A Private Douro Day That Can Collect You in the Valley

A private day, and the detail that separates it from the other private Douro tours is where it starts. You can be collected from your accommodation in Porto, or from wherever you are staying inside the Douro Valley itself, which matters if you have already come out here and do not want to drive back to the city to be picked up.

Two start times, 8:30 or 9:30, and a drop-off back at your accommodation at around 6:30 in the evening.

Through the day there are commented tastings of both DOC Douro wines and ports, at estates rather than at a counter, with a specialised guide doing the explaining. You walk in the vineyards where the quintas' wines come from, which is the only way to understand why the terraces are shaped the way they are: schist cut into steps because nothing else holds soil on a slope that steep.

Lunch is three courses with wine and other drinks included.

At Pinhão there is a fifty-minute boat ride from the village quay, and a stop at the railway station, whose platform is lined with azulejo panels showing the harvest, the treading and the barrels going downriver.

The rest of the time is yours. Viewpoints are stopped at for as long as you want them, which is the practical advantage of a private booking over a coach.

Up to fifteen travellers, guided in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish. Infant seats available. Gratuities and personal expenses are not included.