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InBound Portugal · Group Program

Douro Valley & Northern Portugal — Wine Heritage & Medieval Cities

Participants Number • 12 Age • 45-65
Four days in the north of Portugal — a region that remains less visited than Lisbon and the Algarve but contains some of the country's most compelling experiences: the UNESCO-classified Douro Valley wine landscape; the medieval city of Guimarães where Portugal was born; the religious city of Braga; and Porto, one of Europe's most atmospheric urban destinations. This program is designed for travellers with a genuine interest in wine, history, and architecture — and for operators looking for a differentiated Portugal product that goes beyond the standard Lisbon itinerary. Professionally paced for groups aged 45 to 65 with private ground logistics throughout.
01
Day 1
Arrival in Porto — The City of Bridges
10:00
Airport Meet & Greet — Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO)
InBound Portugal representative meets the group at the arrivals hall with personalised signage. Luggage coordination and group briefing. Private minibus (12 pax) standing by at the dedicated group exit. 30-minute transfer to hotel in central Porto.
Transfer
10:45
Hotel Check-in — Porto Ribeira / Aliados area
Check-in at a 4-star hotel in central Porto within walking distance of the Ribeira waterfront. Rooms pre-blocked for early access. Group welcome pack and 4-day program booklet distributed at reception.
Accommodation
12:30
Welcome Lunch — Cais da Ribeira waterfront
First meal in Porto at a traditional restaurant on the Ribeira waterfront with Douro River and Dom Luís I Bridge views. Menu: caldo verde soup; grilled bacalhau com broa (salt cod with cornbread); house Douro tinto; arroz doce for dessert. Duration: approx. 90 minutes.
Gastronomy
14:30
Porto City Walking Tour — São Bento · Livraria Lello · Clérigos · Aliados
Licensed Porto guide leads the group through the city centre. Key stops: São Bento railway station interior (extraordinary azulejo panels depicting Portuguese history and daily life — 20.000 tiles; completed 1930); Livraria Lello (timed entry included — neo-Gothic staircase; one of the most photographed bookshops in the world); Torre dos Clérigos exterior; Avenida dos Aliados and City Hall. Duration: 2 hours.
Sightseeing
16:45
Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto) — Cloister & Terrace
Visit to Porto Cathedral — 12th-century Romanesque origins; Gothic cloister with 18th-century azulejo panels depicting scenes from the Song of Songs; roof terrace with panoramic views over the Douro gorge; tomb of João de Lancaster in the chancel. Duration: 45 minutes. Entry fees included.
Sightseeing
17:45
Vila Nova de Gaia — Port Wine Lodge Visit & Tasting
Walk across the lower level of Dom Luís I Bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. Private guided visit to a historic Port wine lodge on the Cais de Gaia waterfront. Cellar tour: explanation of the ageing system; barrel warehouses; the Douro wine classification (Ruby; Tawny; Colheita; LBV; Vintage). Structured tasting of 4 Ports. Views over Porto skyline from the lodge terrace. Duration: 90 minutes.
Gastronomy
19:30
Return to Hotel — Rest Period
Transfer back to hotel. 60-minute rest before dinner.
Personal Time
20:30
Welcome Dinner — Foz do Douro / Matosinhos border area
Transfer (15 minutes) to a seafood restaurant near the confluence of the Douro and the Atlantic. Menu: percebes (barnacles) as aperitivo; arroz de lingueirão (razor clam rice) or grilled robalo (sea bass); Vinho Verde Loureiro; tarta de amêndoa for dessert. Duration: approx. 2 hours.
Gastronomy
22:30
Return to Hotel
Private minibus. End of Day 1.
Transfer
02
Day 2
Guimarães · Braga — The Cradle of Portugal
07:30
Breakfast at Hotel
Full buffet breakfast. Departure briefing at 09:00.
Gastronomy
09:00
Transfer to Guimarães
Private minibus departs Porto. 50-minute drive northeast to Guimarães.
