Douro Valley, Portugal
The Douro River Valley
The Douro Valley is one of the most gorgeous places I’ve been to in Portugal. The wine valley offers so much more than simply wine or port tasting. The scenery alone is breathtaking but then add to that a cozy little bed & breakfast – Casa Cimeira, a masterfully home-cooked traditional Portuguese dinner and the anticipation of the fun to be had the next day and that is a recipe for a magical weekend away.
Getting There
The Douro Valley is about 1.5-2 hours from Porto by car. You can take a train from Porto’s Pinhao station that leaves every hour or so. The trip takes approximately 3 hours by train and will take you to the main area and stay for the day but then getting around the valley for various activities or wine tasting can be complicated without a car. You can also book an excursion through a tour company or rent a car.
Kayaking the Douro River
Kayaking on the Douro River was an absolute blast. Although we booked an earlier time slot, it could’ve definitely been even earlier since it turned out the be the hottest day of the year. We went in August (I don’t recommend doing that) and we felt it.
To start our Kayak adventure we took a boat ride up the river to start and it took about an hour to get there so by the time we got to our starting point it was almost midday. Yikes! We brought sandwiches and snacks and extra water, we didn’t know exactly how long it would take to get back but I am always hungry and assumed I would need sustenance. We stopped almost halfway through (About 2.5 hours in) to rest, cool off and eat.
The experience was absolutely amazing and totally worth it but after about 5 hours in the sun on the hottest day of the year, we both suffered a bit of heatstroke so make sure to take it easy and drink lots of water.
Wine Tasting
We stopped at a little wine tasting room in the Douro Valley on our way back to Porto, had a glass of cold white wine (to help with the heatstroke) and relaxed a bit before heading on to stop for a bit at the town of Amarante. We just stopped here for an hour or so and roamed around the center. It’s a beautiful little hidden gem, highly underrated and definitely worth checking out.
Hi Friends!
My full name is Courtney Elizabeth and growing up some of my nicknames were Coco & Betty, thus the name Coco Betty. Feel free to call me Coco, I still answer to it. I empower women to love themselves through travel, one trip at a time.
Hi Friends!
My full name is Courtney Elizabeth and growing up some of my nicknames were Coco & Betty, thus the name Coco Betty. Feel free to call me Coco, I still answer to it. I empower women to love themselves through travel, one trip at a time.