A Taste of Portugal - Porto & the Douro Valley

Our trip begins in Ponte de Lima, a small riverside town in the picturesque province of Minho. The main symbol of the town is an attractive Medieval bridge with 24 arches, of which four on the south bank of the River Lima are the original Roman construction.

Our Tour Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for the welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive at any time, if you miss the briefing, your Tour Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.

If you would like an airport transfer today, you will need to arrive into Porto Airport (OPO), which is an hours drive from the hotel. Stay: Inlima Hotel & Spa (Comfortable)

This morning we head out into the countryside to the small village of Montaria to experience the quite pace of rural life in the rolling hills. Here the tradition of making cornbread dates back to the 16th century. We will take park in a hands-on workshop with the opportunity to make our own cornbread, participating in all stages from sifting the flour to placing the bread in the wood-fired oven. We will sample the freshly baked cornbread along with Serra D'Arga honey and other local products during a picnic lunch.

Back in Ponte de Lima it is market day. Held every other Monday since 1152 on the south bank of the river, the market is oldest in Portugal. It is a meeting point for farmers with hundreds of traders gathering to show their best wares. We immerse ourselves in the buzz, wondering amongst the stalls and sampling local products.

Tonight has been left free to eat as a group or book your own dinning experience, there are three Michelin stared restaurants in Ponte de Lima (Petiscas, Acude and A Carvalheira) which you may wish to pre book well in advance of travel. Stay: Inlima Hotel & Spa (Comfortable) (B/L)

Today we travel into the Douro Valley Winemaking Region, a UNESCO's World Heritage Landscape. Our first visit is to Guimaraes, where we will have a guided walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage city centre with the opportunity to taste the traditional crescent-shaped sweet pastry of the region.

We continue to the ancient city of Lamego, visiting the historic centre with the option to see the famous Nossa Senhora de Remdios church before driving to Quinta De Tourais. This cosy wine estate located in a historic monastery 200 metres from the Douro River, has been managed by the same family since 1927. We spend the afternoon here, amongst the picturesque vineyards, with a cooking experience tutored by the owner Manuela, a lady passionate about Portuguese gastronomy and wine.

We will cook a traditional specialty in the estate kitchen which will be included in the lunch. We'll feast on a leisurely three course lunch and feel part of the family, the menu includes a variety of sharing starters, choice of meat main (vegetation available on request), pudding and cake sharing desserts, wine and coffee.

For the next two nights we stay in a beautiful hotel with it's own orchard and vineyard. Facilities include a heated outdoor swimming pool, small spa, and terrace restaurant with modern, spacious and light rooms. Stay: Lamego Hotel & Life (Premium) (B/L)

Today we explore the Douro Valley on foot and by boat. This mornings short (five kilometre) walk begins in Sabrosa, following stone-paved paths connecting the numerous winemaking Quintas, through vine-covered terraces. En-route we will get the opportunity to learn more about olive oil production, visiting the press and tasting at a small local producer's installation. The walk ends in Celeirós at a family Port and Douro winemaking estate where we'll be welcomed by the owner to enjoy a guided winery visit and learn how these famous wines are made. The tasting will include a truly behind-the-scenes unique moment, sampling port directly from an ageing barrel.

This afternoon we take an hour boat trip from Pinhao into the spectacular gorge of the Duoro River in a typical wooden Rabelo boat. We drive back to Lamego along one of the most scenic roads in Portugal , following the majestic Douro River as it meanders through the beautiful scenery of terraced vineyards of the region. Stay: Lamego Hotel & Life (Premium) (B)

Today we leave the valleys behind and drive to the Portuguese coast. Aveiro is surrounded by salt-flats, beaches and lagoons and dominated by the Central Canal running through town - a mixture of neat fishermen's cottages and art nouveau mansions with a few historic buildings.

This morning we visit a oyster producer - once a salt marsh and fish-farming nurseries, recently remodelled, this oyster producer experience includes a guided visit and a tasting of oysters.

Next is an interesting and fun activity inside a traditional salt-pan, trying our hands at the ancestral methods of salt making tutored by an enthusiast 'salt-master'. Nowadays salt from here is highly appreciated by chefs and gourmets, in particular the 'Flor de Sal', a special salt produced only from the thin skin that floats in the salt pans and is softly removed.

Walking from the lagoon area we get to Aveiro centre where we will have a short orientation walk before free time for lunch in the fisherman's quarter. There is the option this afternoon to take a tour through the picturesque canals in a typical brightly-painted Moliceiros boat, traditionally used for seaweed harvesting. Stay: Veneza Hotel (Comfortable) (B)

This morning we drive north to Matosinhos, a fishing town close to Porto. Here we learn all about sardines, visiting a factory of canned sardines to see the unique production process. The visit will be guided, passing by all departments of the cannery, from the fresh fish reception until the end product where we can taste the specialties of the company such as sardines in extra virgin olive-oil.

The fish market in Matosinhos is a beautiful, protected building, housed under a peculiar parabolic dome. Nowadays there are still plenty of fishmongers (traditionally a profession for women here) in the main ground-floor area, with live animals as well as fruit and vegetables sold on the upper level. The lunch will be inside the market, and will feature a culinary experience based in the fresh fish from the market.

After lunch we continue to the centre of Porto taking an orientation tour by bus on the way to the hotel. On the right side of the river Douro, the city of Porto is one of the oldest and most beautiful towns of Europe.

This afternoon is left free to explore independently or take an optional guided ebike tour along the Douro River and the seaside (easy, approx. 18 kilometres). Our hotel has a fantastic location on the pedestrian Rua de Santa Catarina, a short walk to the historic waterfront. There will be the opportunity to book your own restaurant experience in Porto for tonight if you wish. Your Tour Leader will be able to offer you advice based on your preferences. Stay: Grand Hotel de Porto (Comfortable) (B/L)

After a leisurely breakfast we'll stroll down the cobbled streets to Ribeira - undoubtedly the most picturesque spot in Porto. As we make our way down to the waterfront we'll pass many of Porto's historic buildings. Modern day Porto effortlessly blends its rich history with a modern twist, it has many outstanding restaurants as well as thriving street art and cutting edge architecture, all reasons why Porto has become one of the most popular cities to visit in Europe. We will make serval stops along the way to nibble on a traditional speciality and sip a glass of wine from Northern Portugal.

After lunch, we visit the Port Wine lodges district, taking a tour of the cellars to learn the history and processes involved in making the famous white, ruby and tawny port wine, stored in the atmospheric cellars. At the end of our guided visit we enjoy a port tasting.

As a sweet treat this afternoon, we will enjoy a hands-on cooking lesson, making Portuguese Pastéis de Nata. These delicious pastries are custard tarts with a rich egg custard cream filling in crisp puff pastry, we'll feast on them fresh from the oven!

To end our gastromic week in Northern Portugal our final dinner will be taken at Torreao, a restaurant of a local charity institution, housed in an elegant 18th-century stately home with a rooftop terrace overlooking the Douro River. The charity offers various services in the scope of reintegration, training and social support for the elderly and young people of the area, with all profits being fully re-invested into project. The three course menu includes a fish starter, meat main, pastry desert, wine and coffee. Stay: Grand Hotel de Porto (Comfortable) (B/D)

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Porto.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you need to depart from Porto Airport (OPO), which is about 30 minutes' drive away.