Hi Maribel,
Thank you for all the details, exactly what I needed.
This is LAB Portugal Tours. They are willing to customize the tour per our wants, it's just that I don't know what to pick. I think we'd want a single winery visit, so we can explore the area more. You are right, we're not planning to visit Braga, so Lamego's staircase sounds like a good alternative.
I think adding Lamego and Provosende sounds very appealing, even if this means skipping the rabelo boat.
I hope this is all doable in a full (8-9 hrs) day: Lamego, Provosende, 1-2 miraduros stops, a relaxed lunch, and a winery. If not, we're planning a winery while in Porto anyway, so I'd be happy to just explore the area and view the sights. Thank you!

xyz99,
The two private, top end day excursions, ime, are with LAB and Douro Exclusive, whose owners live in the Douro and have recently opened a beautiful inn above Pinhão and 16-seat gourmet restaurant.

These Porto to Douro tours, ime, are a very full day from Porto, 8-9, even 10 hours. You'll save time when taking a private tour, as the vehicle won't have to make multiple stops at different hotels to pick up participants before heading out to the Douro.

For a nice port lodge visit in Gaia I can highly recommend Graham's. You can choose from among a menu of tastings and also add a charcuterie platter to accompany your ports. I also enjoyed Taylor's but it's a self-guided tour with audio guide but very informative.

Thanks, Maribel! We've made reservations at Graham's for a Porto tasting, followed up by dinner at their restaurant. The LAB day trip sounds good, but very expensive. It's a big world and we don't know if we'll ever be back to Portugal, although exploring more of the Alentejo, Minho and Tras-os-Montes areas would be nice someday, so I think we'll probably decide to do the day tour. We haven't traveled in 2 years....I can convince myself to splurge 🤣

Visiting the Fondacion Serralves is another option. Both the contemporary art museum and the mansion on the grounds are interesting architecturally. We were not crazy about the exhibits, but they do change. The mansion is an Art Deco building of the thirties.

https://flic.kr/p/7MXjoA

I mentioned the Serralves way up thread n post #4 as an addition to a stroll along the ocean walk in Foz do Douro because the two could be easily combined.
While the Serralves contemporary art collection inside may not be of interest unless there's a special exhibit, the architecture itself, by Alvaro Siza is interesting, the very extensive park-like gardens are lovely, visitors enjoy visiting the pink Villa, and they have a new Tree Top Walk, that could be fun.
https://www.serralves.pt/en/instituc...-treetop-walk/

I think you'll enjoy your visit to Graham's and the views from the restaurant are splendid.

Pardon the hijack but this thread reminded me that I might need to make some bookings for the Douro part of our trip in early April.

We'd planned on visiting the wineries within walking distance of Pinhão - Quinta Bomfim, Quinta de la Rosa, Quinta das Carvalhas, Quinta da Roeda and possibly Quinta do Pego by taxi.

I understand we need to book for tours, but do we need to book for wine tastings? Multiple tours don't really appeal to us, but multiple tastings do. We'd hope to just sort of play things by ear but don't want to miss out if we need to book.

Mel,
The tastings in most cases come at the end of the tour, the last part of the tour/tasting package. I've been to all of the wineries on your list.

At Quinta Bomfim their tasting programs include a rather interesting guided tour, but it's short. At Bomfim one can book just a guided tour w/o tasting but I don't know if the reverse is true. They also do picnics. Email them.
https://www.symington.com/visit/quin...omfim/3?step=2

At Quinta de la Rosa it was a tour, ending with a tasting in their new tasting room overlooking the village.
https://www.quintadelarosa.com/visit-us

At Quinta das Carvalhas they do have a beautiful wine shop where you could perhaps just do a tasting if they're not busy. You can just walk over from the Vintage House and ask, or better still, have the desk call for you.

At Quinta do Pégo, since it's not a working winery (production facilities are elsewhere), you just do a tasting in their shop. That's it. Be sure to have the Vintage House call so that there will be someone available in the shop to offer you a tasting. We like their Grande Reserva 2015 and 2007 Vintage Port.

Hope this helps.

It does help Maribel thanks.

I've contacted of few of them already, and have have cobbled together a few notes, but was still unsure about booking. It seems that Quinta da la Rosa has tapas between 3-5, so I'd hoped we could turn up for tapas and have a glass or two of wine, but I guess I need to verify if that will require a booking.

I'd also noted that the website of Quinta das Carvalhas refers to their wine shop, where it seems we can taste and purchase wine by the glass with local cheese during specific hours.

I have a note that Quinta do Pégo has a wine tasting daily at 4 pm, for which one must book, so I guess I need to get busy.

It just seems that one has to be really organized if they want to fit in more than a winery or two in a day.

We are not big fans of modern art, but I think we'd like the architecture and the Tree Top Walk. It's very hard to pick between 2 things that are both unique and interesting. I haven't booked the Douro Valley tour yet, but I'm leaning towards it. If we get early enough into Porto, we will try to spend that first day (lunch, afternoon) at Foz do Douro and the park at Fondacion Serralves.

Mel,
You are welcome to hijack this post whenever you want. I think I did the same to yours...

