- Douro Valley – Port Wine Vineyards (this post)
- Porto – Portugal’s Industrial City and Port Wine Bottlers
Post Contents
Day 5 – Douro Valley
Drive to Douro Valley
Day 5 of the itinerary begins by waking up and driving to the Douro Valley. This area is well-known around the world for its quintas (or farms). These quintas produce the grapes used in the making of port wine and other wines produced in the area.
While the drive isn’t very long at 1 hour and 45 minutes, it is good to get an early start as there is a full day of visiting vineyards ahead. Most of the vineyards and tours don’t start till 10:00 AM in the Douro Valley. For this reason, you aren’t missing out on any opportunities to explore the area if you get started early enough to make it to the region around this time.
Quinta da Pacheca
The first stop is this wine estate that dates back to 1738. The lady of the Pacheco house, Da. Mariana Pacheco Pereira ran the property by herself. The property includes about 185 acres of vineyards and produces red, white, rosé, and port wines.
Quinta da Pacheca is one of the most visited estates in the Duoro Valley due to the variety of experiences offered. Options include guided winery tours, wine tasing, cheese pairings, wine barrel tasting, cooking classes, and vineyard picnics.
A winery tour and wine tasting are offered in both English and Portuguese. The tour runs through the history of the farm/brand and details the winemaking operations. At the conclusion of the tour, each visitor is provided an opportunity to taste four wines. These wines include two table wines and two port wines. As your first introduction to the Douro Valley and the first visit to a quinta, this is one you won’t forget.
Drive the N222
The N222 is one of Portugal’s best roads and was named one of the best roads in the world in 2015, according to the Avis Driving Index. The road is extremely winding (93+ bends in the road), but it follows the beautiful landscape of the Douro River.
The best parts of the N222 begin in Peso da Regua (only a short distance from Quinta da Pacheca) and finish in the town of Pinhao (home base for this leg of the itinerary). The scenery in this area showcases the hills and valleys in the area. The terraced vineyards are on display for most of this drive.
The following quintas for today’s itinerary are all located along the N222 on the way to Pinhao. While these stops will break up the drive and scenery, this is a very efficient way to do the drive and see some of the quintas along the way.
Quinta do Popa
Quinta do Popa is a fairly new quinta in the Douro Valley. The Quinta was purchased in 2003 and started producing wine in 2007. 2010 was the first year in which wine was sold. The owner, Stephane Ferreira, made a career in the marketing and events production business. This background can be seen in the wine and wine tourism that Quinta do Popa specializes in. Unlike many other quintas in the area, Quinta do Popa fully embraces the tourism aspect of the business.
Wine tastings, tours, and food experiences on the quinta are clearly laid out on their website as part of their full embrace of tourism and modern technology. While this makes experiencing this vineyard and production facility easy, it will attract many more people because of the ease.
Tastings occur on their terrace and patio overlooking the Duoro River (weather permitting). If the weather does not cooperate, tastings are held indoors next to the wine shop. Quinta do Popa also offers gastronomic experiences that include a wine tasting. This would be my preferred approach when booking a mid-day visit. Many of the tours cover a lot of the same production details. Getting the opportunity for a tasting and substantial food pairing while seated on a patio overlooking the Douro River is hard to pass up.
Quinta das Carvalhas
Quinta das Carvalhas is a large estate located just on the outskirts of Pinhao. The estate consists of over 1000 acres of land, including 300 acres of vineyards. The remaining land is wooded or contains the olive trees used in making the local olive oil.
Carvalhas is often dubbed the “quintessential Douro Quinta” due to its unparalleled views over the Douro River. The quinta is located on a hill that rises above the surrounding area granting almost 360-degree views. It’s also this land, hills, and view that provides another advantage and activity at Quinta das Carvalhas. The quinta has established several walks and trails throughout the area. If interested in this type of activity, Carvalhas provides a trail map and introduction to the area. The entrance ticket also includes a wine tasting when you return, but remember to bring some water for the walk.
If you don’t care for the walking and trails, opt for a tasting in the wine shop instead. The Carvalhas wine shop is open for walk-ins (no reservation required). Unlike most other tastings, this is a self-directed tasting. Most of the wines and ports produced by Carvalhas are available in the wine shop for sampling. The cost of the tasting is based on the wines and the number selected.
