Douro Wine Region Hike Tour

Your journey will start with a transfer from Porto airport to Sabrosa. Discover the natural beauty of the town its peaceful ambiance as you pedal through picturesque houses and vineyards.

Included in the tour:

- Vineyard visit and wine tasting

- Exceptional 4-course dinner with wine pairing (except on Tuesdays when the restaurant is closed, in which case, you will be transferred to another local restaurant.)

After breakfast, you will start your tour from the village of Celeirós. Walk among the quintas (name given to the wine estates where vines are grown). Arriving at the town of Sabrosa, you will be greeted by its grand manor houses, many of which originated during the medieval ages and are a staple of local architectural heritage.

Then, you will leave the town and walk to Fermentões. As you walk, the beauty of Douro Region begins to reveal its charm with lush vineyards.

The optional program offers an opportunity to visit a Port and Douro winemaking estate where you can taste wines and learn how they are made. You will also visit a small local olive oil production press. In the evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant before heading back to your hotel.

Included in the tour:

- Olive oil production press visit and tasting

- Exceptional 4-course dinner with wine pairing (except on Tuesdays when the restaurant is closed, in which case, you will be transferred to another local restaurant.)

Stage 1 - Short

Distance (Km): 11.3

Routes: Paved 30% | Trails 70%

or

Stage 1 - Long

Distance (Km): 16.2

Routes: Paved 15% | Trails 85%

Have your breakfast and get ready for another day of adventure. Today, you will walk along the rustic stone-paved roads connecting the numerous winemaking quintas. You will explore the village of Celeirós. The trail opens up to reveal the majestic Douro Region landscape.

From here, continue your journey to Provesende, a well-kept historic winemaking village with a wealthy heritage containing the largest number of manor houses in the Douro Region. Explore the impressive baroque and neoclassic facades dating back to the 16th-18th centuries as you bask in the aroma of freshly baked breads that ooze out of local bakeries.

Make sure to visit the handicraft shops for locally produced items to take home as souvenirs. After the tour, enjoy dinner before making your way to your hotel.

Included in the tour:

- Visit and tasting at a family-run winery of Douro and Port wines

- Dinner accompanied with a selected bottle of wine

­

Stage 2 - Short

Distance (Km): 9.4

Routes: Paved 20% | Trails 80%

or

Stage 2 - Long

Distance (Km): 14.4

Routes: Paved 15% | Trails 85%

Today’s hike connects Provesende to Pinhão along a medieval road that will take you down the hillsides to the riverside.

Pinhão, considered to be the geographic centre of the Douro Winemaking Region, is the regional headquarters for many of the best-known Port and Douro winemaking firms. Located between the Douro and the Pinhão rivers, it is one of the most picturesque villages in Portugal. The train station, built at the end of the 19th century and decorated with beautiful hand painted tiles describing life in the region, is especially worthy of a visit. You will have the option to visit and taste exceptional wines produced at one of the fascinating wineries.

From Pinhão, take a ride on a typical rabelo boat, identical to the ones that carried young Port Wine down the Douro River to the warehouses in Vila Nova de Gaia, across from Porto. After you disembark, you will be transferred to your final destination for the day—Ucanha. Rest at the hotel after dinner.

Included in the tour:

- Visit with tasting to a famous elegant winery

- River cruise in a rabelo boat

- Dinner with wine

­

Stage 3 - Short

Distance (Km): 5.9

Routes: Paved 25% | Trails 75%

or

Stage 3 - Long

Distance (Km): 10.1

Routes: Paved 30% | Trails 70%

After your breakfast, start your walk along the river and take some time to enjoy one of the small waterfalls along the way. The entire walk brings you in touch with nature as you cross past small farms and pine groves through picturesque villages, down cobblestone streets lined with typical granite-built houses.

You can also visit the 12th century monastery of Salzedas, an imposing building that looms over the small village. Arriving in the village of Ucanha, you can go for a swim off its wonderful river beach. Afterwards, cross the medieval bridge and stop to visit the ancient tower which until 1527, served as a customs house to collect a toll from everyone who crossed into the lands of the monastery.

Near the end of your tour, past the Murganheira wine estate, you may opt for the optional visit and tasting of sparkling wine for which the area is famous. A delightful, experience amongst an unforgettable visual array of hundreds of thousands of bottles nestled in the dark, cold, wine lodges. In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner before heading back to your hotel for the night.

Included in the tour:

- Visit with tasting to a sparkling wine winery and a light picnic

- Dinner with wine

Stage 4

Distance (Km): 10.2

Routes: Paved 10% | Trails 90%

It is time to bid farewell to Ucanha.

After breakfast, start your hike along small roads and paths, amongst waterfalls, villages and vineyards. Your final destination, the historic city of Lamego, boasts the richest architectural heritage in the Douro Region. Dating from the Middle Ages are the castle, at the top of the city, and most especially the beautiful cathedral with its sumptuous monumental baroque staircase. Climb up the 686 steps surrounded by lush gardens and richly decorated with works of art: statues, obelisks, fountains and handcrafted decorative tile panels. Enjoy a delicious dinner in the evening and head back to your hotel.

Included in the tour:

- Dinner with wine

­

Stage 5

Distance (Km): 13.4

Routes: Paved 57% | Trails 43%

Beginning on the streets of central Lamego, this last trail takes you partly along one of the secular pilgrims’ ways in the interior of Portugal as they make their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Your journey will be accompanied by the impressive vineyards and historic quintas as it was here that the first great vineyards in the winemaking region were planted during the 12th century. Your goal is Cambres, a town surrounded by a green blanket of vineyards, near Régua, the capital city of the Douro Winemaking Region. Attractive stone-paved roads take you past famous quintas where you may choose to visit and taste Port and Douro wines in one of the most famous wineries in the region, dating from the 16th century.

Spend this last day in your itinerary to the fullest, one that will live on as the most memorable for its amazing landscapes and wines that Portugal has to offer!

Included in the tour:­

- Visit with tasting at a family-run local Douro and Port wine and olive oil

- Dinner with wine

Stage 6

Distance (Km): 14.7

Routes: Paved 25% | Trails 75%

Your journey today, takes you along the Douro and ends in the city of Porto, where you can explore some of Portugal's most prominent cities in peace. Explore this Unesco World Heritage site and its over 150 classified monuments.

Lose yourself in the city's typical neighborhoods, which retain their authenticity, with traces of the medieval period. Here, the River Douro awaits you and the Ribeira welcomes you with open arms, inviting you to cross over to the famous Port wine cellars.

Before saying goodbye to this adventure, don't forget to enjoy a soiree in one of the city's famous restaurants, well-known for its gastronomy and the warm welcome from the locals.

Included in the tour:

- Visit and tasting at a historic Port wine cellar

- Dinner with wine

­

After breakfast, check out of your hotel. Depending on your flight schedule, you will be transferred to Porto Airport for your flight back home.