Hello, my husband and I are planning to go to the Douro Valley from Porto for 3-4 days in late August. I know it will be hot, but that time frame worked for us. We will have a car.
We are thinking we will do a few walks of a few miles each in the early morning, one guided and one not, and possibly also in the early evening before dusk. We would also like to visit the Paleolithic sites and museum but I am wondering if it would just be too hot.
Also thinking of taking scenic railroad from Pinhao to Pocinho. Of course, we will stay at and/or visit a couple of vineyards too.
Questions:
1. Does the above sound like a reasonable plan? Would 3-4 days be too long to spend? "Any other suggested activities?
2. Any recommendations for self-guided walks with detailed route instructions? MacsAdventures looks great but they only have a week-long tour.
3. Would appreciate suggestion for a lovely and comfortable hotel with a nice pool and areas that would be pleasant to hang out in--and good food either there or nearby. Any thoughts about Quinta de la Rosa vs. Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros?
Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1693 posts
Regarding the heat - normally the temps would not be too hot to visit the Paleolithic sites but a couple of years ago, Pinhao had the hottest temps in all of Portugal and set a record for heat. So - no way to predict. I would highly recommend taking a chance to visit. I saw the drawings from Castelo Rodrigo a few years ago and they were pretty amazing. We visited them at night for better viewing but I don’t know if the area around the museum has night visits.
Three nights is not too long in that area, IMO, especially visiting the Paleolithic sites and hiking.
You might be lucky and be there during harvest and crush. The aroma of the grapes being crushed is great. Some of the Quintas have added grape stomping to their activities. Quinta de la Rosa is one of them. I’ve stayed there twice and highly recommend. They have a nice pool and the views are stunning. Their restaurant and tour of their winery is great, also.
There is also a winery right across the bridge in Pinhao that does a jeep tour to the top of the hills. It’s quite a fun thing to do. Sorry but don’t remember the name of the winery but you should be able to find it easily by googling wineries Pinhao and reading what each offers.