Stay in Pinhao
Drive and check-in to your accommodations in Pinhao. Pinhao is a small, quaint little town located in a bend of the Douro River. This small town makes a great base for our exploration of the central Douro Valley.
Once at your accommodations, this ends the structured activities for the day. Take time to unpack, relax, and refresh. There are several great dining options in Pinhao. Grab dinner to your liking before turning in for the night.
Day 6 – Douro Valley
Local Driving and Overlooks
The second day spent in the Douro Valley is a perfect opportunity to slow down the pace and bring a little relaxation into the vacation. For that reason, there are only a couple of timed activities planned for the day. This begins with a self-directed drive in the hills away from the Douro River. The following are a few recommendations for places to go and viewpoints to see. However, this is an opportunity to sleep in and reduce what you see if that is important to your relaxation.
- St. Leonardo de Galfura Overlook – Consistently rated as the best overlook in the Douro Valley, St. Leonardo de Galfura is guaranteed to provide amazing sights and pictures in good weather. The downside is that the overlook is a 50 minute drive from Pinhao in each direction.
- Vale de Mendiz – Vale de Mendiz is another overlook that ranks second or third on most lists of overlooks in the Douro Valley. It is located much closer at 15 minutes from Pinhao and is therefore much more accessible.
Quinta de la Rosa
Quinta de la Rosa is located just outside of Pinhao. In fact, across the river, the city is perfectly visible from much of the property. However, be warned that Quinta de la Rosa’s land is particularly hilly. This shouldn’t bother you if you are staying in the tasting room the whole time. However, if you participate in a tour, be prepared to go up and down several sets of stairs and inclines.
The owners of Qunita de la Rosa got their start as port wine shippers and moved into production. Since the 1990s, the quinta has also produced table wine in addition to port across their 55 hectares of vineyards.
Lunch in Pinhao
After completing a tour and tasting at Quinta de la Rosa, drive less than 15 minutes back into Pinhao for lunch. Ideally, find a parking spot for your car where you can leave it for lunch and the one-hour boat tour that is scheduled after lunch.
Douro Boat Tour
What better way to explore the Douro Valley after lunch, than with a boat tour. While the last day and a half has been spent looking at the river from land, this will give you a whole different perspective. Seeing the terraces and hills of vineyards stretching up and away from the river banks is a spectacular sight.
A company by the name of Magnifico Douro provides many different Douro River boating options. The 1-hour or 2-hour Rabelo boat trips are a great way to get an introduction to the Douro River from the water. Not only are the tours affordable, but Magnifico Douro offers a large selection of times and an easy web booking experience. Magnifico Douro also offers the best of both worlds: a silent and relaxing cruise or constant tour audio. They do this by not having any announcements or audio on the boat but providing an Android and iOS app that provides GPS-based narration. The full audio tour is downloaded when installing the app so no data is needed when actually on the tour. Just remember to bring your headphones.
The Magnifico Douro pier is the second pier from the large bridge over the Douro River going into Pinhao. It is located on the waterfront just behind The Vintage House Hotel and the Pinhao train station.
Afternoon Relaxation
Every vacation needs some time spent on relaxation and recharging. The slower pace of the Douro Valley makes this a great opportunity to unwind and smell the roses. Many of the hotels and quintas in the area provide nice pools (many overlook the Douro). If you are staying at one of these places, consider lounging by the pool, weather permitting.
Alternatively, if the time of year or weather isn’t conducive for an afternoon at the pool, take some time to explore Pinhao. The small town has some great cafés, wine shops, and tapas bars that make good places to sit back and relax.
The most important thing about vacation is to not feel like you are constantly going. It can be tempting to maximize every moment to experience your surroundings. This is good to an extent, but experiencing your surroundings is also experiencing some of the more relaxed areas of a town. Watching part of the day go by on the river or from a pool or conversing with the local customers in a café is equally a part of experiencing different parts of the world.
Spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing, having dinner, and resting. The final drive to Porto will begin in the morning.
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