Day tours in Oporto & surroundings
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Program
09:00h - Pick Up at the hotel
10:10h - Arrive to Amarante - Visit Historical Centre
12:00h - Arrival to Lamego - Visit the Historical Centre
13:00h - Lunch - Bagaúste Dam
15:00h - Visit to Farm with wine tasting
17:00h - Arrival and visit to Pinhão
18:00h - Departure to Oporto
18:30h - Expected Arrival to Oporto
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Description
Douro Province is one of Portugal’s most popular tourist destinations. Its most important features is northern Portugal’s longest river, the Douro, winding
its way through dramatic gorges, past mountains, sensational cliffs and steep, terraced hillside vineyards that produce the area’s famous Port wine. A host
of small towns and villages, as well as medieval castles, are dotted throughout the region.
Our first stop will be Amarante, which we’ll reach through a scenic ride, hugging the ravine of the Rio Tâmega, with pine woods and vines clinging to steep
slopes, and goats scrambling across the terrace walls to nibble at haystacks.
The little town of Amarante lies picturesquely on both sides of the Rio Tâmega, on the northwest slopes of the Serra de Marao.
The old part of the town has a number of fine burghers' houses of the 16th-18th C., most of them roofed with shingles and surrounded by colourful
wooden balconies, brightly decorating the narrow streets. From one of the cafe terraces on the south bank of the river - where you can render homage to
Amarante specialties, which is also particularly popular for its pastries and sweet delicacies – you can have the best view of this part of town and the
beautiful 18th C. bridge over the Rio Tâmega, the Ponte de Sao Gonçalo, which leads to the great monastery of the 16th century that bears the name of the
same saint.
Régua is a pretty little town situated at the point where the little rivers Corgo (right bank) and Baroso (left bank) flow into the Douro. Physically an area
rich in lush vegetation and landscape, surrounded by vineyards that produce world famous port wines, it’s a junction point through which all wine must
pass on its way to Porto. All the river Douro cruises and trips stop at Regua and the barcos rabelos boats are often moored at the riverside. There are a
wide range of quintas around the town that offer wine tasting tours making the town a good stopping off point on the Port Wine Route. A good stopping
off point in Regua is the Solar do Vinho do Porto which offers a choice of wines for tasting as well as information, exhibitions and artistic events about port
wine and the Douro area. Next door at the Casa do Douro, the headquarters of the port growers organization, is a series of stained-glass windows
illustrating the history and production of Port wine.
There are here a wide variety of souvenir items. Souvenirs most in demand are bags, hand-sewn sandals, slippers, small wine bottles and fresh produce of
grapes.
A stop in Regua may be replaced by Lamego, another important town in Douro region.
Pinhao is another base in the Douro valley where port dominates its culture. There are several quintas around the town that can be explored to find a port
to suit you. The town lies at the base of hillsides covered in vines and spectacularly located at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers.
Pinhão bursts into life in autumn during the annual grape harvest, attracting pickers from all over the country. Popular for its peaceful riverside location and
surrounding scenery, Pinhão is a mecca for lovers of fine wine.
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...The River Douro rises in Spain and flows more or less East – West across Northern Portugal reaching the sea at Portugal’s
second city, Oporto. Once a fast flowing river of rapids and narrow ravines it has been tamed over the past 25 years by the
construction of 8 dams along its length giving it, in most places, a tranquil, lake-like appearance. The valley is spectacularly beautiful
with the hills falling steeply down to the water´s edge becoming more and more sparsely populated and wild the further inland one
travels, with more of the land being given over to terraces of vines. This is port country and was, in fact, the world´s first demarcated
wine region in 1756. The color of the land changes throughout the year as the vines mature. The reaches of the Douro have a
microclimate, allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes, with its picturesque quintas or farms clinging on to
almost vertical slopes dropping down to the river...
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