Here is a peak at the beauty of the Douro Valley

We had been living in Porto for 4 weeks so it was finally time for us to go explore the Douro Valley. You have to visit the Douro Valley if you are in Porto, I can’t believe we even hesitated because it is an amazing place. Not only does this valley have the perfect weather conditions to produce Port wine, the beautiful and dramatic landscape make it seem unreal. No surprises that this site has UNESCO World Heritage status in 2001 as you will be able to attest through the pictures and video we will be sharing.

In this post, we are sharing our itinerary as well as how much we spent (of course!). If you plan to come to Portugal you MUST take at the very least a day to come visit or ideally a few days to truly experience this beautiful part of the country. Next time, we will spend at least a week here!

How much time do you need to spend in the Douro Valley?

We recommend a minimum of two days to have a relaxing experience because there is a lot of driving. Ideally more if you can afford it since the region is pretty big and there are many places you can go (estates, BnBs, restaurants, view points). We also left during the week (one of the few advantages of slow travel) to avoid having to share the road with more tourists and also locals that explore this region on weekends. This totally paid off!  

What did we do?

We tried to stay away from the most touristic towns (like Pinhão or Regua) and venture instead for the lesser known locations, wine producing estates (aka “Quinta”) and accommodation. Especially since we rented a car, we wanted to take advantage of it by visiting more remote locations. 

Here is a daily summary of our getaway:

DayWhat did we do?
1 (Thursday)We left Porto early and had a packed picnic lunch at Miradouro S. Domingos, we enjoyed a 1 hour boat ride on the Douro Valley leaving from Pinhão, a snack at one of the wine producing estates (Quinta das Carvalhas) before heading to our lodging (Quinta Manhãs Douro) for an amazing dinner.
Total driving: 120 miles, 3 hours and 40 minutes.
2 (Friday)After visiting the town of Provesende, we enjoy a great breakfast at Quinta Manhãs Douro and a last swim before checking out. We got back on the road to see a few viewpoints (Viewpoint De Loivos, Miradouro da Abelheira, Miradouro de São Salvador do Mundo). We stopped by a wine estate (Quinta do Tedo) to learn more about the Port wines and try some. We wrapped up our second day with a great hike within the estate and drove to catch the sunset on a last vista before heading back to Porto. 
Total driving: 140 miles, 4 hours.

Trip miles total: 260 miles, 4 hours and 40 minutes.

The map below captures all the sites we’ve stopped at as well as the place we stayed at.

Day 1 – From Porto to the Douro Valley

There are several options for transport to get from Porto to the Douro Valley. You can take a cruise, the train or rent a car. All options will have a lovely ride but we ended up opting for renting a car because it was inexpensive and we wanted the flexibility to explore outside of the main towns. 

Upon recommendation from the car rental agent, we decided to take the highway from Porto to Amarante and then go on the countryside roads which ended up being a good suggestion because it saved time and the nicest part of the drive starts around Amarante. Some people opt to drive along the river the entire way but that will double the driving time and it’s already a lot of hilly and winding driving once you get to the heart of the Douro. Note that you do have to pay tolls of about 6 EUR to take the highway (one way). 

From Amarante, we kept driving until we reached the town of Régua. Régua is a popular stop for people coming to the Douro Valley by either train or boat. We did not really like the feeling of this town as it way too developed for us so we kept going driving to reach our lunch stop at Miradouro S. Domingos. The location was a bit of an adventure to get to (due to the narrow roads and sharp turns), but the view at the top was really worth it! The view point had some nice stoned picnic tables that we used for lunch. From the top on a sunny day you can see the Douro valley and river that runs underneath the view point. For lunch, our spread included some local Portuguese Linguica, nuts, fruits, and vegetables that we prepared the night before.

Upon refueling on nutrients, we kept driving until we reach Pinhāo where we took a 1 hour boat ride on the river. We did not have the best weather during our boat ride but we were still able to enjoy a relaxing experience and get a really beautiful perspective of the valley from the water. There was also a 2 hour boat ride option that would be nice as well. 

