Douro Valley Walking Holiday: Villages, Vineyards & Views Hike

Knowing how hilly the Douro wine region is, I was a little apprehensive about doing a week-long walking holiday in the Douro Valley. Nevertheless, the promise of spectacular views and the experience of hiking from village to village were enticing enough to push myself beyond my normal comfort zone.

(Don’t let me put you off here – if I can do it, so can most people, with some advance preparation).

The walks and the scenery were even better than I’d imagined and my body soon adjusted to the challenge of steep hills. Read on to find out what this Douro hiking vacation is like.

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Note that if you are interested in much shorter hikes in the Douro, see this article. 

I’ve also done a different 1-week self-guided walking holiday on the other side of the Douro River – find out more in this article.

Hiking from Pinhão to Vilarinho de São Romão

Our first walking day began with a scenic riverside path beside the Pinhão River. Before long, we began climbing through vineyards and olive groves to the village of São Cristovão do Douro, a cluster of houses clinging to the hillside.

The cobbled lane entering and leaving the village was probably the steepest part of the entire day. Fortunately, the stunning views gave me good excuses to keep pausing for breath.

Continuing onward and upwards through an old wine estate, we reached the hilltop village of Provosende, one of the most significant wine-producing villages in the Douro wine region.

Tip: After you’ve had a rest, it’s worth taking some time out to explore the village and see its traditional cottages, grand manor houses and other curiosities. If you get there in the morning, you should catch the traditional bakery, unchanged since 1940. If so, try the local meat cake (bolo de carne).

Pacing tip: I would take a good rest at São Cristovão do Douro before continuing to Provosende.

We completed the day’s trek by walking along the ridge of a glorious vineyard amphitheatre and through the cobbled streets of another small village, Vilarinho de São Romão to find our country house accommodation.

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Douro vineyards and villages walking trail

On our second walking day, Paulo and I made our way downhill, through patches of pine forests, more olive groves and vineyards to the village of Paradelinha, where we found a once grand manor house that’s sadly been left to decay.

Oh, for a magic wand!

After crossing the Pinhão River, we passed some old wineries, some still in action, others with disused buildings but well-tended vineyards.

I was pleased to revisit a pretty riverside picnic spot I’d been to with my friend Tracey a few years previously. I was less enthusiastic about the hill in front of us to get to the village of Celeirós but it wasn’t as taxing as it looked, perhaps because the views were magnificent.

Tip: While in Celeirós, there are a couple of wineries you could visit, one being the historical Quinta do Bucheiro in the village itself and the other Quinta do Portal, a modern winery near the main road.

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Walking to the edge of the Douro wine region

A few kilometres into the third day’s walk, we reached the town of Sabrosa, where the 15th century navigator Ferdinand Magellan was allegedly born (the small Minho town of Ponte da Barca also stakes a claim on this). The contemporary sculpture outside the Town Hall pays tribute to him being the first person to circumnavigate the globe.

Tip: There are several cafés in Sabrosa so it’s a good place to take a short break before continuing through forests and vineyards on an ancient footpath with great views of the surrounding hills.

Once again, after descending through a terraced vineyard, we found ourselves crossing the Pinhão River. From here, it’s a gradual climb through more vineyards and olive groves until the track levels off on the approach to Favaios.

I particularly like Favaios, partly because of the surprisingly good Bread and Wine Museum. Here, you can learn about, and taste, the locally-produced moscatel wine and discover the secrets of 4-cornered bread.

Tip: Better still, visit a local bakery where you can see the wood-fired ovens and buy bread that’s still warm. It also has some interesting architecture so try to time your arrival so that you have a couple of hours to explore.

From Favaios, it’s only about 3 km to the town of Alijó where we stayed for 2 nights.

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In search of the Tua Valley

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this circular walk was the ever-changing landscape. The mountains around Alijó are quite rugged, rocky and uncultivated but as you head in the direction of the Douro River, the undulating curves and ribboned slopes of more familiar Douro landscapes appear.

In late February, the small local vineyards on the outskirts of Alijó were hives of activity with local people busy tending their small scale vineyards, pruning vines and burning off the resulting piles of twigs.

São Mamede da Ribatua has a pretty park full of sculptures and an azulejo-clad church as well as plenty of traditional buildings. What we came here for was the view of the Tua Valley and it didn’t disappoint.

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Walking from Alijó to Casal de Loivos

Despite being the longest hike on this Douro walking holiday, it’s relatively easy because most of it is along a ridge.

Because of this elevated position, the views of the Pinhão Valley are breathtaking – you can see all the little villages you’ve already walked through.

Before getting to the ridge, you’ll pass by a few quintas that are open to visitors, including Quinta da Avessada, which has a small museum and also offers grape juice tasting if it’s too early in the day for you to start on the wine.

Towards the end of the walk, you also get views of the valley on the other side of the ridge and a different perspective on the Douro River as you round the hill into Casal de Loivos.

