Ilove2fly

Hi, My husband and I are planning to spend a few days in the Douro Valley. Our hotel is located in Pinhao. This is my first trip to Portugal and would like some recommendations from the experts.

1. Is it possible to take a boat ride from Porto to Pinhao or Peso da Regua and train back?
2. Is it possible to hire a car/driver in Pinhao?
3. If hiring a driver is unrealistic or too expensive, how is the taxi situation? Will they pick up at various historical sites?

Many thanks.

CaptainMiles

Yes. However, the boat ride up is an all-day affair. About 10 hours by boat. So the boats leave Porto early morning, 8 a.m. or so. Not sure how you plan on getting from your Pinhăo hotel to Porto for the early morning boat departure.

I am not sure what the difference is between a car/driver and a taxi. To me they are one and the same, and I think the people in Pinhăo will think the same. Taxis exist in Pinhăo and will meet all train and boat arrivals. You can then make arrangements with a taxi driver for your needs, including pickup at those historical sites.

Palal

I'd add that renting a car to drive yourselves around will probably be cheaper than taxis.

CaptainMiles

That depends on how much they need the taxi. I am pretty sure there are no car rentals in Pinhăo. They would probably have to rent in Porto, which means they would need to rent for the entire duration of their stay. Taxis they would only hire for the days and missions they need. Whether car is cheaper than taxis depends on much taxi use they intend to make, and the season (summer car rentals are a lot more expensive than winter rentals, but taxis are about the same price year round). It's very hard to tell in advance which will be cheaper.

RussellJ

We caught the train from Porto & really enjoyed the trip. While in Pinhao we just walked everywhere. It is just a short walk from the station to everywhere in the town. There are some great walks around the town. We did use the "Royal Tour" bus to take us through a vineyard to a different peak to get great views of the countryside-obviously if you re not walkers this would not work for you.
There is very little traffic around Pinhao to worry you if you do decide to drive yourself

Ilove2fly

Thanks very much for the replies. We will arrive in Porto by train from Lisbon. I was hoping that I can take the boat up to Douro Valley and train back to Porto just for experience sake. We are staying in Pinhao for 4 nights. It is possible to rent cars near Pinhao but it is twice the price of renting it in Porto.

While in Pinhao we want to independently visit a couple of wineries and a few historical sites. I was afraid that the taxi might not come back for 10K to pick us up at a winery or historical site.

In any case, I decided to rent a car in Porto. It is cheaper and more convenient.

Howie721

Hi All,

I am planning ~9 days in Portugal early November (littler bit cooler and obviously off season).

See below for proposed itinerary:

Fly into Lisbon (2 days/2 nights)
train to Cascais (1 day/1 night)
Rent a car and drive to Douro Valley (2.5 days/2 nights)
Drive to Porto (2.5 days/3 nights)

A few questions for the experts..

1) We really want to do wine tasting around the Douro Valley - are the vineyards even open this time of year? What are the best ways to get around the vineyards without having to drive a car myself - not really into the whole drinking and driving thing. Is it feasible to rent bikes and cycle around (this didn't work too well in Tuscany)? Is it wildly expensive to hire a driver for the day...maybe taxis to and from 3-4 vineyards?

2) I have read reviews here on renting a car - doesn't seem too difficult to drive around the country. However, I have heard reports on expensive tolls - any idea what I should expect to pay given my proposed itinerary?

3) Cascais - Is there enough there to keep an active late 20s couple busy? Same goes for Porto - beginning to think an extra day in Lisbon as opposed to Lisbon.

Curious to hear any other feedback you might have on the itinerary for a late 20s couple.

Palal

You can still take the train there and back if you want. It's a very scenic ride and they run a historic trains in the summer and fall. link. It's a nice 4-hour round trip.

Palal

1. Do a search for douro valley wine tours. There are many operators that do this type of thing.

2. https://www.viamichelin.com/ does a good job of estimating tolls. Cascais>Porto is about 26-28€ in tolls if you take the motorways, or free (but with a higher fuel bill) if you take the two-lane national roads. Do get a GPS (or use your phone) and a toll transponder for the car to make your life easier.

3. 1 day/1 night is ok in Cascais. You can always get some bikes, visit some beaches (early November the weather is usually still very nice). There is also a lot of hiking in and around Sintra which is up the coast. Personally, I'd spend an extra night in Lisbon and do Cascais as a day trip (I just turned from my late 20s into my early 30s). There is definitely more nightlife in Lisbon.

For Porto - 2.5 days/3 nights should be great. 1 day for Port wine tasting (which is in Porto itself), 1-1.5 days for sightseeing and a day trip up to Guimarăes should be good.

Of the 2.5 days in the douro valley, I would maybe spend one of the nights somewhere between Lisbon and Porto.

Howie721

Thanks Palal - appreciate the quick response. I will do some research and get back to you with some better questions.

I was thinking 2.5 days is likely too long to spend in the douro valley - one day of wine tasting then who knows.

Ultimately for wine we would likely do a day of tasting in Porto and a day in douro valley - not typically big on port wines. I am going to do some research on where we can find other types of wine (specifically vinho verde).

PS - I recently entered the 30s as well (last month )

Palal

If you want to do vinho verde, go further up north where they make it

Also - Serra de Estrela can be a good bet for a day of hiking.

If you want some romance in a rural part of PT, look at overnighting at a pousada. Some are in old castles.