Food Tours · Tour

Amarante, Tabuaço, and a Cruise That Costs Extra

Ten hours in the Douro on a panoramic coach, checking in at 8:15 at Lapa church. It is priced below the other full days for a reason worth stating plainly: the river cruise is an optional extra here rather than part of the ticket. If you want the boat, you pay for it at Pinhão. What is included is the rest of the region. Amarante first, on the Tâmega, with the church of São Gonçalo, whose Renaissance front and gilded interior hold the tomb of the saint who built the bridge outside; the town's convent pastries are on sale within sight of it. Lunch is at Sabrosa, northern Portuguese cooking with regional wines poured with it, and the operator's framing is right: this is the kind of meal that takes its time and gets talked over. The winery visit is at a quinta in Tabuaço, on the south side of the river, where you are walked through the whole process from the vineyard to the bottle and taste three Douro wines. The cellars smell of oak before anyone explains anything. At Pinhão you get fifty minutes to yourself, which is enough for the railway station tiles, the quay and a coffee, or for the cruise if you have added it. You go home with a miniature bottle of port. Museum and monument entries are not included, and neither is hotel pick-up. Up to thirty-five travellers on the day, guided in Portuguese, English, French or Spanish. Under-18s are served non-alcoholic drinks. Children up to twelve or under 135cm need an approved seat, and the operator has them. Check the forecast: the valley runs to extremes in both directions.