A Wine Lover's Road Trip Through Douro Valley

When you’re ready to head north, board the high speed train bound for Porto, a two-and-a-half hour scenic passage through countryside villages and rolling hillside passages. Said to be the gateway or an amuse bouche to the Douro, Porto itself is worth spending a night or two to ease into the region’s slower rhythm and appreciate its mysterious and soulful beauty. Consider staying at The Rebello, a striking new design-forward hotel with scenic views of the old city near the port lodges in Gaia, or The Yeatman, a wine-lover’s escape overlooking the city that offers vinotherapy spa treatments, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and curated tastings in their impressive cellar. Or for a luxurious seaside retreat, head to Villa Foz Hotel, a restored 19th century mansion just beyond the city center. Be sure to book a table for the tasting menu at Cozinha das Flores by chef Nuno Mendes, or at Blind, a theatrical culinary journey that was recently awarded its first Michelin star for its playful approach to illuminating the senses by way of blindfolds, sound experiences, and other surprises. For something more casual, pop into the ever-enchanting Belle Époque Café Majestic or the cozy, family-run Taberna dos Mercadores. And port enthusiasts will want to visit the historic port lodges like Real Companhia Velha or Vasques de Carvalho across the river in Vila Nova da Gaia, where the valley’s wines have been aged, blended, and exported for centuries.

While day trips to the region by boat or train are possible from Porto, renting a car offers a sense of untethered freedom, which is ideal for exploring the valley’s contours and discovering quieter pockets of beauty beyond the rail lines (plus, the N222 autoroute that winds through the heart of the valley and hugs the river’s edge is routinely hailed as one of the most beautiful drives in the world). The valley follows the path of the Douro River, which rises in Spain’s Sierra de Urbión mountains and flows west to meet the Atlantic in Porto. The valley’s wine production is divided into three territories, demarcated by their varying climates and landscapes. Baixo Corgo, closest to Porto, yields light yet elegant table wines and ruby ports; Cima Corgo, in the center, produces Portugal’s finest vintage ports; while Douro Superior, further east towards the Spanish border, delivers bold reds, though in much lower quantities due to the extreme conditions. 

Nestled throughout the valley are quintas, or wine-producing vineyards, that welcome visitors for tours and tastings, many of which have transformed their historic manors and farmhouses into boutique guesthouses and hotels. And as the region rises in popularity, many have opened restaurants, tasting lounges, pools, spas, and hiking trails to their properties, in addition to offering picnics among the grapevines, boat cruises (Deltatur offers private cruises along with vintage port tastings), guided hikes, cooking classes, and more. Quinta da Roeda, the flagship estate of Croft, offers tastings of vintage, reserve, and tawny ports, while family-run estates like Quinta do Vallado and Quinta de la Rosa offer a variety of their elegant table wines. 

There’s no shortage of charming quintas to spend the night at, whose dreamy guest accommodations offer stunning views of the terraced vineyards and the surrounding valley. Standout stays include Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, a Relais & Châteaux property housed in the vineyard’s 18th century manor house and considered to be one of the region’s best hideaways; Quinta Ventozelo, a slow-travel focused estate with accommodations spread across converted farmhouses and former wine storage structures shaped like balloons amidst olive groves and orange trees; and Quinta da Côrte, the Pierre Yovanovitch-designed guest house, which at just eight rooms, is an elegant rural retreat that blends contemporary design sensibility with Portuguese craft.

The region has a rich culinary heritage, and while traditional northern Portuguese dishes tend to be rather hearty (think: stews, sausages, cured meats, roasted meats, and variations of rice and beans), restaurant across the region including Cozinha da Clara, Castas e Pratos, and Aneto e Table offer nuanced takes on tavern fare that embrace seasonality, local ingredients, and the slow food movement—and pair perfectly with the Douro’s varietals. And recently, a coterie of Michelin-starred and celebrated chefs are making their mark on the valley with fine dining that elevates the region’s culinary DNA at spots including Bomfim 1896 by Pedro Lemos, DOC by chef Rui Paula, and Seixo by Vasco Coelho Santos. 

End the trip at Six Senses Douro Valley, a 19th century manor turned wellness haven that is the crown jewel of the valley. Their signature spa offers grapeseed scrubs, Ayurvedic massages, sculpting facials in addition to their wellness programs that range from sound baths and forest bathing to biohacking. Dinner at Vale de Abraão, helmed by chef José Maria Gomes, brings the region’s flavors to life in an open kitchen setting where the menu is led by the seasons, and on warm summer nights the Summer Garden comes to live with a rustic barbeque beneath grapevines and twinkle lights to offer seasonal legumes and grilled fish and meat in a laid back setting on the patio. After a week of discovering the Douro’s charms, it’s the perfect place to unwind and take in the last moments of the valley.