Day 1: Arrival in Porto

Your private transfer will be waiting for you at Porto airport to take you to your city centre hotel.

When you check into your Porto hotel, you will receive your Welcome Kit, which contains all the information you need to fully enjoy this self-guided walking holiday in the Douro wine region.

If you have free time in Porto, you may wish to explore the city’s historical monuments and revitalised areas such as Rua das Flores and the riverside Ribeira district. If you have time, cross the river and visit at least one of the port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia to see and smell where the barrels of aging wine are stored.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel

Day 2: Travel to Douro Valley

Today, you travel to the heart of the Douro Valley. You can choose between taking the train (approximately 2.5 hours) or spending most of the day on a river cruise all the way from Porto.

If you are travelling by train, we’ll pick you up at your hotel and take you to the station. Enjoy the river views all the way to the small riverside village of Pinhão, where the train station is decorated with painted tile panels depicting Douro wine production. Once there, you can take a boat upstream (optional, paid locally) for a different perspective of the valley.

Should you decide to travel by boat, in addition to the views, you’ll have the experience of going through two locks, a feat of engineering that has transformed the Douro River and enabled boats to travel safely between Porto and the wine region.

Accommodation: 3-star hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Linear walk from Pinhão to Vilarinho de São Romão

Distance: 9.4 km (5.8 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +587m / -138m

Explore the western slopes of the Pinhão Valley today as you climb to the hillside villages of São Cristovão do Douro and Provesende. The views of surrounding vineyards more than compensate for your efforts. End this journey with a warm welcome and home-cooked meal at a historical country house. If weather permits, take a refreshing dip in the outdoor pool or simply relax in the comfortable guest lounge.

Accommodation: Country hotel

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner

Day 4:  Circular walk of Vilarinho de São Romão

Distance: 13.1 km (8.1 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +405m / -405m

This circular route encompasses the highest part of the Douro Wine region, offering plenty of opportunities for stunning views in between swathes of pine forest. The vistas vary from the small villages and towns scattered around the surrounding hills, such as Sabrosa, Provesende and Vilarinho de São Romão, to the terraced slopes of the Pinhão and Douro valleys and the farms and wine estates. You’ll have the opportunity to explore authentic villages filled with examples of traditional architecture and observe small-scale agricultural practices in the neighbouring plots of land.

Accommodation: Country hotel

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch and dinner

Day 5: Linear walk from Vilarinho de São Romão to Alijó

Distance: 16.4 km (10.2 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +626m / -569m

Shorter option: 9 km (5.6 miles)

Enjoy views across the valley on your way towards the pretty village of Sabrosa. Follow an ancient road between here and Favaios as you head down through the vineyard terraces to the river. Wend your way uphill again between grape vines and olive groves towards a distinctly different landscape.

Taste traditional wood oven-baked bread and Moscatel wine in Favaios, then continue to the small, historical town of Alijó. Settle into your comfortable accommodation for the next two nights. Explore the town or relax by the pool before having dinner at the onsite restaurant or in a nearby restaurant.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel

Meals: Breakfast and packed lunch

Day 6: Circular walk via São Mamede da Ribatua

Distance: 15.0 km (9.3 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +369m / -369m

Shorter option: Linear walk | 8 km (4.9 miles)

Today’s walk is a circular route from Alijó that undulates through an ever-changing patchwork of vineyards and fields towards the ancient village of São Mamede da Ribatua with spectacular views of the surrounding rock-strewn mountains and the glittering lake below. Leave the village via a different route to return to Alijó or take a taxi back for a more relaxing afternoon.

Accommodation: 4-star hotel

Meals: Breakfast and packed lunch

Day 7: Linear walk from Alijó to Casal de Loivos

Distance: 13.9 km (8.6 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +223m / -400m

Spend the day walking in Douro Valley through vineyards, perhaps calling in at a wine estate or two for a tour and tasting session before reaching the ridge at the top of the eastern slopes of the Pinhão Valley. Look back at the terraced slopes opposite to identify the villages you walked to earlier in the week. You’ll have magnificent views of the Douro River before reaching the last village of the day.

Spend the night in a 17th century country house with amazing views and a pool.

Accommodation: Country hotel

Meals: Breakfast and packed lunch

Day 8: Linear walk from Casal de Loivos to Pinhão

Distance: 6.1 km (3.7 miles)

Elevation (gain/loss): +59m / -391m

Today’s short but glorious walk down to Pinhão leaves you with time for a final winery tour and tasting session (optional, paid locally) overlooking the River Douro. You could have lunch in the village or a picnic in the vineyards before taking the train back to Porto for your onward journey.

If you would like to add extra nights in Porto to explore the city more in-depth, just let us know.

Meals: Breakfast

NOTE: All the shorter options require a transfer that must be paid on-site.

Like what you see but it’s not quite a perfect fit?

Simply get in touch to tell us what you’re looking for. We’re happy to make changes to create your ideal holiday.

