Douro Valley and Porto

I was in Porto and the Duoro valley last week. I took an organized small group day tour of the Duoro from Porto. I'm not a big fan of organized tours but was really happy I did this one. First, wine drinking and driving narrow twisty roads on your own could be a problem. Second, we visited smaller family-owned and operated Quintas not in RS or other guide books. The scenery is beautiful. From what we were told, it sounds like the harvesting is in September and early October. You might want to check what there is to see and do in late October. Different towns have local festivals at different times. You might check to see if there are any when you are going.

The Douro Valley was VERY SCENIC. We loved our 7 night river cruise that also did a day trip to Salamanca, Spain.

We did two nights in Porto after our cruise. Loved that city. We stayed in the absolutely wonderful In Patio Guesthouse, the best B&B ever. It only has 5 rooms, so book early.

Two nights in Porto is all you need. If you don't want to do a 7 night river cruise, I know there is a day river cruise. Also, the train goes up the valley on the north side of the river. The towns of Regua and Pinhao are great, but what is special about the Douro valley is the amazing scenery.

Also, we did a lot of wine tasting, also visited historical sites that were not in the towns of Regua and Pinhao.

I do suggest finding tours.
https://www.viator.com/Porto/d26879-ttd

Great information ! With so many Wineries to choose from, we are having fits trying to narrow down which ones to visit.
Would you mind sharing which ones worked for you ?
Thanks !

BT