I will be in Porto in a couple of weeks. I am deciding between taking the train to Pinhao, doing a one hour boat ride then having a picnic lunch at Croft OR booking a group tour. A private tour is not in the budget. A smallish tour might be nice. Will we be missing out by staying in Pinhao area and doing this on our own? Is it easy to get a taxi in Pinhao if needed? I would love feedback from those who have done either option. Private tours look lovely but are not in the budget. If you have done an organized tour I would appreciate suggestions. Thank you.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6580 posts
We had a car for Douro so I'm not a great help, but we did spend some time in Douro and saw where the boats launch and the train station. There are restaurants and at least two wineries within walking distance of the train station/boat launch. It is my understanding that there is a boat tour that leaves Pinhao and goes up the Douro for about an hours.
Douro is lovely and well worth the time to see it. A couple other options for your research, Julie Dawn Fox runs a blog/website that many find helpful. There are also a couple Facebook groups related to travel in Portugal.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1824 posts
I’ve done both. Did a small group tour for my first trip to the Douro and have done a couple of trips on my own. I really enjoy staying a couple of nights. Pinhao has several wineries close to town. And, there are taxis that meet every train. Once there, your hotel can call one for you.
Posted by
Boston
98 posts
I'm researching the same question. There are pros and cons to both. The main con with the train and doing it on your own is that it could be difficult to get taxis back to the station once you are up in the hills at a quinta or viewpoint. The main con for me with a tour is not being able to choose where you go, and not being able to go to a smaller family-run place like they do on the Rick Steves tour. Doing it on your own will cost almost as much as the cheaper bus tours from Porto once you factor in train ticket, quinta tour, tasting, boat ride, and lunch. Living Tours gets good reviews and judging by photos in the recent reviews it looks like they often go to Croft, which you mentioned wanting to visit. One interesting place I found for DIY is Quinta das Carvalhas, which offers a bus tour of the property and tasting for €15, has beautiful views, has a restaurant, and is walkable from Pinhao station. I am leaning toward one of the $100 group bus tours from Porto. I think we would like having a guide and being with a group, and it would be nice to not worry about how to get to the viewpoints.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6580 posts
Ive heard the bus tours from Porto can be a little tedious because they drive on main roads and not the smaller more scenic ones. One thing we found is that we really only needed one tour/tasting. From there we just purchased flights or a glass at various quintas. We really like Quinta do Bonfim, within walking distance from Pinhao train station. Gorgeous views and friendly, helpful staff. While we were there we met a couple that had visited Quinta das Carvalhas, described in the above comment. They had loved their tour. It is a rather large quinta and you can buy their products in the U.S. I also see on google maps, there is another quinta close, Quinta da Sabordela.
Posted by
Boston
98 posts
jules_m - Thanks for sharing your experience and what you heard about Carvalhas. Did you take a taxi to a viewpoint? The train sounds like better views (plus you can open the windows) and possibly more space to spread out, but no AC. My top priorities are the scenery and learning/getting closer to the wine culture. One tasting (as long as it included both port and wine) would work for me. But the bus tours take you up to the viewpoints which I've read can be hard to get back from by taxi. Rick says it's the people that make the travel. I'm trying to find that on this day trip, either with a meaningful experience at a family quinta, or with a great guide. I am torn. Sgt.Pepper recommended a guide named Daniel yesterday on another thread, that could be something to look into.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6580 posts
@muguet, we had a rental car and stayed at Quinta do Tedo two nights. (I'd highly recommend staying there, IF you had a car) As we toured the area that a person could really have a nice time just in the Pinhao area. There is another quinta that is recommended in the RS guide as well as a few times in the forum, Quinta de la Rosa. It is close to Pinhao, too. Its sounds to me like there are plenty of taxis, ubers or Bolts in the area. If the viewpoints are close to Pinhao you could pick up a ride to get to them, perhaps.
Another really good source of information for Douro is Julie Dawn Fox. She is an expat with a blog and website.
I'd try to get multiple reviews for guides that you find on a forum.