Given its close proximity to Porto, many people do day trips. However, I strongly recommend giving yourself at least two days in the Douro Valley to really enjoy all it has to offer. Jon and I have always loved wine tourism and have been fortunate to visit places like Bordeaux and Provence while we lived abroad. I absolutely fell in the love with the Douro region and cannot express how much it’s worth visiting.
If you love wine and stellar views, Portugal’s Douro Valley needs to be on your bucket list. This region just an hour and a half outside of Porto is less well-known than other wine regions in Europe. But that’s one of the things that makes it so perfect. The Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world and is most well known for it’s reds, although they do produce some fabulous whites. The region is characterized by steep hillsides covered in vines that slope down to meet the calm Douro River. Everywhere you go, you’ll get incredible views.
Keep reading for all the details about our two days in the Douro Valley and let me know in the comments if you’re adding it to your bucket list.
Xx, Kelsey
TWO DAYS IN THE DOURO VALLEY
WHEN WE WENT
We spent our two days in the Douro Valley in early July after a wedding of our good friends in Lisbon. It honestly ended up being a great time to visit, but I also have dreams of visiting in the fall when the leaves are changing and everything is cozy. Douro Valley does get extremely warm in the summer months. For us, the days were around 85 degrees and nights dropped into the 70s. The great thing is that the Douro Valley gets a lovely breeze, which keeps it from feeling too hot. Evenings cool down but not so much that you can’t enjoy an al fresco dinner. If you’re visiting during the summer months, I recommend finding a hotel with a pool so you can cool off after your wine tastings.
HOW WE GOT THERE
We rented a car to drive up from Lisbon, which took about 4 hours. We decided to split the drive into two and stopped in Coimbra for lunch at Restaurant Sete. You can very easily take a train from Lisbon, but we wanted a little more flexibility. I would recommend visiting the Douro Valley from Porto, which is just an hour and a half drive away. There’s also a train option from Porto.
WHERE WE STAYED
Honestly, this is my favorite part of our two days in the Douro Valley. We found the most incredible boutique hotel, Quinta de São Bernardo. We loved it so much we tried to stay an extra night, but they were fully booked. The hotel is situated in the town of Mesão Frio right on the border of the Douro and Vinho Verde wine regions. This location is especially wonderful because it allows you to experience both wine regions within only 15 minutes.
I could wax poetic about this hotel for ages. The hotel is a farmhouse and winery situated right on the banks of the Douro River. It is right in the middle of their vineyards and has an infinity pool overlooking the river. The food is incredible and all locally sourced. In fact, we watched as they trimmed the rosemary from the garden that was served with our dinner 10 minutes later. They also produce some fantastic wines that we ended up purchasing and sending home.
The hotel is a little further from the bigger cities in the Douro Valley, so be prepared to spend more time there. However, this hotel offers so much you won’t want to leave. They have all sorts of activities, from paddle boarding and hiking to wine tours and a spa. The hotel is very kid friendly with a swing set in the yard. And the service is so personable. I cannot recommend this hotel enough.
WHERE WE ATE
Quinta de São Bernardo – We ate most of our meals at the hotel due to it’s location and because the food was so darn good. I was a bit nervous to eat dinner at the hotel because the dinner is a set menu each night (with a fish, meat, and veggie option). I’m not picky, but there are also a few things I don’t like. However, the staff encouraged us to be vocal if we didn’t like something the chef had planned. They’re more than happy to swap out a dish. We ended up doing our second dinner here, and the food was so amazing. We didn’t even need to do any substitutions. We also ate all our breakfasts at the hotel, which has the freshest buffet. They’ll also make you omelettes and strong coffees. Plus you’ll find plates of fruit fresh-picked from the garden.
Castas e Pratos – The first night in town, we requested a taxi to take us to this restaurant 30 minutes away in Peso da Régua. This Michelin restaurant is so highly recommended. The food was delicious with large portions. And don’t even get me started on the wine list! It’s a literal book of local wines. I was so overwhelmed, but the servers are happy to make a recommendation. We were so happy with our bottle of red and were really glad we traveled a little bit to try this spot.
Quinta de S. Tiago – We did a tasting lunch at this winery during our wine tour day. It’s not a restaurant you can book but rather a meal cooked in their winery and family home as part of our tour. They were very open to dietary restrictions, even if they poked fun at me for not eating meat in a region that is so heavily meat-based. The food was super fresh and traditional. My favorite was actually the simple palette cleanser of orange slices in olive oil and oregano. So simple, yet so good!
WINERIES WE VISITED
A&D Wines (Quinta de Santa Teresa) – This was the first winery we visited, which is just across the border in the Vinho Verde region. Our hotel arranged our winery visits with a private driver, which made everything stress free. This winery does whites, rosé, and one orange wine. We started the visit with a self-guided tour of the grounds, which included a 200 year old vine, a rose garden, and the beautiful home. Afterwards, we did a tasting on the terrace overlooking the pool. The wines were crisp and refreshing, and I regret not buying any to bring home.
Quinta S. Tiago – As I mentioned above, we visited this winery as a a tasting lunch. This winery is a very small producer, and we were able to try their whites and reds during lunch. They also gave us some port wine with dessert that was made by their neighbors and didn’t even have a label.
Quinta de São Bernardo – We couldn’t not taste the wines where we were staying! They offer two wine tasting options. The morning tasting is a shorter tasting with five of their wines (white, rosé, and red). They also do an afternoon tasting with nine of their wines. Originally we had planned to do the afternoon wine tasting on our full winery day, but it was a little too much for us. The pours are big at all these wineries! Instead we did the morning tasting the next day, and it was perfect. We really enjoyed touring the winery and learning about their history. We ended up purchasing a case of their reserve red to ship home.
Quinta de Tourais – We originally had this winery on our list as recommended by the hotel. We decided to forgo this tour so we could spend more time at our hotel. If we were staying longer, we absolutely would have also visited this winery.
