It took us nearly three years of living in Lisbon to finally fall in love with the Douro Valley, and we're happy to announce that it's now become one of our favorite places in Portugal! We can honestly say though, your experience in the Douro Valley is very dependent on where you stay (and lucky for you, we think we've found the perfect spot). The Douro Valley is such an enchanting and unique place that is best experienced relaxing on a terrace high above the river with a glass of wine. And don't worry, even if you're not a wine enthusiast, the Douro Valley is still totally worth visiting!
Top Must-Do’s for a Douro Valley Itinerary
Enjoy sunset at Quinta do Bosque overlooking the Douro Valley
Drive along the N222 road, considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world
Check out the incredible views from Miradouro de Barqueiros
Stop at one of the countless vineyards for a tasting & tour
Duration: 3 nights
Best Time to Go: May through October
Douro Valley in the winter is doable but risky - you may luck out with sunny weather, but it will more likely be grey and wet.
Check out our other itineraries in Portugal to combine with the Douro Valley and create the ultimate Portugal vacation:
Porto: Porto is the ideal starting point for a Douro Valley trip, so be sure to spend at least 2 days exploring the city.
Lisbon: You can easily take the train from Porto directly down to Lisbon.
Alentejo with a car or Alentejo without a car: Just 1.5 hours from Lisbon, Alentejo is a historic and beautiful region of Portugal to check out for a few days.
The Algarve: The Algarve is totally different from the rest of Portugal with cute beach towns, amazing hiking, and endless grilled seafood.
Table of Contents
Can I do the Douro Valley Without a Car?
We strongly recommend renting a car to fully experience the Douro Valley. Sure, you can take an organized day trip from Porto to the Douro with a driver, but we can tell you from experience, you won't fall in love with the Douro this way. The Douro is best experienced slowly, driving along the stunning country roads and stopping in wineries that look enticing. And the most majestic part of the region is seeing the sunrise and sunset from your hotel perched high above the river.
Douro Valley Itinerary at a Glance
Day | Activities |
Day 1 | Pick-up your rental car in Porto and drive 1.5 hours to the Douro Valley. |
Day 2 | Drive to Pinhão for a boat cruise on the Douro followed by lunch. Then enjoy a wine tasting & tour at Quinta do Vallado in the afternoon. |
Day 3 | Start the day with a wine tasting & tour at the family-run Quinta Barqueiros, stopping by Miradouro de Barqueiros to take in the stunning views. Drive over to Lamego in the afternoon for lunch and the explore the grounds of Lamego's famous church. |
Day 4 | Off to your next adventure! If you want to extend your trip or combine it with another area of Portugal, check out our itineraries for Porto, Lisbon, The Algarve, and Alentejo. |
Just the Facts
Stay
Hand's down, you must stay at Quinta do Bosque. It's one of the most special places we've ever experienced, and it was totally the highlight of our entire trip to the Douro! It's perched high above the Douro River making it a bit nerve-racking to get to, but the views are breathtaking. Thankfully, they also have a delicious dinner served every night so you can relax for the entire evening, taking in the sunset by the pool, spending hours enjoying their home cooked dinner, and then finishing off with a glass of port by the fire pit. There's only a handful of rooms so be sure to book early. And honestly, we love this place so much, we would recommend planning your trip around when Quinta do Bosque has availability!
Eat
All of your breakfasts and dinners will be at Quinta do Bosque, so the below restaurant recommendations are for lunch only.
Jardim da Zita (Lamego): Order the grilled lamb
The Bridge 1870 (Pinhão): Order the shrimp risotto
Tasca da Quinta (Peso da Régua)
Aneto & Table (Peso da Régua)
Best Wineries in the Douro Valley for Tours & Tastings
Quinta Barqueiros: Family-run super tiny winery with amazing views. They also have a resident dog and a few cats who help tour you around the property.
Quinta do Vallado: Beautiful vineyard with several tour and tasting options. You can also arrange a lunch in the vineyard.
Quinta de Tourais: Natural wine, super passionate owners.
Quinta do Tedo: We recommend coming here mainly for the views. The tour is not the best in our opinion, so instead, you can opt for just a glass of wine and then site outside to enjoy the scenery.
