I was disappointed by Steves' rather short section on Douro and nothing at all on Braga. We want to spend three nights in Douro and one in Braga before a week including four days of conference in Porto. I already wrote and asked for advice for Porto but haven't got anywhere yet. As for Douro would you pleeease advise us? We will have a car. We want to explore towns and views with maybe just one or two vineyards max. Budget is small. Really can't go much higher than 150 euros a night. My main worry is areas and accessibility versus views. Anything based on your experience? Also should we do Braga as an overnight stay?
Thanks.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
418 posts
Look on Booking.com.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Of course I know there are millions and millions of sites. I posted here to learn from others' experiences. I have asked to please share, based on your experience, any place you'd recommend. Also how does Booking.com respond to my question about itinerary?
Posted by
17 posts
I would recommended reaching out to Daniel Ferreira, Terra d'alma, +351 910 939 651, [email protected], who lives in the Duoro Valley and knows the surrounding areas well. He was our private tour guide when we were in Porto last month. He is very knowledgeable of the area, is funny, sincere, and designs the day's experiences by getting to know his clients prior to the excursion. He is super thoughtful, flexible, lives in the Duoro valley and answered all our questions with his sincere love of the area. He picked us up and did all the driving. We were with him from morning until the evening. He is on Google, Trip Advisor and his website is https://terradalma.com/#. He also answered any questions we had about restaurants, shopping, etc...
We stayed in Porto, not the Duoro and we were super happy with our accommodation also recommended by travelers on this forum. We stayed at Uba Heritage & Wine, email: [email protected], owned by Luisa and her grandmother, +351966987266, a 3-story home renovated beautifully and tastefully, divided into suites, close to everything in Porto within walking distance, yet in a very safe neighborhood. This property was recommended by other participants on this forum, which we were so grateful to find, being it our first time in Porto.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1914 posts
There are many places to stay in the Douro but a lot will be above your price range and it’s late to be reserving for July. The main towns are Régua and Penhao. I’ve stayed at Quinta de la Rosa a couple times in Pinhão. It’s below €200, or was the last time I stayed there. It is very nice with great views of the river, a great restaurant and tour of their winery, etc. I recommend their tour even if you don’t stay there.
I agree with the use of Booking.com since you can see prices at a glance. Régua is a bit bigger, so might have more less expensive options. From both towns, you can take short river cruises (1-2 hours) which is enough for me. I do recommend staying in the Douro if possible. I enjoyed staying there more than my one day trip.
I also really like Braga and recommend staying overnight, if you can. It’s lovely to walk around and you get a better feel than a day trip.
As I’m thinking you likely already know, be prepared for hot weather and I always make certain my accommodations have AC for the summer months.