Map

Heart and Soul of Douro Valley

Duration: 7 nights | 6 walking days

Tour type: Self-guided

Nº of people: From 2

Walking grade: Moderate

Total walking distance: 76.7 km | 47.7 miles

Region: Douro Valley

Highlights: UNESCO Porto, Douro wine region, wine estates, wine-producing villages, scenic train ride, vineyard hikes, boutique hotels, country houses, local produce, breathtaking views, wine tasting, port wine, moscatel wine, artisanal bread, wine-producing villages, local customs and culture, varied landscapes.

Available: From 01st March to 31st October

What’s included?

• 7 Nights’ hand-picked accommodation with breakfast
• 5 Packed lunches during the walks (day 3 to day 7);
• 2 Dinners (without drinks) – days 2 and 3;
• Welcome Kit and pre-departure information;
• Pre-tour briefing;
• Detailed route notes (in English/German);
• App with trail information for use on a smartphone
• Private transfer from Porto airport to Porto hotel (day 1);
• Private transfer from Porto Hotel to Porto train station (day 2);
• Luggage transfer between accommodations from days 3 to 7 and to Pinhão train station on day 8;
• 24-hour emergency contact number (English-speaking).

What’s not included?

• Train transfer (round trip) between Porto train station and Pinhão train station; Transfer from Porto to the airport; Meals not mentioned above; Insurance; Tourist taxes; Gratuities; Personal expenses; Anything not mentioned in the “Included” section above.

What you need to bring:

• Most of this walking holiday is off-road on rugged terrain, so you will need proper walking shoes with cushioning and support.
• There is little shade, so adequate weather protection is also vital.
• We recommend you use walking poles.

Optional extra services:

• River cruise from Porto to Peso da Régua, with lunch included: 140 euros per person.
• River cruise from Peso da Régua to Porto, with lunch included: 140 euros per person.
• Visit a winery and wine tasting in Pinhão: 35 euros per person.
• Extra nights in Pinhão (3-star hotel): On request.
• Extra nights in Porto (4-star hotel): On request.
• Transfer from Porto to Pinhão: 255 euros for up to 3 people; 350 euros for 4 to 7 people.

At Portugal Green Walks, we firmly believe that travel should be a safe and rewarding experience for all concerned, including the destinations that you visit and the people you meet.

Please find out how we embrace sustainable and responsible travel.

Environment

Throughout this week-long walking holiday, clients will get up close and personal with a fascinating wine region, which UNESCO has classified as a World Heritage Landscape due to the combination of man-made terraces and the still mostly manual methods of wine production that this terrain demands.

The adventure begins with a scenic train journey through the Douro Valley from Porto to Pinhão. The journey includes views of the treacherous river that was once the main route for transporting goods, especially barrels of wine, from the vineyards to the port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.

From the riverside village of Pinhão, our village-to-village and circular self-guided hikes follow rural backroads and paths through undulating countryside, vineyards, valleys, and villages. These hikes offer visitors a chance to enjoy the local flora and fauna with negligible environmental impact, especially since they receive a full briefing from us on how to respect the local wildlife and landscape.

We use some accommodations for multiple nights in order to reduce the need for luggage transfers. When these are necessary, we use local taxi drivers to reduce carbon emissions and support the local economy.

Since tap water quality is excellent in Portugal, we recommend that our clients bring a refillable bottle for their walking holiday.

We provide an app for clients to use during their tours with us to reduce the need for printing information. It is a simple and straightforward navigation tool that will give them all the directional information they need and peace of mind that they are on the right track. It also contains information about points of interest along the route and the location of useful services such as cafés and grocery stores.

Community

To make sure that money stays within the small local communities that our clients spend time in, the accommodation for this programme is in a combination of small, unique hotels and family-run rural lodgings, which give clients an insight into local history and culture. The staff/owners are very welcoming and happy to chat with guests about the area. Some of these accommodations produce their own wine, olive oil and fruit, from which they make and serve home-made jams that can also be purchased as gifts/souvenirs.

The daily lunch pack contains fresh local produce, and we encourage guests to have dinner at hospitable local restaurants, where they can enjoy traditional regional dishes, engage with the owners, chefs, or servers, and, of course, sample Douro wines and port.

Most of the walking days involve passing through small hillside villages, where clients are welcome to stop at local cafés, bakeries, and grocery or craft stores to get a sense of local life and interact with the residents.

This is particularly relevant in the village of Favaios, which is famous for its artisanal bread. We strongly recommend visiting one of the local bakers to see how they use the wood-fired ovens and buy still-warm rolls. The formidable baker, Manuela, will also slice and butter the bread on request. Favaios is also one of only two places in Portugal that produce muscatel wine so a glass of Moscatel de Favaios is a must for those who enjoy fortified wines. Clients can learn more about the history of both these tasty treats in the village’s Bread and Wine Museum.

This trail is in the heart of the renowned Douro wine region, so in addition to observing the manual labour that goes into tending the endless grape vines, both for small-scale independent production and for the major players, there are plenty of opportunities to visit local wine producers to taste and buy their wines and learn about the unique family histories of these quintas (wine estates).

If the trip coincides with the grape harvest, which is usually in September, clients have a wonderful opportunity to experience the hustle and bustle of grape picking and transportation to the wineries and, with a bit of luck, even participate in grape treading or harvest celebrations.

Click on the button below to download the itinerary with day-by-day details, highlights, prices and the respective general conditions.

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