Douro Valley tour
Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley, Évora and more
Douro Valley tour
Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley, Évora and more
Douro Valley tour
Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley, Évora and more
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Douro Valley Tour

The Douro Valley tour in a nutshell

Douro Valley Tour

I’m David Monteiro, and I will be your guide for the  Douro Valley tour.

During this tour, we will visit less touristy destinations and some of Portugal’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It will surprise you.

When I designed this tour, there were some elements I found essential to balance:

    • Not spending too much time in the van but including critical enjoyable sites to visit.
    • Having some walks during the day but not to the extent of the mileage being the focus or the final purpose.
    • Tasting the local gastronomy but not spending too much time in lunches, while giving that possibility during dinners for those who want to do it.
    • Include a diversity of activities throughout the day while also allowing some free time for whatever one may feel for doing on its own.

This tour starts and ends in Lisbon to make your life easier and less expensive, considering the needed flight connections.

What will you see?

Besides its name, this tour is more extensive than it can make you believe.

When developing this tour’s itinerary, it was imperative to include some of the most important Portuguese historical backgrounds.

References related to the Knight’s Templars, the Jewish heritage, and its Roman and medieval history are only examples.

Some sites such as Óbidos, Sintra, Douro Valley, Coimbra, and Évora were found compulsory to include as well as the bigger Portuguese cities like Lisbon and Porto.

We will visit some places classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and other sites that do not have such a classification are not less worthy of your visit.

During the tour, you will find a wide variety of accommodations.

I believe the program is well balanced between more known locations and off-the-beaten-path places that are difficult to find.

To better know a country is indispensable to taste its gastronomy and, in the small Portuguese territory, one can find considerable diversity at the dinner table.

A wide variety of tastes, including wine and olive oil, will be available to taste in upscale restaurants and local small family cafes’ where you will mingle with the locals.

Douro Valley tour

Highlights of the Douro Valley Tour

Although the tour’s name focus on the Douro Valley, you will also visit many other places.

To get closer to Lisbon’s culture, the city’s visit and its surroundings will have the company of a local guide.

The guide will facilitate things so you can taste the famous custard cakes and learn about the Portuguese hand-painted tiles.

Do you know that the village Óbidos was a wedding gift to queens and the Knights Templars found a safe haven in Portugal?

We will get you closer to the Portuguese Jewish heritage in a “Historical Village”.

How did an old granite village did became a luxury hotel in the middle of nowhere?

Pinhão is the heart of the Douro Valley and is where an immense quantity of Port wine is produced… let’s taste it.

Do you remember drinking Mateus Rosé wine? Maybe some years ago, perhaps, right?

Well, the palace on the bottle’s label exists, and you will have a guided visit there.

A 17th-century manor house will be one of your accommodations, a place also once used by kings and queens.

Let’s learn why the locals call Porto the “Invictus city.”

In Coimbra, you will visit one of the oldest universities in the world.

During the Évora visit, it will be time to visit a pre-historic monument, the Almendres Cromlech, also called the Portuguese Stonehenge.

Mateus Palace - Douro Valley Tour

Characteristics

Daily walks:

  • This tour has a balanced mix of urban walks, guided tours, and some easy unpaved path walks in the countryside.
  • On average, you can walk 3 to 5 miles daily – level 2 (1 min / 5 max).
  • You will also have the option of shorter walks or relaxing at the hotel.
  • Along the tour, some days are busier than others when you can rest and enjoy the accommodations.

Other activities: guided visits to monuments, wine tastings, a handicraft workshop, a short boat ride, and opportunities for leisure time.

Meals:

  • All breakfasts are in the hotels.
  • Lunches are a balanced mix of small local restaurants or picnics.
  • Depending on the specific situation, diners are planned to be in the hotel or local restaurants.

Transportation: a fully dedicated van/car for the tour.

Small groups: from 2 up to 6 people.

