2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

  • From Porto to the Winelands

    Northern Portugal:
    into the Douro

    Oct 4-11, 2025

    ?

    Autumn in Northern Portugal is the time of harvest for the most famous fruits of the region: grapes in the vineyard and olives in the orchards. It’s the ideal time to feel the region’s easy and soulful way of life, presented with the insider access provided by one of the region’s most illustrious food writers.

    Rafa Tonon

    R&K Host

    Journalist, Researcher, Explorer
    Rafa Tonon

Overview

Northern Portugal:
into the Douro

Fall in Northern Portugal is the time of harvest for the most famous fruits of the region: grapes in the vineyard and olives in the orchards. Here, among the coastal taverns and autumnal hued wine estates, the region’s easy and soulful way of life is at its warmest and most embracing.

This trip is a full week from the city into the countryside. Along the way you’ll experience the grandeur of the history, the shining coast, and the verdant terraces of the Douro Valley wine country. All famous places, sure, but presented with the insider access provided by one of the region’s most illustrious food writers.

  • Portugal
  • Oct 4-11, 2025
  • from $12,000
Map
  • Portugal
  • Oct 4-11, 2025
  • from $12,000
Northern Portugal: into the Douro Inquire Now

DISCOVER PORTUGAL:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

The North Remembers

  • Torel 1984
  • Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira 228, 4050-417 Porto
  • +351 22 600 1783
  • Private transfer from Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport to our hotel
  • Welcome cocktails—a Porto Tonic of course—with Rafa and his co-host
  • Opening dinner at Euskalduna Studio by celebrated chef Vasco Coelho Santos
Day
2

Every Sip of the City

  • Torel 1984
  • Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira 228, 4050-417 Porto
  • +351 22 600 1783
  • Tasting at Cave Niepoort, an exclusive old Port house only open for
    select groups, sampling Port wine of different vintages and styles
  • Walk around town, with light bites and custom Port cocktails made for Roads & Kingdoms at our favorite local bar Blind Pony
  • Dinner at Francesinha Café to taste the city’s most iconic sandwich
Day
3

OFF TO VINHOS VERDES

  • Torel 1984
  • Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira 228, 4050-417 Porto
  • +351 22 600 1783
  • Breakfast of champions: bifana at Conga before hitting the road
  • Tea harvesting at Cha Camelia, one of Europe’s only tea plantations
  • Light lunch and wine tasting at Monverde, a celebrated hotel in Lixa, to try some Alvarinhos and other Vinhos Verdes
  • Siesta, happy hour, dinner at the hotel
Day
4

AMARANTE FOREVER

  • Relaxed breakfast at Confeitaria da Ponte, featuring some of the best Portuguese pastries
  • A walk around Amarante, crossing the arched São Gonçalo bridge, which Napoleon’s troops tried (unsuccessfully) to storm across in 1809
  • Visit Casa Ventura for arroz de cabidela, one of the most iconic Portuguese dishes: rice and poultry cooked together with animal’s blood
  • Tasting and light dinner in the river-facing Greenhouse of our stunning home in the Douro, the century-old wine estate hotel Quinta de São Bernardo
Day
5

DOURO AT YOUR FEET

  • Breakfast and leisurely morning at the hotel, optional kayaking and stand-up
    paddle board in the Douro River
  • Lunch at the hotel with endemic Douro ingredients and wine pairing
  • Smoked charcuterie making in Pinhão at local butcher shop Talho Qualifer
  • Dinner at Michelin-starred chef Rui Paula’s iconic DOC — A Window to Douro
Day
6

THE VENICE OF PORTUGAL

  • Breakfast at Quinta de São Bernardo before heading to beautiful Aveiro, with its network of canals filled with colorful moliceiro boats
  • Boat ride to visit the old salines, where the ubiquitous dried and salted codfish known as Bacalhau was first created
  • Local oyster and sparkling wine tasting
  • Free afternoon to explore the so-called “Venice of Portugal”
  • Dinner at Mercantel, offering a bold, contemporary spin on Mediterranean-inflected Portuguese cuisine
Day
7

ONE PIG, ONE LAST LUNCH

  • Lunch at the legendary 40-year-old restaurant Mugasa, Portugal’s temple for suckling pig
  • Tour Conservas Pinhais in Matosinhos, one of the oldest tinned fish factories in the country
  • Grilled fish for dinner at Rua dos Pescadores
Day
8

GOODBYE

  • One last breakfast at the hotel
  • Private transfers to the airport or wherever your journey continues

WHAT’S INCLUDED

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners, as well as snacks and beverages between meals
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Rafa Tonon

Local Guide

Rafa Tonon

Journalist, Researcher, Explorer

When Rafa Tonon isn’t on the road as one of the leading food writers working today, he is back home in the town he chose for its vibrant culinary scene and beauty: Porto. This trip is his beautiful vision of life in the north of Portugal. His work has been published widely, from Slate and Eater to The Washington Post and he is the author of books including “The Food Revolutions” (published in Portuguese and Spanish) and “50 Restaurants Over 50 Years Old – 5 Decades of São Paulo Food,” about the traditional restaurants of Latin America’s largest city.

Where You’ll Stay

Torel 1984

Torel 1984

Porto Noble House

In beautiful old Porto a stone’s throw from Ribeira Square, Torel 1884 Suites & Apartments is a charming, smartly designed boutique property spread between two buildings from the 19th century. We love the location, the breakfast, and the elegant in-room design, featuring furnishings and textiles by local artisans.

Quinta de S.Bernardo

Quinta de S.Bernardo

Douro Wine Estate

This farm-to-table wine estate and boutique hotel was born from a farmstead dating to 1756. Operated as a family-run winery since 1912, the estate is spread over 15 hectares of vineyards right on the banks of the Douro River with its own private river docks. Nine rooms offer vineyard and river views against a backdrop of rolling green Douro countryside.

Palacete de Valdemouro

Palacete de Valdemouro

Aveiro Palace

A 150-year-old palace was restored as a five-star hotel within the picturesque center of lovely, maritime Aveiro. From the gilded neoclassical facade to the monumental staircase and Moorish design details within, Palacete de Valdemouro gives the feeling of living inside a work of art. We also love the reading room, courtyard terrace, and thermal spa. A perfect, elegant home in the “Venice of Portugal.”

  • It was the savvy hosts, delicious food, curated experiences, and cooking together in a small group setting that made it magical.

    Nalini S.
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  • The connections R&K has in the community made this trip feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience that could not be replicated by any other company.

    Amanda C.
    CDMX Under the Volcano 2024
  • We’re so happy that we took a leap of faith and invested in this adventure with Roads & Kingdoms.

    Jean M.
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Northern Portugal: into the Douro Inquire Now
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