Northern Portugal

Argh - just lost a long reply. I'll try again. The Douro Valley is unbelieveably beautiful. We have stayed at Quinta de la Rosa near Pinhao and really enjoyed it. It is comfortable but not a hotelno TV or phone in the rooms and no reception open all day and night. Quinta do Panascal also near Pinhao has a free self-guided audio tour that takes you into the vineyards with stunning views of the mountains and a river that feeds into the Douro. The Pestana Porto is not exactly a "Back Door"-type place but the location on the river can't be beat! Try one of the many restaurants advertising a "francesinha" it is a Porto specialty sandwich loosely based on the croque monsieur. I think the 10 Euro hop-on-hop-off bus is a great way to see the city and a bargain to boot but I recommend just riding it around and not hopping offthey only run every hour or so. The main route goes out to the Atlantic and is very picturesque. A sunset river cruise is also very scenic. Across the river in Vila Nova da Gaia the Port lodges are a must. Sandeman has a nice introductory tour and their facilities are impressive. The Ramos Pinto house is also interesting as it is filled with antiques and there is a lot of information about the lives of the owners. The riverfront park is fabulous on a sunny day and you see many Portuguese enjoying their city. Vinologia is an excellent Port wine bar on the Porto side. Walk up the street next to the Pestana about a block away from the river. The proprietor is very knowledgeable and you can sample and compare (not for free) many different Ports. The official IVDP tasting room in the park surrounding the Crystal Palace is nice for the fabulous settinggardens overlooking the Douro. Here's a trip report I wrote after a short visit in 2007:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/mini-trip-report-porto-pinhao.cfm

I second the recommendation to see the Douro Valley, and going as far east to Pinhao. Truly beautiful. We spent a week in a villa in the Douro last year and absolutely loved it. Also really like the city of Porto. Unfortunately, only spent a part of a day there - could have done more. Have never been north of Porto, though that's high on my travel wish-list. If you're flying into or out of Lisbon, it's worth spending a couple-few days there. Great approachable city. Portugal is a great country for just getting in your car and exploring. Have a great trip!

I also wrote a response last night and lost it. I third the Douro! We spent only 1 night in Porto and visited the the Port houses and wandered the city. We stayed a quaint hotel right on the river overlooking the plaza. (I'll find the name and respond later). Both Grahams and Taylor's also had great tours. I'm in the wine industry in California so I found the Port industry fascinating. And now I'm hooked on 20 year tawny ports. I wish we'd spent two nights in Porto. There's a church in Porto that has a graveyard of sorts in the basement that is worth seeing also. We stayed a Quinta Nova, not far from Pinhou and up the road from Quinta dela Rosa. The web-site very accurately portrays the property. It's surrounded by vineyards so we just walked up/across/down through the vineyards, down to the river and then just relaxed near the pool overlooking the valley enjoying beer and wine. You can arrange to have dinner there, but very relaxing, no TV's, and is beautifully renovated. It's actually owned by the Amorims, whose company is the primary cork producers in Portugal. In Pinhou there was a hotel where we stopped for lunch and it was just amazing food. We visited Fonseca and toured the vineyards with a self guided audio tour and tasted their port. Another winery up the road from Qunita Nova is Quinta de Crasto. We actually see their wines in California and they receive good Wine Spectator reviews. http://www.quintanova.com/ Enjoy Portugal. Renting a car for exploring is great fun.