Cost for an hour boat ride along the Douro river w/ Magnífico Douro: 10 EUR per person. 

As we left the boat, the sun came back out so we spend another hour or so visiting the town of Pinhāo and having a mid afternoon snack on the lovely terrace of the Quinta das Carvalhas. (right after the bridge).

We then started to drive towards our accommodation. One the way we could not keep driving on the beautiful road N323 without stopping so we made two stops. One as we exited Pinhāo and one half way through our accommodation. (see our detailed map).

This pretty much closed the exploration part of our first day but we were in for a nice treat when we reached Quinta Manhãs Douro. Mrs. Nomad Numbers found this place on booking.com (link below) after scattering dozens of options. This country house checked off pretty much everything we were looking for. The place was small(7 rooms total), it was a really modern, it had a pool and was in the middle of the wine valley in the countryside. Oh and did we mention that the staff was top-notch? Upon arrival we made specific dietary requests and the chef in person that came to talk to us about what options we could have for dinner. After checking inside our room. we went straight to the swimming pool surrounded by a beautiful vineyard and orchards.

Then it came time for dinner. We had a huge 3 course dinner with an appetizer, entree and dessert and definitely overate a bit that night but it was hard to pass on all the amazing food. 

Cost for 3 course dinner @ Quinta Manhas Douro: 20 EUR per person. 

Total driving: 120 miles, 3 hours & 40 minutes.

Day 2 – From Douro Valley back to Porto

After a good night of rest, we started the day with an early walk into the town of Provesende which was just 10 minutes walk from where we stayed. The town was pretty quiet and it was nice to explore it and see it come to life.

After that, it was time for us to enjoy the breakfast that was included with our booking. Once again we were not disappointed. The breakfast was generous and included a few local items (like pastel de nata, homemade pastries/bread and fruits). And the staff was of course able to accomodate Mrs. NN specific diet requests!

We then stayed at the country house until checkout time to have some R&R time: some tea, meditation and swimming. 

Once packed and ready to go, we started heading to our first view point: Viewpoint De Loivos that was recommended by our quinta and was just a few minutes detour from our route. We then head for Miradouro da Abelheira which was our best vista of the douro river. We had one last stop as we started driving back at Miradouro de São Salvador do Mundo for yet another view of the douro river and valley.

After so many viewpoints it was finally time for us to learn more about wine production in this region and we decided to stop at Quinta do Tedo to get educated. This wine estate has some very unique views of the region and in addition to the Douro river, there’s a great view of the Tedo river (a smaller river that becomes a tributary into the Douro). The visit lasted about one hour and included 3 tastings, which was great. The quinta als offers tours without tasting if you aren’t a wine drinker. After the tour and some pictures taken from the wine estates, we decided to enjoy the golden hour by taking an hour long walk around the property using a wonderful trail that the wine estate has made available to its customers. 

As our day was winding down, we drove for one last view point at Miradouro São Leonardo de Galafura which was a bit out of our way back home but was worth the stop. We reached Porto at the end of the day with great memories of our getaway!

Total driving: 140 miles, 4 hours.

What NOT to do?

A lot of people get really excited about the Douro region and it makes sense when you see the gorgeous pictures and hear about it. As with every location here are a few things we would not recommend to do.

  • Do not stay in the main towns: Pinhão or Regua. In our opinion, if you’re going to go to the Douro Valley, you want to stay away from the busy town center to fully experience the beauty of the area.
  • Do not stop your route at Regua: There are some itineraries that don’t make it past Regua but the area between Regua and Pinhão is the most stunning so you don’t want to miss it.
  • Do not book an organized tour to the Douro Valley: Unless that’s your travel style, we were not impressed with the giant buses we saw driving around and did not want to cross paths with those huge crowds.
  • Do not book the picnics at the wineries: If you’re a reader of Nomad Numbers then you probably care about value and 25 EUR each for a charcuterie and some wine is not good value! Put that money towards your own picnic and stop at one of the many viewpoints.

Where to stay?

