Gastronomic Porto with Douro Valley

Taste new and classic flavours in enchanting Porto and its splendid wine region during a 4 day’s trip

Tour Highlights

Availability:

This bespoke gastronomic tour is available throughout the year. We create the itinerary for two people or more. To check availability for specific dates, please get in touch.

Pricing:

The price for a 4 days (3 nights) tour:
Euro 945,
– per person sharing a double room.

Inclusions:

  • 2 nights’ accommodation 4-star hotel Porto
  • 1 night accommodation exclusive winery/hotel
  • 3 breakfasts
  • 1 tour & tasting at a port lodge
  • 1 tour & tasting at winery
  • 2 restaurant dinners – including wines and soft drinks
  • 1 dinner at winery – including wines and soft drinks
  • 1 restaurant lunch Amarante – including wines and soft drinks
  • 1 private tour Casa da Musica Porto

Not included:

  • Air fare
  • Travel insurance
  • Car rental & chauffeur services
  • NB: Upon request we can add airport transfers and / or a personal driver service for your visit to the wine country.

Overview

The handsome old city of Porto, set on the banks of the Douro River, has a lot to offer the discerning visitor There is much to see in this fascinating city; the large UNESCO heritage listed medieval center is still largely intact. The city, well renovated and adorned with some grandiose baroque monuments and outstanding art galleries like the Serralves museum, offers some striking modern architecture too – world-famous architect Rem Koolhaas’ striking concert hall Casa de Música for example.

For centuries, Porto has been the center of the port wine trade; historic port lodges abound in the Gaia district of the city. Some of these lodges have beautiful azulejo tiled tasting rooms, where one can enjoy various styles of port wines. The city’s wine bars and restaurants, where both the stunning Douro table wines as well as port wines are served, are also never far away. As in any good wine growing culture, excellent food is also prevalent, and Porto’s gastronomical resources have been getting well deserved acclaim.

From Porto, follow the Douro river inland and you will discover a rural paradise with magnificent countryside: the Douro Valley. This area in particular may be Europe’s most spectacular wine region, offering the visitor stunning scenery. The deep gorge that the Douro has carved through soft slatey soils allows for dramatic vistas. The steep hillsides are covered from top to bottom with terraced vineyards. They are so steep that to this day grapes can only be handpicked.

Whilst the valley is historically famous as the producer of port wines, for the last 15 years some of Europe’s best unfortified table wines have also been made here. The best wine estates make both port and table wines and, in quite a few instances, the estate owners take their table wines more seriously than their port wines.

The vineyards are mostly planted with the local varieties like Touriga NacionalTouriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Amarella. Reflecting the dramatic variations in both the orientation and altitude of the land, the characters of the wines produced in neighbouring vineyards can be quite different. The style of the wines also varies enormously depending on the provenance of the grapes and the intentions of the winemaker – from Burgundian to schistose solidity.

There is a real air of excitement in the Douro Valley about this extraordinary terrain’s ability to express itself in such a diverse range of wine.  At the same time the leading wine makes in the region have been becoming more progressive, with many showing a keen focus on sustainability including cultivating vines organically. No wonder leading wine magazines like Wine Spectator have been given high marks to many Douro table wines regularly.

Your Itinerary

  • Arrival at Porto hotel.
  • Welcome drinks at the hotel.
  • Dinner at a charming Portuguese restaurant, acclaimed for its modern take on classic Portuguese cuisine, as well as its excellent wine list. It is a great place to sample some of the region’s finest produce, in both food and drink. Each dish served will be accompanied by a matching wine. The restaurant is within easy walking distance from your hotel.
  • Buffet breakfast.
  • Morning tour of Casa da Música, the spectacular concert hall designed by world famous architect Rem Koolhaas. Thereafter enjoy Porto on your own.
  • Late afternoon, a visit to an authentic & atmospheric port lodge, including a tour of the building, then a tasting of some of their signature port wines.
  • Dinner at a fine modern restaurant in the smart city. Here you will enjoy the chef’s tasting menu – dishes are light and refined and may include typical specialities like pumpkin with ”alheira’” sausage, turbot fillet from the oven in a sauce with clams, or veal in a pistacio crust with wild mushrooms. The dishes will be accompanied by matching wines.
  • Buffet breakfast.
  • Check out hotel, depart for the Douro valley.
  • Arrival and check-in at your hotel in the heart of the Douro valley; this is an exclusive hotel situated in the heart of a wine estate, with great views over the surrounding vineyards and river.
  • At the end of the afternoon there will be a tour of the winery followed by a comparative wine tasting and dinner. Here you will enjoy tasty country dishes which may feature local produce like game on the spit, cold cured meats, chestnuts and wild mushrooms. The food will be paired with the wines from this top-estate.
  • Buffet breakfast.
  • Check-out of the hotel.
  • Depart for the town of Amarante, located halfway between Porto and the Douro valley. This is a charming medieval town situated on the banks of a tributary of the Douro river.
  • Farewell lunch in a historic palace in the heart of the old the city, which now houses an outstanding restaurant. It serves Portuguese food with a French twist, using ingredients from the Douro / Minho regions.
  • Depart for Porto city / Porto airport.

Porto
You will stay in a stylish 4-star hotel in the heart of the charming and historic center of Porto. It is sophisticatedly decorated, to a high specification. The rooms of this hotel have all the facilities you would expect, including air-conditioning.

Most of Porto’s major monuments, as well as Porto’s famous classic cafes and coffee houses, are within walking distance of the hotel.

Douro Valley
You will be staying at a working winery in the heart of the Douro Valley. The 18th century Quinta (manor house), the centre of the winery, has been extensively restored and turned into an intimate and exclusive hotel. The quinta is located on a slope, allowing for the most spectacular views over the countryside. There are around 15 comfortable rooms, each of which is tastefully furnished and is air conditioned.

The property, situated within a 400 acre estate, has spacious gardens and terraces as well as a large swimming pool.

There are many direct flights into Porto airport from Europe. For trans-atlantic flights, it may be easiest to connect in Lisbon. In order to get to the various venues in Porto, some of them are walking distance, others are an easy taxi ride away.

The Douro Valley is around 1,5 / 2 hours east of Porto by car. Hiring a car is a good option if you enjoy driving in beautiful countryside. It is easy too to get to Douro Valley by train from Porto, it is a beautiful train ride, trains run regularly. The local travel in Douro can be organised by local taxis (taxis are relatively inexpensive) or by organizing a transfer service for you.

If you would like Paladares Travel to assist with car rental services or to organize transportation, please let us know. Kindly note the pricing on our website does not include transportation, since the cost is largely dependent on the number of people requiring such service.

Paladares Travel does not offer flights. We suggest you to book directly with one the many companies offering such services.

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Paladares Travel

Paladares Travel is an international travel company specializing in travelling in Portugal and Spain. In these two countries we curate bespoke culinary & wine travel experiences with a sense of place.

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