The Douro Valley is one of the world’s oldest and best wine production regions. However, many people today, especially those from the United States, have never heard of it. Port, the fortified sweet wine that Portugal is famous for, is farmed and produced in the Douro Valley region. The valley also produces the grapes for other Portuguese table wines as well.
The heart of the Douro Valley is about an hour and a half drive from Porto. I visited this region in the beginning of May 2023. After spending 5 days in Porto (check out this post for more info), we rented a car and drove to the Douro Valley for two days. The region was absolutely breathtaking in its vistas, and all of the wine and food was delicious and authentic.
The Douro Valley region is delightfully rural, with terraces of grape vines taking up most of the available countryside. These terraces create the striped pattern you see on the hillsides in most photos. To fully experience the rustic and charming nature of the area, I highly recommend staying at one of the quintas, rather than at one of the larger towns in the area. Quinta translates in English as estate – so think of a quinta as a central house or building, surrounded by acres of land dedicated to farming grape varieties for wine production. When we visited, we stayed at the Vine House hotel, which is located in Quinta São Luiz.
Because the Douro Valley is so dedicated to wine production, there isn’t really much else to do there besides drink, eat, and soak in the views. Therefore, I recommend visiting the Douro Valley to get some rest and relaxation during your next trip to Portugal, or for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the wine and port industry at its traditional Portuguese source. For some inspiration to visit and ideas of where to go once you make it to the Douro Valley, keep reading.
Experience the different Quintas
Quinta São Luiz
We spent the most time at Quinta São Luiz, as this was where our hotel was located. The hotel was very nice and recently renovated, with breathtaking views over the Douro River.
I would note that there is no formal restaurant on the Vine House property, so the most filling item you can get for dinner is the cheese and charcuterie board (an absolutely delicious board I must say)! The hotel did serve a traditional European breakfast spread with pastries and fruit.
I mentioned previously that we rented a car in Porto to drive to the Douro Valley. Having a car in Douro is essential in my opinion, as all the quintas are spaced out. To see more than one quinta, you’ll need to drive from place to place. This region is not heavily populated and therefore doesn’t have many Ubers. Alternatively, you can arrive in Douro Valley by taking a train from Porto to Pinhão. Lastly, you can also visit the Douro Valley for just a day trip, by taking a boat cruise from Porto to the Douro Valley.
Personally, I thought that this region warranted several days of exploration, and a day trip would not have been enough time (we spent two full days here). Having a car gave us the flexibility to experience this amazing region to its fullest – but be warned, the roads are steep, narrow, and not for the faint of heart.
In the interest of total honestly, I also will share with you that we got a flat tire in our rental car during our first evening in the Douro Valley. Ultimately, we had to drive back to Porto to swap the rental car out with another from our company. This was definitely a setback but I think should be a relatively unusual occurrence. Make sure you get insurance on your rental car!
Quinta do Pôpa
A ten minute drive from our hotel, Quinta de Pôpa was a smaller, picturesque quinta. Here, we took a tour of the wine production area, tried several different wine and port varieties, and enjoyed an afternoon picnic.
Quinta do Pôpa was one of the only quintas that allowed me to book a picnic lunch in advance, which was an experience I was extremely focused on. Quinta do Pôpa’s picnic lunch absolutely exceeded my expectations – we spent several hours in the afternoon here enjoying the wine, food and view.
Take a boat ride down the Douro River
One of my favorite experiences during the entire time I was in Portugal was our chartered boat tour in the Douro Valley. The boat ride only lasted an hour, but it allowed us to see amazing views of the Douro Valley from a comfortable and exquisite private boat. We booked the One HourTour Unbelievable with Anima Durius Douro River Cruises – I highly recommend this company. We booked our tour about two weeks in advance.
Explore the towns: Pinhão, Lamego, and more
Although Douro Valley is mostly rural, there are one or two small towns to visit. Vila Real and Lamego are the two larger towns on either side of the Douro River. While these towns have more to offer in terms of restaurants, shopping and cultural points of interest (such as the Igreja da Nossa Senhora dos Remédios in Lamego or Mateus Villa and gardens outside of Vila Real), they are a 30-minute drive from the heart of Douro Valley, its riverfront and the quintas.
Pinhão is a smaller town than the other two, also in Douro Valley but located on the river. It’s more charming than the larger towns, but has less to offer in terms of dining and shopping. The Pinhão train station displays some nice ceramic tiling as well, which is relatively rare to see in the Douro Valley.
Eat and drink excellent Portuguese cuisine
We ate at two restaurants during our time in the Douro Valley (although we were here for two full days, our other two meals were more casual at quintas). Both restaurants were excellent, check out details below.
O Lagar
O Lagar is an adorable local spot in Escalhão where we ate lunch one day. The restaurant is located a little out of the way in the Douro area but is relatively close to Lamego. We drove about 30 minutes from Piñhao to eat lunch at O Lagar and the drive was certainly worth it. This restaurant was excellent and highly memorable, given the welcoming service and authentic Portuguese dining experience.
There is no menu at O Lagar. Pedro, the owner and the only server, will bring you an assortment of traditional Portuguese dishes and explain the intricacies of each one. He also recommended an excellent red wine for us to pair with the dishes. Pedro is fantastic and taught us a ton about traditional Portuguese food, cooking styles, and the surrounding Douro Valley region.
O Lagar is a bit off the beaten path so there isn’t too much of a walk-in crowd. It’s best to give Pedro advance notice of your arrival by phone or email.
You should absolutely eat at O Lagar while you are in Douro Valley – it is fantastic. This was a highlight of our trip due to the ultimate authenticity of the experience.
Bomfim 1896
For a fine dining experience, I recommend Bomfim 1896, located in Pinhão. The restaurant is part of the larger Quinta do Bomfim and is right along the river. In warmer months, I recommend getting a table outside if you can.
The kitchen is located in the center of the restaurant, offering a direct view of the cooking process. We enjoyed watching the chefs prepare our different courses.
The table wine here was especially delicious. Otherwise we enjoyed the scallops, grilled artichokes, and the steak entreè.
This was a fairly nice meal, perfect for a special occasion or celebration of your vacation.
Additionally, everyone from taxi drivers to tourist blogs will recommend that you visit the DOC Restaurant for lovely dinner along the Douro River. I wish I could share my experiences with you about dining here – however, the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and those were the two days we spent in the Douro Valley. Unfortunately the timing just didn’t work out for us, but everyone seems to love this place and I hope you get the chance to check it out!
In conclusion
I hadn’t personally heard of the Douro Valley before I started my research on Porto and the surrounding regions. But I can say without hesitation that this is an area I hope to one day return to. The first glimpse of the Douro Valley is simply majestic. The valley continues to deliver beautiful vistas the longer you spend in the area. The terraced vineyards, green rolling hills, and azure Douro River define this unique landscape. There is really no other wine region in the world that compares.
I highly recommend you make your way to Douro Valley to enjoy the beautiful views, delicious wines, and the sense of serenity that permeates the region. A day trip isn’t enough time in my opinion, but it’s better than nothing!
