Douro Valley Tour Review: The Best and Worst Parts of Our Experience

#dourovalley #dourovalleywinetour #portugal #getyourguide
We put the Douro Valley: Tour with Wine Tastings, Cruise, and Lunch on Get Your Guide a try. If you watched the video to the end, we're guessing you have a few questions. Hopefully, we have the answers here.
You said it was a good value, how much was it??? At the time we booked, we paid 95 euros each. We feel it was a good (maybe even great) value because it included:
Not having to worry about the 2-hour drive to or from our day's delightful destinations.
Touring a Portuguese village that we may have never thought to visit on our own.
Seeing amazing views.
Having a relaxing lunch with wine.
Enjoying a vineyard tour and wine tasting that included 3 wines. In the past, we've paid over 40 euros each for this part alone.
Riding down the Douro River and taking in the experience from a traditional Rabelo boat.
We had fun. We enjoyed good conversations, and we learned things. It was a good day.
Want to give this tour a try? You can book it by clicking the following link (FULL DISCLOSURE: We do earn a commission if you click and book this way): www.getyourgui...
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Have you been so focused on your regular day-to-day that you’ve forgotten what you want out of life? A few years back we were in the same place...maybe worse. We’re Chris and Melissa. We ditched the suburban house to travel, pursue our dreams and embrace midlife. We’re sharing our nomadic journey in hopes of inspiring yours. Be sure to take a moment and subscribe to keep up with our #slowtravel adventure. We typically upload videos every Friday.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Do you want help planning a trip to Portugal? We can help! It's free too! (Melissa's help is free, the trip unfortunately will not be! 😂) Let us know more here: traveljoy.com/webforms/KQW7mmw8cbiM9oEVdFNjQAnf/forms/ZCd4vdv6xnRx7wjz4kBnWw8A/link ✈

[@thissecondhalfadventure]

Great job as usual! Beautiful scenery. We like self guided tours as well, but it was nice for Melissa to have a day off! 🙂

[@aislingcorrigan574]

I was there on a rowing trip in 2019, fabulous place. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 ❤

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Cool. Was the rowing trip through a company?

[@aislingcorrigan574]

Yes, our rowing club in Ireland organised it, it was a fantastic trip, with people from other clubs from Europe.

[@aislingcorrigan574]

When you were in Dublin, if you had travelled up the Liffey a bit, opposite the Phoenix park, you would have come across 5 rowing clubs on that side of the river, and Trinity rowing club on the other side. 😃

[@pamelawooden6012]

Considering a river cruise on the Douro and you two showed beautiful landscapes and interesting places. Thoroughly enjoyed your video! Thank you.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Thank you! We're glad you enjoyed it. Portugal is definitely a gorgeous part of the world.

[@ricardolemos2178]

You should do a food tour video in Porto 😉. My recomendations: Conga(Bifana (no mustard)) Gazela (cachorrinhos) Santiago (francesinha) A Bolina (tapas from Mirandela) Fresh Fish in Matosinhos. You should also visit the Porto City Park, Serralves Museum and Parque Biológico de Gaia. Nice videos about Portugal by the way. Have a nice stay.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Thank you Ricardo! We've saved your recommendations and perhaps, we'll add this to our video schedule. So much to see!

[@woodenclogs5830]

Whatever you paid it looked worth it to us….beautiful country!

[@miguelaraujo2116]

I love it 🎩👌

[@cjnge6828]

vocês são muito divertidos, nada vos assusta, nem as culturas esquesitas para os vossos hábitos... abraço.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Obrigado. We're trying to watch Turn of the Tide (Rabo de Peixe) on Netflix right now. You guys talk too fast! 😆

[@carlberna48]

You speak about portuguese traffic and the way they drive, stay one question. Have you already visit Italy? I did and so I can tell the portugueses are saints

[@fjmmc9907]

😂🤣

[@drewrichardson8789]

Try Turkey

[@module79l28]

2:53 - One of the oldest? Not by a long shot! Either he was wrong or you misunderstood him. By the way, in Portuguese village is "aldeia" and town is "vila". Being that Pinhão is a "vila", it should be called town. 😉

[@sandralaranjeira3431]

You haven't scratch the survice. Good trips. Keep following next video. 😊❤

[@chrisplusmelissa]

We know. We have a lot of exploring to do.

[@carminfrancisco339]

Your Douro tour was definitely different from our tour! Different company, same white vans, but very small family owned vineyards made the difference. Guess we all need to go again to explore other areas 🍷❤️🇵🇹 Saúde

[@chrisplusmelissa]

When you were describing your trip it sounded like a much different time than ours (and better). I'm so glad we were able to swap stories and that we have the info from you on the vineyard you visited. I'm sure we'll be making it back to the Douro Valley to explore more. Saúde!

[@ericifune5543]

Sao Luis is Sogrape's main Quinta. They've recently opened a hotel at the property. I've not stayed there, but it looks very nice.

[@youngthecreator22]

In conclusion, is this trip worth going? I am afraid I don't have ample time as it's still quite a distance from Porto to the Douro Valley. I gotta be back in Lisbon the following day. Is there a tour you guys recommend?

