Douro Valley Day Trip with Wine Tastings & River Cruise, Porto

Explore the Douro Valley's wine scene with a day trip along Portugal's most famous river, the Rio Douro. You'll be driven out to a small-scale winery where you can taste their best wines and learn about the production processes while walking through the vineyards. Then, you'll hop on a traditional Portuguese boat for a cruise along the river from Pinhão, admiring the vine-covered hills. After a three-course lunch, you'll make your way back to Porto, stopping to unearth the secrets of port wine with another tasting experience.

Your wine and port-tasting day trip starts when your guide picks you up from your hotel in Porto and drives you east into the Douro Valley. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 for its rich winemaking history, this region dates back some 2,000 years and is famous for the production of world-famous port varieties. As you drive alongside the snaking river, you'll spot river beaches and traditional quintas (estates) with their terraces of vines perched on the steep valley slopes.

Your first stop along the river will be at a small, family-run winery, where you and your group will learn about the whole production process, from grape to glass. After some time to explore the vineyards, you'll be treated to a tasting session, where you'll sample some of their finest Douro wines. Afterward, it's time to continue along the river to the village of Pinhão, well-known for its iconic railway station, which is decorated with traditional azulejos (Portuguese tiles) featuring rural scenes.

Here, you'll hop on a rabelo boat, originally used to transport barrels of wine along the Douro, for an hour-long cruise. As you glide along the gentle waters, look out for the train passing over viaducts, and you may even spot some vultures or eagles flying overhead. When you return to Pinhão, it's lunchtime—you'll enjoy an authentic three-course Portuguese meal paired with Douro wines. After lunch, dig deeper into the region's winemaking culture with a visit to another winery, where you'll learn about port production and sample some of the rich, sweet dessert wine. Afterward, sit back and relax on the journey back to Porto.