As we had to spend a lot of time on the road for this trip, we only needed a place to sleep. While we usually like to use AirBnB for long stays to save close to 50% on accommodation cost, on very short (1-2 nights) stays AirBnB doesn’t always offer the best deals (partly due to the cleaning fee that can be as high as the nightly rate). This is when we also look to Booking.com which has a lot of options on what we were looking for. 

Note: Links to the accommodations below are affiliate links, meaning that if you click and purchase any of them, Nomad Numbers may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please review our disclaimer page.

DayAccomodation / LocationNomad Numbers Rating
1 (Wednesday)Quinta Manhas Douro5 out of 5 – Excellent
Mrs. Nomad Numbers found this lovely country house that only accommodates 6+1 rooms. From talking in person about some dietary restrictions, to the really warm staff to the gorgeous view and the swimming pool, this place has been one of the best we’ve stayed at for a short getaway. We highly encourage people to book it if they want a perfect and relaxing time in the region. Breakfast is included which features local pastries, fruits and some more common continental items. (9.4 score on booking.com)

How to get there?

The best way to experience the Douro region is by car in our opinion as this will give you great flexibility in both schedule and locations you can visit. We took a car rental from Porto which cost us about $20 USD per day. When picking your car, try to pick a car that is fuel efficient so you can save on gas.

Cost for a 2 days rental with Budget: 33 EUR

As mentioned, alternatives would be taking the train or a ferry but you will be limited to the train and ferry stops in what you can see. As you saw in our itinerary, we stopped at many great viewpoints and a lovely winery that you will need a car to access.

How much did we spend?

This 2 day getaway was definitely a treat and we balanced splurging on a nice experience with getting value for our stay. For example, we packed our own picnic instead of doing a pricey picnic offered by the wineries but we spent more on a 3 course dinner. There were definitely cheaper accommodation options but since it was just one night, we wanted to treat ourselves to a quiet remote country house stay.

TL;DR; As a couple we spent a total of 255 USD for this trip. Note: this budget is as a couple so if you travel solo, your budget might differ.

CategoryTotal Cost USDComments
Accommodation$72.3This is covering one night at the wonderful Quinta Manhas Douro (which included free breakfast)
Transportation$84.4This is for the rental car & gas.
Groceries
/Snacks
$12.3This covered our lunch picnic on day one. We skipped lunch on the following day since our breakfast was so huge 🙂
Eating Out$45.2This covered dinner at Quinta Manhas Douro.
Activities$40.6This includes our boat tour + our stop at the winery
TOTAL$254.8This is definitely on the expensive end but the value we got was definitely exceptional. It was only for a two day trip but it’s not bad considering everything we were able to do and see while being on our own schedule.

Others tips?

Here are our tips for anyone that is planning to visit the Douro Valley and wants to save time and money while having the best possible experience:

  • Check the weather – The region isn’t as gorgeous when it’s raining or if the sky is cloudy so make sure the check the forecast as you are planning your trip.
  • Avoid the weekend – We were surprised to see very little people during our getaway. Weekdays are a bit less crowded than weekends since you usually avoid the locals that are coming to the Douro Valley from Porto.     
  • Drive with caution – The roads in the Douro Valley can be pretty narrow and we noticed people driving really fast. Accidents are apparently common in this region so be extra careful. 
  • Don’t drive & drink! – With many wineries along the way, it might be tempting to try a few in a day. If you do so, please make sure you have a designated driver that won’t be drinking so everybody can come back home safely! 
  • Use AirBnB. AirBnB is a website that allows homeowners, in destinations all over the world, the ability to rent private spaces (or entire apartments) for a fee. As nomadic long term travelers, we like to call AirBnB our home as it has helped us save a lot of money and provides us with really great places managed by wonderful hosts! Pro tip: If you sign up for AirBnB using our referral link, you will get a 55 USD credit (or the equivalent in your local currency), which should give you a pretty nice discount on your first night.

What do you think about the Douro Valley? Did you know about it? Would you like to spend a few days there and enjoy everything gorgeous region has to offer?



Mr. Nomad Numbers

We are a couple who travel the world and want to inspire people to think differently about the life they can design for themselves through our journey.

