Porto and the Douro Valley are known for their excellent wines and the delicious regional cuisine, which makes use of the natural resources found here. All meals have strong links with the land and sea, often prepared following traditional recipes. Portugal also has some of the best fish dishes in the world.

Although meat and fish dishes are typically the focal point of Portuguese cuisine, vegetarian and vegan options have become more widely available in recent years, particularly in cosmopolitan cities such as Porto. Please let us know of any dietary requirements in advance so we can best accommodate your request.

Join a marnoto-led tour across the salt pans of Figueira da Foz on the Mondego estuary. Watch wooden rakes coax crystals toward tidy piles, feel the crunch of sun-baked earth underfoot, and learn how wind, sun and patience yield the prized flor de sal.

Continue to a rustic farmhouse for a light picnic where house-baked bread, olives and regional specialties accent the lagoon’s subtle salinity. Stories of seasonal labor and centuries-old techniques lend cultural depth to each bite and a tangible sense of coastal tradition.

Explore Lamego’s compact historic core on a guided tour of its hilltop castle, the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, and the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. Marvel at the baroque staircase of 686 steps, patterned with azulejos and shaded landings that frame views across town.

Hear how ecclesiastical power, wine wealth and devotion shaped this Alto Douro stronghold. Panoramic viewpoints invite moments to pause for photos and reflection over rooftops, vineyard terraces and distant ridgelines.

Visit Palácio da Bolsa, Porto’s 19th-century neoclassical Stock Exchange Palace, on a guided tour through salons of polished wood and gilded stucco. Step into the Arab Room, a Moorish-inspired fantasia used for state receptions and civic ceremonies.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Architectural details narrate the city’s mercantile rise, where powerful trade associations shaped politics, taste and urban identity.

Explore Ovar, the City of Tiles, on a guided walk following the Azulejo Route. Admire tile-clad facades and civic buildings, including the Matriz de Ovar, where blue-and-white panels shimmer in Atlantic light. Learn how patterns and pigments mirror faith, commerce and local pride across the 19th and 20th centuries.

Step into a workshop to see the beloved pão de ló gently released from its paper-lined mold. Taste the sponge cake’s custardy center still warm from the oven, and hear how feast days and family gatherings in Portugal are sweetened by this regional specialty.

Walk Viseu’s historic centre with a local guide, exploring the atmospheric Adro da Sé square and artisan quarters of this granite hill town. Step inside Viseu Cathedral to admire layered Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance details set around a serene cloister.

Hear how wine trade and pilgrimage shaped civic life as you view the dignified Solar do Vinho do Dão, headquarters of the regional wine commission. Distinctive stonework and public art reveal a city that balances deep-rooted heritage with contemporary creativity.

Tour a historic quinta at Quinta da Comenda, where orchards and vineyards have been cultivated organically since 1987. Meet the owners, learn about dry-farmed traditions, and stroll beneath fruit trees alive with birdsong before settling in for a relaxed countryside picnic.

Sample regional Dão wines with cheeses, cured meats and garden produce. Stories connecting the estate to D. Teresa, mother of Portugal’s first king, frame the tasting with lineage and landscape—an authentic expression of the Dão’s elegance and terroir.

Visit the Museu do Douro, housed in a restored riverside warehouse in Peso da Régua. Exhibits trace the UNESCO-listed Alto Douro Wine Region, from schist terraces to rabelo boats, revealing how geography and ingenuity forged the identity of Portugal’s famed fortified wine.

Engage with interactive displays and archival photographs before pausing to overlook the river that once carried casks to Gaia. The museum’s context enriches every valley view you’ll encounter among vineyards, olive groves and winding water.

Take the Douro line along the river from Régua to Pinhão, where tracks hug cliffs and bends reveal waves of terraced vineyards. Sit back for effortless photography as quintas, olive groves and stone walls slide by your window in a rolling panorama.

On arrival, admire Pinhão Station’s azulejo panels depicting harvest scenes—a small masterpiece of railway art. The journey distills the valley’s character into a cinematic sweep of stone, vine and water.

Visit Raposeira for a tasting of regional sparkling wines crafted by the classic method. In cool cellars and intimate tasting rooms, compare styles that show notes of citrus, brioche and mineral edges—flavours that pair beautifully with local cheeses and charcuterie.

Your host explains how altitude, schist soils and patient aging bring structure and finesse. This is Douro hospitality in a glass, linking vigneron craft to festive moments across northern Portugal.

Join a guided walking tour through Porto’s UNESCO-listed historic centre, from the tile-clad grandeur of São Bento Station to the double-deck Luís I Bridge spanning the Douro. Navigate medieval lanes in Ribeira alive with river breezes and café chatter.

Hear stories of merchants and masons in a city shaped by trade and tiled artistry. Azulejo panels by Jorge Colaco, iron engineering by Théophile Seyrig and colourful riverfront facades together compose Portugal’s second city in vivid detail.

Meet your tour leader and fellow travellers over a Portuguese welcome dinner in waterside Aveiro. Share petiscos and ocean-fresh dishes seasoned with local salt, and finish with ovos moles—delicate sweets with a silky egg-yolk filling created by convent bakers.

Toast the journey ahead with a crisp regional wine as canal lights shimmer on the water. The convivial mood sets the tone for a week rich in culture, landscapes and superb cuisine.

Celebrate your journey with a farewell dinner in Porto, where northern flavours shine—hearty stews, line-caught fish and seasonal vegetables—paired with Douro DOC wines. Lively conversation flows as you revisit highlights from vineyards, villages and river bends.

Raise a glass of port wine to the city that made it famous and to friendships forged along the way. It’s a warm, flavourful finale that captures the spirit of northern Portugal.

Cruise the Douro River from Pinhão aboard a traditional wooden rabelo boat, the sleek craft once used to ferry barrels downstream. Glide past terraced hillsides and storied quintas as light dances on schist walls and vine leaves.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your skipper shares river lore and landmark estates, mapping centuries of wine trade onto the valley’s grand scenery.

Embark on the classic Six Bridges cruise in Porto to view the city from the Douro. Sail beneath the sweeping arches of Dom Luís I and Arrábida, with vistas of Ribeira’s colourful facades, riverfront warehouses and hillside gardens.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. The gentle voyage links Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia’s storied quays while showcasing the engineering that binds the two banks together.

Discover the lagoon city from the water as you join a traditional moliceiro cruise through the Ria de Aveiro. Skim beneath low bridges along the Canal Central, pass salt marshes and Art Nouveau facades, and admire the boats’ brightly painted prows, once used to harvest seaweed.

Gain insight into the rhythms of lagoon life as your guide shares stories of salt, fishing and migratory birds; watch reflections ripple across tiled houses and warehouses. This serene perspective reveals how the water has shaped local craft, cuisine and identity for centuries.