Walking Tour: On the Other Side of Douro

Take the road less traveled with this walking tour on the other side of Douro, Portugal's famous wine region replete with orchards, vineyards, and typical villages.

This weeklong, self-guided stroll takes you through the unexplored, rural side of the Douro at your own pace. Slow down and rejuvenate as you explore a side of Douro where few tourists venture. Discover a new layer to this UNESCO region by hiking through awe-inspiring landscapes, and stopping in small villages along the way. Visiting the Douro region wouldn’t be complete without savoring delicious wines in serene settings, away from the hustle and bustle of tourist hot spots.

• Visit the Alto Douro wine region, the oldest wine region in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Soak in stunning views as you walk through terraced vineyards
• Meet with small wine producers and participate in port and wine tastings
• Discover charming local villages, historical monuments, and Portugal’s rural life

On this walking trip through the other side of Douro, you’ll start in Porto and make your way down to the riverside town of Peso de Régua. As you explore the area south of the Douro River, you’ll walk through beautiful natural landscapes past fruit trees and orchards, and through terraced vineyards.

You’ll have the chance to admire the UNESCO World Heritage landscapes of the Alto Douro wine region from multiple vantage points. Our different hikes to Pinhão, Vacalar, and Adorigo, to name a few, offer the chance to overlook gorgeous rolling vineyards, terraced slopes, and the mighty Douro River.

Throughout your hike, you can sample delicious local specialties, and savor the unique flavors of the region’s wines. The wine production here is mostly thanks to smaller producers, which means a greater variety of vineyard patterns and a very local feel to the experience.

As well as its wine industry, the Douro region is well known for its fruit production. Strolling through Armamar, a charming town in northern Portugal, you’ll see orchards full of cherries, apples, elderberries, and figs. Depending on the time of year, the fruit trees may be in blossom or in fruit, adding extra color and flavor to your time in the Douro Valley.

This Douro walking tour also offers the possibility to immerse yourself in Portuguese history and culture. In Salzedas and Barcos, located in northern Portugal, their historical monuments, including a Romanesque church and a Cistercian monastery, will impress you. For example, the monastery of Santa Maria de Salzedas, which dates from the 12th century, has been recognized as one of the most important and beautiful in Portugal.

You’ll also experience the region’s laid-back rural rhythm. In small towns, notice how locals manage their vegetable plots, vineyards, and fruit trees. There will be time, too, to hang out in a cafe and watch life unfold around you.

The final walking day starts in a hillside village on the north side of the Douro River, which gives you an opportunity to see where you’ve already walked from a different perspective. This is a lovely way to end your Douro vacation!

Like what you but it is not quite a perfect fit?

Simply tell us what you’re looking for. We’ll happily adapt this itinerary to suit your personal interests, needs, and schedule to create your ideal trip.

You can book this itinerary from March 1st through October 31st each year.

• The low season is from March 1st to April 30th & from October 16th to 31st.
• The high season is from May 1st to October 15th.

Spring, early summer, and fall are ideal for walking holidays in northern Portugal. Days are generally warm and sunny but can be chilly and possibly windy, especially on the coast. There is always a chance of experiencing some rain, so please come prepared for changeable conditions. May, June, and September tend to be warmer with less chance of rain.

July and August are usually the hottest months, with temperatures regularly exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

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

Traveling during the low season is generally considered a sustainable tourism practice as it helps with tourism dispersal: spreading out where tourists go and how their money supports locals throughout the year.

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. This walking tour was crafted using extensive local knowledge and designed to respect both the way of life of local populations as well as the natural environment.

Environment: You will see this UNESCO World Heritage region up close through scenic routes and rural backroads with river and vineyard views. You will see man-made wine terraces, and have the chance to enjoy the local flora and fauna with negligible environmental impact, especially since you will receive a full briefing from us on how to respect the local wildlife and landscape.

Since the quality of tap water is excellent in Portugal, we supply a refillable bottle that clients can use during their walking holiday and beyond.

Community: To make sure that money stays within the small local communities that our clients spend time in, the accommodation for this program is in a combination of small, unique hotels and family-run rural lodgings, which give clients an insight into local history and culture. Some accommodations produce their own wine, olive oil, and fruit, from which they make products that can also be purchased as gifts/souvenirs.

Local food:
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, chef, or servers, and, of course, sample Douro wines and port.

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

Wine producers:
This trail is in the heart of the renowned Douro wine region so as well as observing the manual labor that goes into tending the endless grape vines, 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).

Economy: Your tourism money will stay with these communities and you will support older generations reliant on subsistence agriculture. By booking this trip, you'll directly support the local economy.

Be sure you have traveler's insurance.