12 Unmissable Stops in the Douro Valley

The Douro Valley was demarcated in 1756, making it the oldest regulated wine region in the world, and the terraced hillsides are UNESCO listed. It is also a place where the driving is slow and the views are the point.

## Twelve stops 1. Peso da Regua, the traditional gateway to the valley and home to the Douro Museum. 2. Pinhao and its railway station, tiled with panels showing the grape harvest. 3. A one hour boat trip on the river, ideally in the morning when the water is still. 4. A quinta visit with a tasting, where you see the terraces and the cellar in the same hour. 5. Sao Leonardo da Galafura, a viewpoint with one of the widest bends of the river below. 6. Casal de Loivos, the classic postcard viewpoint above Pinhao. 7. The N222 road between Regua and Pinhao, regularly listed among the best drives in Europe. 8. Lamego and its baroque staircase of almost 700 steps. 9. Provesende or Favaios, small villages that show the valley outside the wine estates. 10. A long lunch with a river view, unhurried, which is how the valley is meant to be used. 11. The vineyards in September and October during the harvest. 12. The terraces in winter, empty and quiet, when the light is at its best.

## How many days One full day from Porto works and is what most people do. Two days, staying in the valley, is better: you get the evening and the early morning, which are the two best hours of the day there.

## Practical notes Roads are narrow and winding, tastings are frequent, and the combination makes a private driver the sensible option. Quintas expect a reservation. Most tastings include two or three wines, and shipping home is normally possible.

Morning boat trip, afternoon tasting, long lunch in between is the structure we use most often, and it holds up in every season.