Alto Douro & its wine culture: a classic car tour through Portugal's most famous wine region
Your Vintage Tour into the culture of winegrowing in the Alto Douro
This Vintage Tour takes you from the lively city of Porto along picturesque roads to the Alto Douro wine region, the oldest wine-growing region in the world. As part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Alto Douro offers a unique combination of natural beauty and centuries-old wine culture. This road trip promises a tour through a unique and diverse cultural landscape that combines both picturesque vineyards and barren landscapes.
Your Vintage Tour begins with a drive on the south side of the river, which offers you a unique view of the vineyards of the Alto Douro. An overnight stay at one of the region's most exclusive wine estates, the Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, will immerse you in the oldest wine culture on the Iberian Peninsula. Here, amidst the tranquil hills and extensive vineyards, you will experience first-hand what makes the Douro wine-growing region so special.
Another highlight of your trip is a visit to the world-famous Palaeolithic rock engravings in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, a testimony to the history of human settlement on the Iberian Peninsula. No less impressive is the renowned Mateus wine castle, whose architecture and history will transport you back in time. These stops underline the diversity and richness of the region, from Palaeolithic art to fine wine culture.
During your tour through the Douro Valley and the Alto Douro wine region, you will not only enjoy the spectacular scenery and excellent wines, but also the typical local food and hospitality in stately homes. Every moment of this journey is carefully planned to offer you an authentic and profound experience that captures the essence of the Alto Douro.
The highlights of your tour
The highlights of your tour
- On your Vintage Tour, you will experience the unique history of winegrowing in the Alto Douro, one of the oldest winegrowing regions in the world.
- You explore the picturesque landscape of the Alto Douro, which is characterised by endless wine terraces where top-class wines thrive.
- In carefully selected restaurants you will experience the typical local cuisine and unique hospitality.
- You will spend the night in one of the most exclusive wine estates in the Alto Douro, the Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, and have the opportunity to discover the typical wine culture of this region.
- You will visit the famous Palaeolithic rock engravings in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, which tell of the history of settlement on the Iberian Peninsula.
- You travel on carefully selected roads through one of the most impressive river valleys in Europe, which combines a wide variety of landscapes from lovely vineyards to barren rock formations.
- You stop off at typical local restaurants, where you can experience the culture and cuisine of this region.
Your road trip
After your arrival in Porto at the Palacio do Freixo, a former palace from the 18th century, we start with a detailed introduction to the operation of our perfectly maintained MGAs. This is followed by a guided tour to Vila Nova de Gaia, the town on the southern bank of the Douro River, where the famous port wine cellars are located. A joint visit to a winery rounds off the afternoon. The day ends with dinner together in the unique dining room of the Palacio do Freixo, where you will meet the participants of your Vintage Tour with whom you share your passion for classic cars.
We drive together along the southern bank of the river to Porto Antigo. Here we have lunch with a view of the Douro. At this point, you can see the vast expanse of the river. We cross the river and drive through the wine-growing region to the famous Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo winery. Here we are introduced to the long history of winegrowing on the Douro during a wine tasting - always with a fantastic view of the river lying in the valley. We end the day with dinner together in the exclusive restaurant of the Quinta Nova.
We set off in the morning in the direction of Vila Nova do Foz Côa to visit the unique rock engravings from the Palaeolithic period. The route to Foz Côa takes us along the south bank through the wine-growing region of the Alto Douro. With its countless meanders and the deeply incised valley, the Douro becomes our constant companion on this stage. After visiting the rock paintings, we fortify ourselves with dinner together and cross the Douro to drive back to Pinhão on its north side. Here, too, the winding road takes us through the wine-growing region - always with a view of the Douro.
Today we leave the Douro Valley to visit the Mateus winery, which is known for its rosé wines, among other things. We then continue our journey to Amarante. The town is known as the centre of Douro winegrowing. Here we have lunch together before making our way back to the Quinta Nova and enjoying the last evening of our trip with a picturesque view of the Douro.
We drive back to Porto along the north bank of the Douro and take the opportunity to take one last look at the picturesque river valley from one of the most beautiful viewpoints. After lunch together at a typical quinta, we arrive in Porto. Here you have the option of using the airport transfer or spending another night in the Palacio do Freixo (can be booked individually).
Services
Your Vintage Tour includes the following services
These services are not included
- Travelling to Porto
- Overnight stay in a single room (can be booked individually)
- Dinner and overnight stay in the Palacio do Freixo on the last day (can be booked individually)
Available dates
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondayJun 16, 2025FridayJun 20, 2025€3.350Available
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondayApr 13, 2026FridayApr 17, 2026€3.35010Available
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondayApr 20, 2026FridayApr 24, 2026€3.35010Available
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondayMay 4, 2026FridayMay 8, 2026€3.35010Available
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondaySep 14, 2026FridaySep 18, 2026€3.35010Available
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Guaranteed Available PackagesMondaySep 21, 2026FridaySep 25, 2026€3.35010Available
FAQs
At Quinta Nova, you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of winegrowing in the Douro Valley. A visit to the museum there and a guided tour of the winery tell of the centuries-old history of viticulture in the Alto Douro. The Mateus winery can also look back on a long tradition of winegrowing. During your vintage tour through the Douro Valley, you will experience how the entire region is characterised by the culture of viticulture.
During this vintage tour through the Douro Valley, you will be staying at the Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, one of the most prestigious wine estates in the Alto Douro. The Quinta Nova, which has been producing wine since its foundation in 1756, offers an exclusive ambience for its overnight guests, not least due to its privileged location and the unique view of the Douro Valley.
This tour is characterised by the wonderful landscape of the Douro Valley and the Alto Douro wine-growing region. On carefully selected routes, you will discover partly deserted and majestic landscapes. This promises pure driving pleasure paired with unique impressions.
This road trip has a total length of around 800 kilometres.
We have planned your Vintage Tour so that, in addition to driving our classic cars, you also have enough time to enjoy the landscape and culture. On your Douro tour, you will cover around 150 kilometres each day in your vintage car. We have planned sufficient breaks between the individual stages.
In Vila Nova de Foz Côa, we find evidence of people who migrated to the Iberian Peninsula from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia many thousands of years ago and became the inhabitants of this region. Here, in the endless hills and valleys, they made their home and left their mark with images of bulls carved in stone. These Palaeolithic petroglyphs are unique in the world
The winding tour, which is full of scenic surprises, requires a high level of concentration from the drivers as well as a little driving skill. Nevertheless, the tour is also very suitable for less experienced drivers who enjoy classic cars and appreciate the sporty character of our MGAs.
You will receive a road book at the start of the tour, in which the routes are described in detail. This gives you the opportunity to set your own pace on the sections of your vintage tour and linger where you particularly like it.
After your arrival at the hotel, you will receive a comprehensive introduction to our MGAs and also have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the car on a short test drive and get ready for your vintage tour.
We take care of the transport of your luggage between the individual stages - so you can cover the day's stages with a small amount of hand luggage.
Our MGAs offer weather protection - so we will try to organise the tours as planned even in bad weather - because the tour is worth it!
Our MGAs are more than 60 years old and require a careful hand - this is our express wish for you!
The group size is a maximum of 10 participants. This allows us to respond much better to your individual needs and gives you the opportunity to exchange ideas with your fellow travellers - if you like.
Map
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