Built and Grown in the Douro

This full-day experience explores the Douro Valley’s cultural and culinary heritage beyond winemaking. Your day begins in Vila Real with a visit to Mateus Palace, an 18th-century Baroque estate known for its grand architecture, reflective pools, and manicured gardens. Inside, richly furnished rooms and a private chapel offer a glimpse into Portugal’s aristocratic past. The palace also maintains an archive and library, preserving records of regional history, agriculture, and family lineage. From there, you’ll head to the Sabrosa area for a tasting with a local beekeeper, sampling honeys shaped by the native flora of the region—acacia, chestnut, rosemary, and heather among them. Lunch follows at a vineyard estate, where traditional Douro dishes are paired with local wines in a quiet setting surrounded by vines. After a stop at a scenic viewpoint, the day ends overlooking the valley’s terraced hills on a soothing solar boat ride.

This tour offers a layered view of the Douro that goes beyond wine and tastings: Experience architecture, local food traditions, and sustainable practices in the Douro. The day begins at Mateus Palace — one of Portugal’s most emblematic Baroque estates — where ornate interiors, manicured gardens, and preserved family archives reveal a different dimension of the region’s heritage and aristocratic past. From there, the focus shifts to the land and its caretakers: you’ll meet a local beekeeper whose expressive honeys are shaped by native flora, and a winemaker who cultivates a variety of wines on an estate where you’ll also enjoy a lunch prepared with regional ingredients grown on-site. Wine is present, but it’s not the headline. The emphasis is on how people live from the land. The silent, solar-powered boat ride at the end also offers a sustainable alternative to typical excursions, allowing you to focus on the sights and sounds of the valley.

Carlos de Oliveira and Paulo Baptista use their deep roots in the Douro to design experiences that go beyond the surface. With a thoughtful approach to storytelling and a strong network of local connections, they’ve crafted this day to offer not just context, but a real connection—to the land, its people, and its traditions. From the stately halls of Mateus Palace to hands-on encounters with beekeepers and winemakers, each stop has been chosen to give you a fuller understanding of what makes this region truly unique.

Light, comfortable clothing, a hat for sun protection, and sunscreen in the summer.