In 15 days tour, you have included: 14 overnights, 14 breakfasts, 14 lunches, all transfers during the tour, all guided tours of the program, and so much more.

Itinerary of the Douro Valley Tour

To learn more about the Detailed Itinerary, please access here.

It is a day-by-day program to inform you about the tour, what you will see, and the hotels on the tour.

Pena Palace at Sintra

Weather

Please check the weather forecast for June on the several tour locations: LisbonTomar / Marialva / Pinhão / Ponte de Lima / Porto / Évora

Tour Leader

David Monteiro – Tour Leader

Hello dear guest,

I’m David Monteiro, and I will be your Tour Leader.

I was a CPA in Portugal for more than 20 years, having managerial positions in several multinational companies when in 2005, I decided to change gears and stop for a sabbatical year.

After that, nothing in my life was the same again. In the meantime, I found a new dream: tourism.

Easier to dream about it than do it, I had to struggle for a few years to move this project ahead.

In 2007, my company’s first brand was created, “Montes e Vales” (meaning “Hills and Valleys”), operating for the Portuguese market and started providing tours for individuals and team-building events for corporations. 

In 2010, to complement the business mentioned above, a few weeks per year, I started guiding walking tours in Portugal and Spain for US-based companies and also providing other kinds of support services to active tours, and the Iberactive brand started.

I’m passionate about History, photography, arts, culture, and gastronomy.

Please call me in case you have any doubt.

I’m here to help you make this program one of the best tours you have ever had.

Hope to see you soon,
David Monteiro
david.monteiro@iberactive.com
+351 914 794 553

The Douro Valley Tour in a nutshell

A guided active tour in Portugal by Iberactive.com

Tour dates: select 15 consecutive days, and we will check the availability

If you have your group, independently of its size, please let us know, and we will organize a private tour for you.

Tour Price: (being updated) per person.

Including: 14 overnights sharing a standard double room, 14 breakfasts, 14 lunches, all transfers in the tour, all guided tours of the program, and so much more.

Single room supplement: (being updated)EUR

Accommodations: All the hotels and other accommodations mentioned are considering their availability at reservation time. If the referred hotel is unavailable, the same level or higher hotel/accommodation will be selected. Due to the high demand for Lisbon, the hotel to be used is not referred to, but it will be chosen between modern 4 stars hotels in the city center.

Breakfast: to be served by the hotel.

Lunches and dinners: The included options for dishes and wines are those to be mentioned at the respective time by the Tour Leader.

Flights are not included. To better organize your flights, please consider the Lisbon Airport, landing on tour’s Day 1 and departure from Lisbon Airport on tour’s Day 15.

Meet and greet service included: An Iberactive representative will meet you at the Lisbon Airport on your arrival on tour’s Day 1 and take you to the Lisbon Airport on your departure on Day 15.

Reservation

(being updated)EUR at any time to guarantee your place.
Balance 90 days before the 1st Tour Day.

Cancellation

The costs of cancellation are as follows:
90 days before 1st Tour Day – 0% of reservation
89-60 days before 1st Tour Day – 25% of reservation
59-45 days before 1st Tour Day – 50% of reservation
44-30 days before 1st Tour Day – 75% of reservation
29 days or less before 1st Tour Day – 100% of reservation

Information and reservations

info@iberactive.com +351 914 794 553

Legal information

“Iberactive” is a registered trademark of the Travel Agency Iberhills – Eventos e Viagens, Unipessoal Lda
Rua Tristão da Cunha, 20C – Restelo
1400-349, Lisboa – Portugal
VAT ID number: 513 891 099
Operating with the following licenses: RNAVT: 6246 and RNAAT 338/2016 of the Portuguese Tourism Authorities, Certified as “Turismo de Natureza” by ICNF

Iberactive operation in Portugal

Iberactive operates in Portugal under the name of “Montes e Vales”, means Hills and Valles.

Please check: https://www.montesevales.net/