Transfer
10:00
Guimarães Castle & Paço dos Duques de Bragança
Private guided visit to the Guimarães Castle (Castelo de Guimarães) — 10th-century fortress; the keep where Afonso Henriques
first King of Portugal
11:45
Guimarães UNESCO Historic Centre Walk
Guided walk through the UNESCO-classified historic centre: Largo da Oliveira and Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira (the collegiate church at the spiritual heart of medieval Guimarães); Largo do Toural; Rua de Santa Maria with its 15th-century overhanging houses; Alameda da Resistência. Duration: 60 minutes.
Sightseeing
13:00
Lunch — Guimarães (Largo do Toural / Rua de Santa Maria area)
Lunch in a traditional Minho restaurant in the historic centre. Menu: rojões à minhota (fried pork with cumin and tripe — the regional Minho speciality); bacalhau à Gomes de Sá as alternative; Vinho Verde branco Alvarinho; arroz de leite for dessert. Duration: 90 minutes.
Gastronomy
14:45
Transfer to Braga
Private minibus from Guimarães to Braga. 25-minute drive.
Transfer
15:15
Braga Cathedral (Sé de Braga) — Oldest Cathedral in Portugal
Private guided visit to the Sé de Braga — the oldest cathedral in Portugal (construction began 1070); Romanesque exterior and nave; Gothic chapels; the extraordinary Baroque pipe organ (1737) spanning the entire west end of the nave; the medieval treasury with royal tombs. Duration: 60 minutes. Entry fees included.
Sightseeing
16:30
Braga — Rua do Souto & Historic Centre
Free time in central Braga. Walk along Rua do Souto — the main commercial street lined with historic buildings and café esplanadas. Optional visit to the Palácio do Raio (18th-century azulejo facade) and the Igreja de São João do Souto. Guide available. Duration: 60 minutes.
Personal Time
17:45
Return to Porto
Private minibus from Braga to Porto hotel. 55-minute drive.
Transfer
19:00
Return to Hotel — Rest Period
Return to hotel. 90-minute rest before dinner.
Personal Time
20:30
Dinner — Porto Bonfim / Cedofeita neighbourhood
Dinner in a neighbourhood tasca in the residential Porto — away from the tourist waterfront. The most authentic dining experience in the city. Menu: francesinha (Porto iconic sandwich in spiced tomato and beer sauce); tripas à moda do Porto for the adventurous; grilled posta de vitela (veal chop) as alternative; Douro DOC tinto; seasonal fruit dessert. Duration: 2 hours.
Gastronomy
22:30
Return to Hotel
Private minibus. End of Day 2.
Transfer
03
Day 3
Douro Valley — Vineyards · River · Quintas
07:00
Breakfast at Hotel — Early Departure
Early breakfast. Minibus departs at 08:30 sharp. No luggage loading — day trip from Porto base.
Gastronomy
08:30
Transfer Porto to Douro Valley — Pinhão
Private minibus departs Porto hotel eastward via A4/IP4. Distance: approx. 120km; journey time: 90 minutes. As the road climbs over the Marão mountain range and descends into the Douro gorge the landscape transforms dramatically — eucalyptus and pine give way to terraced schist vineyards dropping steeply to the river. Guide provides commentary throughout.
Transfer
10:00
Pinhão — Station Azulejos & Village
Brief stop at Pinhão railway station — the platforms decorated with 24 azulejo tile panels (1937) depicting the wine harvest and river life of the Douro. Village walk along the riverfront. Guide explains the geography of the Douro Superior — the most concentrated Port wine production zone. 25-minute stop.
Sightseeing
10:30
Quinta Visit — Private Wine Estate
Pinhão / Sabrosa area
Sightseeing
13:00
Lunch — Quinta dining room or Pinhão riverside
Lunch at the quinta terrace or at a riverside restaurant in Pinhão. Menu: presunto and Quinta cheese board; roasted kid (cabrito à transmontana) or grilled lamprey in season; Douro DOC reserve red; toucinho do céu with honey and almonds. Long table format with valley views. Duration: approx. 2 hours.