Map
Detailed Douro Valley Itinerary
Day 1
We recommend starting your trip to the Douro Valley from Porto - pickup your rental car and drive just under 1.5 hours to the Douro Valley. The drive is very easy, consisting mainly of highways and large country roads.
The best time to arrive in the Douro Valley is mid-afternoon so you can check-in to your hotel at Quinta do Bosque, and then spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool and enjoying the incredible views! Dinner tonight (and every night) will be at the hotel.
Note: You can also drive from Lisbon, but we'll warn you, it's a long and quite boring drive (~4 hours). If you opt for this drive, the best spot to stop for lunch along the way is Tás CÁ Dentro Gastro Club in the small coastal town of Figueira da Foz.
Day 2
Once you've finished the delicious breakfast at Quinta do Bosque, we recommend driving just over an hour to the town of Pinhão. You'll take the N222 road to get there, considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world! Take your time and be sure to stop for plenty of photo opps.
Once in Pinhão, walk over to the river bank where you'll find tons of boat tour operators waiting to take you on a 1-hour cruise along the Douro River. All the tours pretty much offer a similar experience (expect to pay between €15-€25 per person). Yes, this is touristy, but it's totally worth it to see the Douro Valley from a different perspective, and get a bit of history!
After the boat trip, we recommend either having lunch in Pinhão or driving over to Peso da Régua (the largest town in the Douro).
After lunch, head over the Quinta do Vallado for a tasting and tour. They offer tours in English every afternoon at 2:30pm or 4:30pm and you can book your ticket in advance on their website. Note: you can also arrange a lunch at Quinta do Vallado by contacting them directly!
Note: If you don't want to do a wine tasting, you can instead go to the Douro Museum in Peso da Régua. This museum gives a good overview of the history of the Douro Valley. We definitely don't consider this to be a "must-do", but if you have some extra time, it's a good way to spend an hour or so.
Head back to Quinta do Bosque in the late afternoon to enjoy the pool, sunset, and dinner.
Day 3
Since you're in one of the most famous wine regions, we recommend starting the day out strong with another wine tasting and tour at the family-run Quinta Barqueiros (they offer tours daily at 11am, but do call ahead). This winery is much smaller than Quinta do Vallado, so it will give you a totally different perspective. We loved how personable the family is who runs this vineyard - you can really feel their passion (and bonus, they have a resident dog and several cats who help show you around the property). Also, the property itself is just stunning, nestled into the side of the steep hills leading down to the Douro River.
After the winery tour, stop by our favorite viewpoint, Miradouro de Barqueiros, before continuing on the the historic town of Lamego. Lamego is situated a few kilometers off the Douro River and is a great place to wander around and explore. We absolutely loved our lunch at Jardim da Zita - they have a large outdoor patio to enjoy on nice days, and the grilled lamb is amazing!
After lunch, drive up to to Lamego's famous 18th century chapel, Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. It's perched high above the town, with stairs leading all the way up (don't worry, you don't have to walk the stairs!). The grounds are beautiful and it's free to enter.
Head back to the hotel in the late afternoon. You have 2 options for routes to drive back to Quinta do Bosque:
Option 1: Drive along the N222 on the Lamego side of the river. This will allow you to see even more of the beautiful N222 road, however we do want to warn you, this road is a bit scary! It's goes very high above the river with switchbacks and steep drop offs. The views are beautiful, but we don't recommend it if you're scared of heights.
Option 2: Cross the Douro River over to Peso da Régua and retrace your steps back to the hotel. You've driven this road many times by now.
Day 4
That’s all for the Douro Valley! If you want to extend your trip or combine it with another area of Portugal, check out our itineraries:
Porto: Porto is the ideal starting point for a Douro Valley trip, so be sure to spend at least 2 days exploring the city.
Lisbon: You can easily take the train from Porto directly down to Lisbon.
Alentejo with a car or Alentejo without a car: Just 1.5 hours from Lisbon, Alentejo is a historic and beautiful region of Portugal to check out for a few days.
The Algarve: The Algarve is totally different from the rest of Portugal with cute beach towns, amazing hiking, and endless grilled seafood.
Comments