16 Comments

Abbas Gassem · August 19, 2019 at 10:15 am

Amazing video shoots and good insights to Douro Valley.

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 19, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Thank you Abbas. It took a few flights and some driving to get to the many vistas you can see on the footage but as we said the region is so worth it. We are glad that you found our content insightful!

Ralu · August 19, 2019 at 2:05 pm

Nice post and thank you for enlightening us. Im trying to make Portugal the first European Country I visit. Are you guys planning to post more on Portugal?

Pete · August 19, 2019 at 7:34 pm

When you come up with your post on Porto, could you kindly include some commentary on the real estate situation (i.e., is it getting more expensive? Which areas would make sense in terms of property investment?)?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 23, 2019 at 8:33 am

    Hi Pete. Thanks for stopping by. We will be talking about Porto in our next blog post and we will definitely be talking about how much we spent to live there was might be a surprise for some people. As for the real estate, it is definitely getting more expensive. We’ve heard that Porto’s Real estate increased year over year by 20% for the last 5 years and Lisbon since to have increase even more!

I Love To Travel · August 20, 2019 at 5:58 pm

Awesome post Mr. NN. I love the budget breakdown that you take extra effort to do for these reports. I really appreciate them!

Quick question – did you have any issues with language or was English widely spoken?

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 20, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    Thank you ILTT! We like when people comment on how valuable the ressources we share are for them.

    This part of Portugal is quite touristy so no problem to get understood in English (or even in French).

Debra Thompson · August 22, 2019 at 6:47 pm

Thanks for the drone video of this beautiful region! Your itinerary and costs are much appreciated. Looking forward to viewing/reading about your next adventure :).

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 23, 2019 at 8:32 am

    Hi Debra. We are glad that you’ve been enjoying our drone video of the Douro Valley. If you do plan to visit the region, please share you feedback with us as we only scratch the surface with our itinerary. Porto and Lisbon will be the next places we will be digging and sharing our numbers with. So stay tuned for that & if you haven’t done it yet, subscribe to our newsletter so you get notified as soon as these posts will go live (http://nomadnumbers.com/newsletter)

      Les Phipps · March 30, 2021 at 10:18 pm

      We will be driving and spending a week in Porto and driving the Duero. Will drive the coast down to Lisbon. Do you have a two week itenary for Porto, the River, coast road and Lisbon? We will be renting a car.

        Mr. Nomad Numbers · April 2, 2021 at 2:21 am

        Hi Les. Renting a car is a great way to explore Portugal. Unfortunately we don’t have such itinerary but we will be happy to share one once we return to Portugal. In the meantime, I’m sure you can find some good suggestions on the Internet. Our recommendation would be to not try to see everything but rather pick a few places and spending plenty of time in each of them to fully embrace them. When it come to travel, we learned that less is more! #slowtravel. Enjoy your trip and definitely keep us posted of what you ended up doing as this could help us in the future.

Libby · February 28, 2020 at 12:13 am

Thank you so much for this! I hope to use this as a basis for our trip to the Douro Valley in May. I am thinking we will do two nights. Would you recommend doing one single location or two in different areas? Did you do a map view of your trip? We will be arriving from Coimbra and then going to Porto. Thanks again! Really lovely!

    Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 28, 2020 at 3:31 am

    Hi Libby. Thank you for your comment. If you do two nights, try to find a location central to the site you want to see so you don’t have to deal with check-in and check-out. The area where we stay is pretty central to the region so this can be an option. We highly recommend the place we stayed at! As for the map view we don’t have one. What specific information would you like to get from such map? And once you get there, please come back to share your impression about your trip!

Destination Report: Porto – Part One: What to do, eat and see – Nomad Numbers · August 26, 2019 at 3:41 pm

[…] Douro Valley, Portugal […]

Destination Report: Porto – Part Two: Cost of Nomad Living – Nomad Numbers · September 1, 2019 at 11:12 pm

[…] Douro Valley, Portugal […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error

Enjoy our blog? Please help us spread the word :-)