Douro Valley Bike Tour

Arrive in Oporto and make your way to The Yeatman, your home for the evening. Located next to the new World of Wine village, the Yeatman is a luxury wine hotel and spa with spectacular views over the UNESCO World Heritage city and the Douro River. The rest of the day is yours to explore the city. In the morning enjoy your included breakfast before your DuVine tour begins.

Inclusions: Hotel, Breakfast
Accommodations: The Yeatman Hotel
Price per person in double occupancy: $350
Price in single occupancy: $650

The amount listed is the starting price and subject to availability. If interested, please inform your Travel Specialist during the booking process, or inform your Tour Coordinator at least 60 days prior to tour.

Welcome to Portugal! Your guides will meet you in Oporto for a transfer to the UNESCO town of Guimarães. On a guided tour, learn about the major events that took place here in the 12th century and lead to the birth of an independent nation, as evidenced by the inscription “Aqui nasceu Portugal” (“Portugal was born here”), which can still be seen in the city’s old wall. Then it’s off to our hotel for a light lunch followed by a bike fitting and safety talk. Our first ride will take us through Vidago’s verdant countryside before we return to the hotel for dinner in the Grand Ballroom restaurant.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Oporto, Guimarães, Vidago
Accomplished: 13 miles / 21 km, elevation gain: 1,010 feet / 308 meters
Longer Option: 15 miles / 24 km, elevation gain: 1,574 feet / 480 meters
Accommodations: Vidago Palace Hotel

Breakfast will power us up for today’s ride to the town of Chaves, just south of the Spanish Galicia border. Pedal into the heart of Trás-Os-Montes, which translates to “Behind the Mountains”—an area that was long isolated from the rest of Portugal and still remains largely unknown to foreign visitors. With the option to hop in the van for this morning’s first section, set out from our hotel for a climb shaded by century-old sycamore trees. We’ll stop in the charming mountain town of Boticas, then continue past small valley hamlets and family farm plots. Descend into Chaves, once the frontline of the Portuguese defense against Spanish incursion, and enjoy lunch in the city’s historic downtown. Ride or shuttle back to our hotel where the afternoon is yours to lay out by the pool or enjoy the spa. Tonight, we’ll dine at a boutique winery owned by our friends Manuel and Angelina for a meal of barbecued local meats, fish, and veggies, all accompanied by wines from the estate.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Boticas, Chaves, Loivos, Souto Velho
Accomplished: 40 miles / 65 km, elevation gain: 3,559 feet / 1,085 meters
Shorter Option: 19 miles / 30 km, elevation gain: 1,092 feet / 333 meters
Accommodations: Vidago Palace Hotel

Today we ride south towards the Douro Valley and our destination in the riverside wine town of Pinhão. Whether you choose to begin pedaling from our hotel or start further out from the mineral-water village of Pedras Salgadas, the destination is the same: we’ll reach the town of Vila Real and home of Casa de Mateus, recognized locally for its unusually-bottled rosé wine. After lunch, cut across the northern ridge of the upper Douro before an exhilarating descent through charming hamlets and hillsides rippled with terraced vineyards. Our final stretch brings us to the majestic Douro River and our hotel for the night, located right on its banks. This afternoon, choose to lounge by the pool or head into town to shop for wine at the local boutiques. Tonight we’ll dine at our favorite historic quinta, a Portuguese wine estate. Our meal is paired with voluptuous red table wines and finished with the estate’s own vintage Port.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Pedras Salgadas, Casa de Mateus, Pinhão
Accomplished: 43 miles / 69 km, elevation gain: 2,755 feet / 840 meters
Longer Option: 50 miles / 81 km, elevation gain: 3,690 feet / 1,125 meters
Accommodations: Vintage House Douro

This morning we step straight from our hotel grounds aboard a traditional Rabelo boat and embark on a river cruise up the Douro. Mother nature has done her part in this UNESCO-protected valley, providing an exceptional climate for ideal wine growing conditions. But the human element of engineering is impossible to ignore, with vineyards hand-carved out of the schist over hundreds of years. After lunch on dry land, it’s time for an afternoon spin along the Douro’s riverbank to the town of Peso da Régua and our magnificent hotel for the next two nights. This evening you’re free to dine on your own; choose a trendy wine bar or a tasquinha (tavern restaurant) in town, depending on your mood.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch
Destinations: Pinhão, Peso da Régua
Accomplished: 17 miles / 27 km, elevation gain: 1,273 feet / 388 meters
Longer Option: 25 miles / 41 km, elevation gain: 2,703 feet / 824 meters
Accommodations: Six Senses Douro Valley

Today’s ride promises to be our most challenging—but not without its rewards (or the option to fall back on the support van). Pedal to the city of Lamego, first following the upper banks of the Douro overlooking the river below. Tackle a steep section, then turn inland for a gradual climb up sinuous vineyard-sided roads above the river valley. It was here in Lamego that the Bishop of Braga crowned the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, in 1140. Pause for coffee and a light snack at a local pastelaria before a rewarding descent toward our lunch spot at a local family-run winery, where the flavorful menu pulls from seasonal produce and is paired with wines of the estate. Our final evening begins with an aperitif, followed by a gastronomic dinner to remember at our hotel’s contemporary restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Lamego
Accomplished: 29 miles / 47 km, elevation gain: 3,254 feet / 992 meters
Longer Option: 35 miles / 57 km, elevation gain: 4,271 feet / 1,302 meters
Accommodations: Six Senses Douro Valley

Our adventure has come to an end. Extend your journey a little longer with a night or two downriver in Oporto, or our guides will transfer you to the Oporto airport to continue your travels.

Meals: Breakfast
Destinations: Oporto