Gastronomy
15:15
Douro River Cruise — Private Rabelo Boat
Departure from Pinhão by private rabelo boat (the traditional flat-bottomed vessel historically used to transport Port wine barrels to Gaia). Cruise upstream toward the Douro Superior for 45 minutes then return — passing under cliff faces of terraced vines; quintas visible on the hillsides; occasional egrets and kingfishers on the river margins. Guide on board with narrative. Wine and water served on deck.
Sightseeing
16:45
Scenic Return — N222 Riverside Road
Minibus departs Pinhão for Porto via the N222 — the celebrated road along the south bank of the Douro; voted one of the world most beautiful driving routes. Photo stops at two miradouros overlooking the terraced valley. Guide on board. Total journey: approx. 2 hours to Porto.
Transfer
19:00
Return to Hotel — Rest Period
Arrival in Porto. 90-minute rest before dinner.
Personal Time
20:30
Farewell Gala Dinner — Porto (Ribeira / Gaia waterfront)
Private gala dinner at a premium restaurant on the Porto or Gaia waterfront with Dom Luís I Bridge views. Menu: oysters from Aveiro; whole grilled turbot or arroz de lavagante (lobster rice); Douro DOC reserve white and red; Port wine with dessert; farewell toast by group leader. Smart casual dress code. Duration: approx. 2.5 hours.
Gastronomy
23:00
Return to Hotel
Private minibus. End of Day 3.
Transfer
04
Day 4
Bom Jesus · Viana do Castelo · Departure
07:00
Breakfast at Hotel — Checkout Preparation
Early breakfast. Luggage outside rooms by 08:00 for loading. Full checkout — coach carries luggage for the final day.
Gastronomy
08:30
Transfer to Bom Jesus do Monte — Braga
Private coach departs Porto for Braga. 50-minute drive. Route via A3 north.
Transfer
09:30
Bom Jesus do Monte — Baroque Stairway & Sanctuary
Visit to the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary above Braga — one of the most iconic pilgrimage sites in Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2019). The extraordinary Baroque stairway (116 metres of ascent; 577 steps) with allegorical fountains representing the five senses and the three virtues at each landing. Option: climb on foot or take the hydraulic funicular (oldest in the world; 1882). Views over Braga and the Minho valley from the sanctuary terrace. Duration: 75 minutes.
Sightseeing
11:00
Transfer to Viana do Castelo
Private coach departs Braga for Viana do Castelo. 45-minute drive northwest along the A27.
Transfer
12:00
Viana do Castelo — Basilica & Historic Centre
Private guided visit to Viana do Castelo — the most elegant town in the Minho. Key stops: Praça da República (arguably the finest Renaissance square in Portugal — pelourinho; Misericórdia loggia; Gothic fountain); Igreja Matriz (15th-century Gothic portal; azulejo interior); ascent by funicular to the Basílica de Santa Luzia (early 20th-century Neo-Byzantine; mosaic dome; panoramic terrace over the Lima River estuary and the Atlantic). Duration: 90 minutes. Funicular tickets included.
Sightseeing
13:45
Farewell Lunch — Viana do Castelo (Praça da República / riverside area)
Final lunch in Viana do Castelo at a traditional restaurant on or near the main square. Menu: sopa de castanhas (chestnut soup); lamprey in season or arroz de sarrabulho (rice with mixed meats — the most typical Minho dish); Vinho Verde Loureiro; bolo de mel for dessert; farewell toast. Duration: approx. 90 minutes.
Gastronomy
15:30
Luggage Check — Coach Departure Point
Group reassembles at coach. Final luggage check. InBound Portugal representative distributes any final documentation.
Accommodation
15:45
Transfer to Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport — Porto (OPO)
Private coach from Viana do Castelo to Porto Airport. Distance: approx. 75km via A28; journey time: approx. 60 minutes. InBound Portugal representative accompanies group to departure check-in. Luggage offloaded and tagged. Group briefed on terminal layout. End of program.
Transfer

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