I am planning three weeks in Portugal, approximately Jan 2 to Jan 23 (dates penciled in at this point). I will be traveling solo, and plan to use public transportation ....

My plan is to land in Porto, and then slowly work my way down through Portugal, eventually ending up crossing into Spain for three weeks in Andalusia (approx Jan 23 - Feb 13.). I am mindful that days are short (sunrise about 0800, sunset about 1730).

The question is: should I visit the Douro Valley in January (and if so, can it be done reasonably with public transport?) or is that best left for another trip in spring or fall?

Thank you. Barb

Even in October we found public transit to Duoro spotty - you can get there and go a few places by train and local buses but services are spotty. Some sources for info on trains in Portugal and Spain -check Portugeuse Railways site for info on Duoro trains:

https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/how-to-travel

Also www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I hope you get more answers than a similar Q on TripAdvisor did:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi..._Portugal.html

Hmmmm. Might give it a pass -- or rather, postpone it for another trip.

Porto offers some great day trips - with all your time be sure to hit Guimares and Braga and Batalha Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Coimbra and Obidos en route to Lisbon make great overnights.