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Hike down to the Douro River from Casal de Loivos

The last walk in this holiday is the shortest, which means you can time it so you arrive at Pinhão’s riverside wineries in time for a picnic lunch after (or before) you’ve done a tour and tasting session. All you need to do is make sure you don’t miss the train back to Porto, unless you’re staying an extra night so that you can return to Porto by boat.

Apart from yet more stunning views, the best bit about this route is that it’s pretty much all downhill.

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Want to do this self-guided village to village Douro hike?

Suggested itinerary (you can customise this)

Day 1: Arrive in Porto

After a private transfer from Porto airport to your city centre hotel, a member of the team will give you a full in-person briefing with all the information you need to fully enjoy this self-guided walking holiday.

Use any free time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage city centre or visit one of the port wine cellars across the river. 

Day 2: Travel to the Douro Valley

Option 1: Take the train from Porto to Pinhão (approx 2 hours 45 minutes, not included) and spending the rest of the day relaxing and exploring Pinhão, where you can take a short boat cruise upstream (paid locally). 

Option 2: Spend the day on a river cruise from Porto the Regua with lunch on board (extra costs involved). Transfer to from Regua to your Pinhão hotel.

Day 3: Linear walk from Pinhão to Vilarinho de São Romão (10.6 km | +689m)

Enjoy stunning views as you climb the slopes of the Pinhão Valley to the hillside villages of São Cristovão do Douro and Provosende. End the day in a historical country house in a small village.

Day 4 – Circular walk via Pinhão River (13.6 km | +664m)

From your base in Vilarinho de São Romão head down through the vineyards to the Pinhão River, passing some small villages and wine estates with splendid and varied views throughout.

Day 5 – Linear walk from Vilarinho de São Romão to Alijó (16 km | +689m)

Walk through small scale vineyards and fields to the attractive small town of Sabrosa. An ancient road takes you down through the vineyards to to the river and leads you to the distinctly different landscape around Favaios. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in the town of Alijó.

Day 6 – Circular walk via São Mamede da Ribatua (14.5 km | +485m) (or shorter option (8.2 km) with return by taxi)

This circular route from Alijó undulates through a mosaic of vineyards and fields to the ancient village of São Mamede da Ribatua. From here you can see the surrounding rugged mountains and the glittering Tua reservoir below. Stay at the same hotel.

Day 7 – Linear walk from Alijó to Casal de Loivos (13.8 km | + 268m)

This route takes you along the top of the eastern slopes of the Pinhão Valley. From here, you can see several of the villages you walked to earlier in the week. Spend the night in a 17th century country house with amazing views of the Douro River.

Day 8 – Walk from Casal de Loivos to Pinhão (5.9 km | +137m) then return to Porto by train

Walk through the vineyards down to Pinhão with time for a final winery tour and tasting session (optional, paid locally) overlooking the River Douro before taking the train back to Porto (not included). 

Optional extras: 

If you want to return to Porto by river cruise, you can add an extra night in Pinhão and a transfer to Régua to board the boat the following morning.

You could add an extra night in Porto, and an airport transfer

Included: 

• 7 nights handpicked accommodation with breakfast
• Dinner on days 2, 3 and 6
• Packed lunches on days 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
• GPS device with pre-programmed trails
• Road book with detailed route descriptions and elevation profiles
• 24/7 emergency contact number
• Luggage transfers between accommodations days 2 to 6 and to Pinhão station on day 7
• Private transfer from Porto airport to Campanhã train station or city centre plus briefing on Day 1
• Private transfer from Porto hotel to the airport on Day 8

How to book this self-guided Douro walking holiday

Complete this form and I will connect you with the specialist local tour operator. They will email you to confirm the itinerary, availability and price.

If you don’t have time for a full week of walking, just let us know. It’s also possible to arrange guided half and full day Douro walking programmes through the same tour operator.

Disclosure: I may receive a small referral commission if you make a booking but the price you pay is the same as going direct.

Best time of year for a Douro walking holiday

This self-guided tour is available between 1st March and 31st October.

Spring and autumn are the ideal seasons for hiking in the Douro vineyards and countryside. Not only are the temperatures generally warm during the day, you get added colour.

While the vine leaves may only just be sprouting in April and May, wildflowers abound. By late September, the landscape is beginning to change colour as the leaves turn orange and red. To get the full effect of autumnal hues in the Douro, late October would be best but you’d be balancing that with increased likelihood of rain.

I did this in late February, just as the almond blossom was making an appearance. We were very lucky with the weather and had clear sunny days.

While it’s technically possible to do this year-round, depending on the weather, I would not advise it in the summer months, i.e. July and August. Temperatures often reach around 40ºC, which is not conducive to walking up steep hills.

Even June and September can be a bit too hot for walking but if you get an early start to beat the heat of the day and take sensible precautions, i.e. wear a hat and sunscreen and drink plenty of water, you could do it.

See this post for more information about the best time to visit Portugal.

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