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Douro valley last week in October?

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My husband and I are planning a trip to Portugal beginning the last week of October. We will have a total of 16 nights in Portugal. We intend to start in Porto and move south to have the best chance with the weather. My question is whether to visit the Douro valley. My son and his fiance went and absolutely loved it but that was May. I wonder if end of October is too late in the season for it to be enjoyable.

We are traveling at this time because we live in a hurricane prone area of the U.S. and don't feel comfortable leaving the country earlier in October, although we realize that would be more optimal weather wise.

Posted by
1322 posts

Beth, I traveled to Porto and the Douro Valley from October 13-18 this year and I had a nice relaxing time. The weather was cool and rainy. Since the previous weeks were very hot for me (85-93F), I welcomed the cool. The afternoons would clear up but I found the valley just as beautiful in the misty rain as in the full sunshine. YMMV I’m used to the rain though and not tolerant of heat.

Posted by
1322 posts

You didn’t mention whether you will be renting a car. I didn’t and it became a bit of a problem getting around the Valley without one.

Posted by
2504 posts

On the car, we will rent a car for part of our trip, including Douro valley if we go.

Linda: We are used to heat, being from Florida and less used to rain!

geovagriffith: Thanks for the article. It makes clear why we are starting in the north of Portugal! It makes Duoro Valley in October sound appealing!

Posted by
1675 posts

The temperatures will likely be great but you may have rain at times. The leaves will still be on the vines even though the harvest will be over. I would still go to the Douro that late in the year. And, driving is a mixed bag. You can, obviously, see more places but the roads are small and winding. The driver misses the great views. It’s easy to take the train and stay in either Pinhao or Régua. For Pinhao, there are wineries close to town and you can take a short river cruise from there.

Posted by
2504 posts

kathrynj, This is very helpful-both your assessment that would still be worthwhile in the rain and your comments about driving. My husband drove in Sicily last year (and in the rain) so I will let him decide.

Posted by
951 posts

We were in the Douro Valley the 3rd week in October this year. While it rained, there are a number of micro climates in the Douro and in some spots we had lovely sunny, if chilly weather. It is a wonderful place to visit even in the rain.

Posted by
2504 posts

Thanks for your perspective. Very interesting that there are such different micro climates!

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