[@chrisplusmelissa]

If you like learning about and tasting wine while seeing gorgeous landscapes, yes, it's worth it. You get to relax on the ride and it's only a half day trip, so you'll be back in time for dinner. If you want to have plenty of time to enjoy Porto's rich history and architecture and are concerned about running out of time, you might be better off visiting one of the Port houses across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia. When is your trip to Portugal?

[@youngthecreator22]

@chrisplusmelissa the coming winter. I will have about one full day in Porto and another in Douro Valley. More importantly for me about Douro Valley is to see the vineyard. Side question, how's the weather there?

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Wintertime in Porto can be very rainy and a bit cool, but not all that cold. It's not uncommon for the wind to send the rain sideways, so we recommend packing quality rain gear. I do remember sunny wintertime stretches when the temperatures were between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If you'll already be going to the Douro Valley, I'd recommend checking out the wine cellars / caves in Vila Nova de Gaia while you're in Porto, or checking out the World of Wine (also in Vlia Nova de Gaia). It's just across the river.

[@youngthecreator22]

@@chrisplusmelissa is there a guide or tour that you guys followed? I won't be driving so hoping to find a group to go with to Douro

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Hi! Could you submit your interest over here. It make it easier for us to help you. traveljoy.com/webforms/KQW7mmw8cbiM9oEVdFNjQAnf/forms/YQjb2wssRqkFGRNM1XwM4xTY/link

[@pfoster616]

Question: I am heading to Porto in October, and have booked a similar tour, but not this one. The tour booked includes 2 wine tasting stops, instead of the stop at Amarante. Other than that, the same. Any thoughts about the 2 wine stops versus Amarante? Thank you.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Amarante is a pretty cool little place. It basically boils down to... do you want more wine or more history? 😆

[@tedfinkenauer42]

Great video, but as a suggestion, I’d post the names of the areas you are visiting. I like to pause and write the new:s down. Thanks though!

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Great suggestion! We do try to provide as much info as we can. If you're planning a trip to Portugal, you can fill this out and we can help you with very specific information. :) traveljoy.com/webforms/KQW7mmw8cbiM9oEVdFNjQAnf/forms/ZCd4vdv6xnRx7wjz4kBnWw8A/link

[@Atimatimukti]

Learnig news things about my own country with you 😊 But do you know why all the port wine companies have english names except, Ferreirinha?

[@chrisplusmelissa]

:) We know a few things... but we're not sure. Do you know why?

[@Atimatimukti]

@@chrisplusmelissa the British took over all the Vinho do Porto plantations by kicking the portuguese owners. This was when the european vinyards suffered from phylloxera, an incurable disease. Lots of famílias lost everything selling the plantations very cheap to the British. Dona Antónia Ferreira was a strong and fiercy woman and said no to the brits. She was very rich and helped the poor people of the Douro Valley and found news ways to keep the vinyards. When she died, Ferreirinha was the biggest Port Wine company and the only one with a portuguese name. I had the previledge of drinking Vinho do Porto from her private collection ( I was a friend of the family some 40 years ago). It made me a snob 😁. ..I was never again able to drink port wine. Her private was another level, divine.

[@cjnge6828]

a palavra esnobe brasileiro deve ser a palavra portuguesa (snob) que tem a mania que é socialmente superior...bla, bla... não estou a ver a analogia...

[@Atimatimukti]

@@cjnge6828 a ideia era de que, depois de experimentar aquele vinho do Porto, não consigo gostar de mais nenhum. Era uma piada :-)

[@pvdogs2]

The down side to tours is that you don't have the luxury of lingering longer if you find something/a place that you would like to experience longer.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Yep. That's one of the downsides.

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Want more details? Here's a blog post about our experience: chrisplusmelissa.com/day-trip-from-porto-portugal-douro-valley-wine-tour/

[@cjnge6828]

vocês sabem que os americanos têm uma base militarna na nossa bela lha dos Açores? já pensaram quando vão visitar Açores e madeira?

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Yes! And I (Chris) know someone that used to live there because her husband was stationed at that base.

[@111aem]

My advise for you, do not use these tours agencies to visit any places, these agencies are a business and have to do benefits, for this reason the visits are always organized so that the tourist does not spend much time in the same place, and the food is not very good! Portugal is a country with a universal history and culture that influenced many other cultures on the 5 continents of the world, Did you know that the Douro Vineyard Region, Fado music, and the Portuguese Mediterranean Cuisine are qualified World Heritage by UNESCO? I hope you enjoy your stay in this beautiful country!

[@chrisplusmelissa]

We agree on tour agencies, but sometimes for the sake of our travel channel, we to try out a typical tour. Next week's video is encouraged by viewers (you included) and setup by us. :D

[@laurap.5804]

hi, the oldest city of Portugal is Guimaraes.

[@SpectrumX9]

Well... rabelo boat rides weren't so romantic as the present rides. Have a pick how it was before the dams were constructed back in the sixties kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ_Mea2HqZyFi7M

[@chrisplusmelissa]

Oh wow... that looks super intense. Those guys had some serious skills.

negatives like that book me all day