Hi Mirabel,
Totally different approach, how doable would this be: our prior destination is Coimbra, so what if instead of going directly to Porto, we'd detour thorough Lamago and Pinhao? With a stop at Casal de Lóivos and a nice lunch somewhere? We're more about the scenery not the Porto tastings, and we'll get that at Graham's in Porto. This would be a much cheaper alternative...but would need to make sure we at the Porto airport to return the car by 6 (I think). Doable? what do you think?

xyz,
If you do decide on lunch in Foz do Douro, we like very much both Cafeína and Wish in charming Old Foz. They have great, well-priced weekday business lunch menus that we've enjoyed (with options in each course), and they have very relaxing, comfortable, pretty dining rooms.

But if you want to have lunch soaking up those ocean views, there are beach side restaurants like Praia da Luz. Here, ime, the views take center stage rather than the food plus it's popular for sunset and late night cocktails. It can be really pleasant on a sunny day but the service can be hit or miss.
Wish, next to the church and Praia da Luz on the beach are bookable on The Fork.
Cafeína can be booked on its own web page.
Attachment 6504

Mel,
We had the 4 pm tasting at Quinta do Pégo. That is the one for the house guests and others who book. Because the hotel staff also run the wine shop, they're not always available to do tastings if one just drops by.

For Quinta das Carvalhas, yes, it would be within specific hours, for the same reason, that the staff also gives the tours, so the drop in for a tasting is usually only available during certain hours (this was pre-covid).

For the Quinta de la Rosa tapas and wine, since it will also be available to their guests, you should probably book.

We did 3 tours/tasting per day, but we organized our tours and tastings well in advance, as some of the quintas are quite a drive away, and we needed to group them within a reasonable, easy driving distance so as not to be late, and so as not to take on too much narrow, serpentine road driving. The ones you have listed are walk-able or in the case of Pégo within a 15-minute taxi ride.

xyz99,
I forgot to answer your question!
We drove from Coimbra to Pinhão and could have stopped in Lamego on that drive but did it on a separate day.

But to answer your question-----I think from Coimbra to Lamego to Pinhão to Porto is way too much. I'm afraid you'd just be scratching the surface, and it wouldn't be really enjoyable. It is a 90+ minute drive on the quickest toll route from Pinhão to the airport.

I know the LAB tour is pricey, but it would be so much more relaxing to sit back, and let someone else do the driving. And a private tour can cover much more ground, more efficiently, ime. And they're the experts in navigating the Douro valley roads.

Hi Maribel,
Thank you, I was afraid of that, and I appreciate your advice. On Google this is about 4 1/2 hrs drive, and I realize that in reality it would be even longer. We'd be in the car all day, and manage not to see enough to make it justice. So I guess we have to decide between the expensive private tour or skipping Douro all together. I looked into regular/not private tours, they are all focused on wineries (as it's expected in a wine country). Maybe we'll save this area for a 2nd trip...and save the day for Foz do Douro and the park at Fondacion Serralves. Decisions, decisions...

xyz99,
Decisions, decisions....I know!
Yes the small group tours (I have a list of 14 that do this from Porto) are all focused on wineries and include two or more winery visits.

The two companies that will allow you a tailor made experience are indeed expensive. I see that on the LAB tour that lunch isn't included in the price. The Douro Exclusive does offer a "Bespoke Experience", tailor made, but might be even more expensive, I imagine.

You could save the Alto Douro + Minho for a 2nd trip and include Braga, Peneda-Gêres National Park, Guimarães, Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo and the Minho border towns of Melgaço and Monção.

Now have I confused you? :wow:

LOL, no, you haven't confused me at all, that's what I'm thinking too. Plus more time in Alentejo, which we're only skimming this time with a couple of days in Evora. It pains me not to be able to get to Marvao and Monsanto...

Now...let's talk Porto and how to best enjoy our time there. We'll have: 1 afternoon, 3 full days, 1 morning + lunch.
If we want to explore Foz do Douro and the park at Fondacion Serralves, is that a full day, or the 1st afternoon? What do you think?
Last day will only be for the Covid test, packing, lunch, we won't plan anything else.

xyz99,
I absolutely love Alentejo, if you want to dedicate more time to it, you have my full stamp of approval. :)

You could devote 2/3 of a day to Foz, taking either the 500 double deck bus or the privately run, rickety antique tram to Foz, if it's not too crowded (it often is).
https://porto-north-portugal.com/por...to-to-foz.html

The tram only goes to the edge of Jardim de Passeio Alegre, and then you can take the beach walk north from there, where you can enjoy lunch.
Cafeína is just a block from the beach, Praia de Gondarém.

From our rental in Foz I've walked to Serravales (a long walk), but uber would deliver you much more quickly. While the Serralves Foundation contemporary art collection wasn't my favorite, I would certainly get a ticket to visit the Pink Villa and the park.
https://www.justlovelylittlethings.c...-of-serralves/

https://serralves.byblueticket.pt

Maribel,
I think someday we'll go back, and there will definitely be plenty to keep us occupied.
Great info about Foz and how to spend our day there, I think Foz + Serravales villa and park will be a perfect combo. Thank you!!

You're welcome! Foz do Douro is a very upscale, affluent section of Porto that most visitors miss, with a beautiful beach walk under a pergola; totally different.

How much are these quinta visits?