We are planning a trip that will include the May 1 Labor Day holiday in Portugal. We will most likely be in either Porto or the Douro Valley at that time. Does anyone have advice about which area might have more businesses open on that day? Are all wineries likely to be closed for visits? Should we expect all museums and other main indoor attractions in Porto to be closed? Advice would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5610 posts
We were in Braga on that holiday. Some businesses were closed like our car rental office and some of the restaurants. A couple of the restaurants we were interested in were closed. We ended up going to the restaurant we'd gone to the night before which was fine because we really liked it.
In terms of the Douro Valley wineries my GUESS is that they'd be open, but you could contact wineries for information. You should make appointments at the wineries, anyway, if you want a tour or tasting. One thing we found out in Douro was that many of the wineries were open for drop in folks that wanted to purchase a glass of wine or more. We had one place where the waiter was quite attentive and made excellent suggestions, and we felt like we got more out of that in terms of learning about the region, the wines and the port than other places where we had actual tastings. Plus, the winery was very picturesque and the views wonderful (Quinta do Bonfim, in Pinhao)
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks Jules! I've checked with one winery already and they're open May 1, so I think your intuition is correct. Quinta do Bonfim sounds fantastic and is probably going to end up on our agenda. Much appreciated!