Top Things to do in Northern Portugal
Countries
The 10 Best Food & Drink in Northern Portugal, Portugal
Brimming with both history and natural wonder, Northern Portugal is home to Porto, the city that gave the country its name, as well as the important ancient town of Braga. Also here is Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only national park, a gorgeous wilderness area of mountains, gorges, water features and wildlife. Many picturesque villages and manor houses dot the countryside. Two areas are UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alto Douro Wine Region, and the Paleolithic rock art in the Côa Valley.
Restaurants in Northern Portugal
1. Feira de Espinho
2. Quinta de Santa Cristina
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 92 reviews
Quinta de Santa Cristina is a Vinho Verde wine producer which, besides the wines and sparkling wines production, provides Wine Tourism experiences that join wine and nature! The bookings must be made in advance, and our visitors can opt by guided tours to the vineyards and the winery, wine tastings, picnics or 4x4 and rafting wine tours. We also have a wine shop where we sell our wines and some local products. Come and meet the stories and traditions of the Vinho Verde, a unique wine in the World!
3. Porto Augusto's
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,396 reviews
Reviewed By Alberto1102002 - Las Rozas, Spain
Fantastic, great experience and highly recommended. Our guide Sandra explained everything very warmly and solved our doubts. Best part is the final taste. The only thing is that Spaniards always like to eat something while drinking
4. Pocas Vinhos
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 184 reviews
Pocas lies in the hands of the 3rd and 4th generation, being one of the very few Port Wine company that was born Portuguese and still belongs to the same Portuguese family. The Old Tawny Ports have built Pocas’ reputation but DOC Douro wines have been proving their own quality over the last 30 years. Recently, Pocas received the award of “Fortified wine producer of the year 2018” by the Portuguese magazine “Revista de Vinhos”. Additionally, welcoming about 28 000 visitors per year, our Visitor Center has been also distinguished with the Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence. We have plenty of different reasons for inviting you to be part of a true family atmosphere, to feel the unforgettable aroma of the noblest wines, and to see up close a real day-to-day cellar routine.
Reviewed By johnmodesto - Modesto, United States
Pocas is far from the maddening crowd, located in a non touristy part of the city, you can take a bus there or walk up from the river. The cellars and tasting room are lovely, the guide friendly, with excellent English and willing to answer questions, she provided a detailed explanation of the different Port styles, this house also produces dry wines which you can try. The basic tour and tasting is 8 euros, for my wife and I we upgraded to a 12 and 15 euro tasting, 3 pours each, which meant we could try six different wines by sharing. The highlight was a 20 year old Tawny, but all the wines were tasty. A world class wine tasting visit and experience.
5. Quinta Seara d'Ordens
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 39 reviews
Quinta Seara d'Ordens is a family estate of 3 brothers: António, José and Fernando Moreira. We produce wines since 1992 but the vineyard already exist in the same family since 1792.
Reviewed By kiki1301 - Montreal, Canada
This Quinta is amazing! We heard of it through the hostess of our AirBNB. It is a bit off the National 222 so less visited, but it's really worth the trip. We were kindly greeted by one of the young members of the family who run this winery. She took the time to explain the process of vinification of the Douro wines and port wines. The views from up there are absolutely breathtaking, some of the best we have seen in the Douro Valley. Our guide walked us around and showed us some of their olive trees, which produce a divine olive oil (really worth it!) And what about the tasting! We liked every single product that she made us try. Because of the custom regulations, we had to make some choices. Or else we would have bought much more bottles! There are numerous Quintas in the Douro Valley, many of them are more commercial and do mass production. This Quinta really stands out, we see that this family cares about what they do. We strongly recommend you to encourage this smaller producer who offers quality wines.
6. Soalheiro
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 116 reviews
Soalheiro is the first Alvarinho brand in Melgaço (the northern point of Portugal) and one of the first portuguese producers of Alvarinho. Here, the Alvarinho is special, the region is protected by a range of mountains that create the perfect conditions of rainfall, temperature and number of hours of sunshine needed to the better ripeness of the Alvarinho grapes. We hope that you also love the vibrant and elegant style of our passionate wines.
Reviewed By anner640 - Brussels, Belgium
The wine is real good, the guide was super knowledgable and friendly, the view is amazing. In brief : a must-do experience in the region!!!
7. Quinta do Beijo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 136 reviews
With more than a century of history and tradition and 12 acres of vineyard and olive trees, Quinta do Beijo (directly translated to "The Kiss Winery") was born from the ancient “Calvário warehouses”, owned by the family for more than 100 years. Now renewed, refreshed and with new energy, it has to offer great quality wines, a promising olive oil, all together with a new touristic offer based on our traditional winery. Quinta do Beijo it's a big family where the mother, the father, the grandsons, husbands and wifes all contribute to maintain the status of a family owned business in the extraordinary Douro region, considered World Heritage. Located in Celeirós do Douro, a typical wine producing village, and located 25 km from Vila Real in Sabrosa municipality, Quinta do Beijo contributes to the extraordinary landscapes of the Douro Region, a region known by its breath taking vineyards and terraces It is right in the heart of Douro that we invite you to visit us!
Reviewed By Traveler4mSeattle - Seattle, United States
This will be your favorite stop in Douro. Amazing wine tasting at a family owned boutique winery with knowledgeable staff (thank you Eric!), breathtaking views, delicious and reasonably priced wines done in traditional method. The winery offers a range port and standard wines, giving you the chance to taste a range of possibilities from Duoro. The drive to the top of the hill where Quinta do Beijo is located, is very picturesque and exactly the type of imagery that will stay with you long after your trip to Duoro finishes. Eric, our host, has worked in wine in New Zealand, and grew up in the wine business in California and has been working with Portuguese wines for some time. He is very knowledgeable and can go as technical as you would like or keep it light and fun. We really enjoyed hearing about his perspective on the Portuguese wine industry. He was an excellent host. We also enjoyed the wine. The whites were aromatic, acidic, very approachable. The ports were a highlight as well, especially the aged ones. Seeing how the winery still practices traditional methods of crushing grapes with your feet during harvest, was very special. As a former wine importer, I look for quality in the wine, stories, passion, uniqueness, pride in the product and traditions, a sense of place and purpose and I found this at Quinta do Beijo. This would be a memorable tour, especially if you have Eric as your guide.
8. Casa Ramos Pinto
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 919 reviews
Reviewed By nwspm - Altrincham, United Kingdom
We enjoyed the variety of experiences in the different Port houses along the river front in Vila Nova de Gaia. The Ramos Pinto tour was distinctive for the walk through the beautiful old offices of the company. Our guide told us interesting anecdotes about the history of the furnishings and the artwork. The tasting room was comfortable and airy ; we enjoy the wines and bought a bottle of white port and a metal sign of one of the iconic adverts.
9. Taylor's Port
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,767 reviews
Taylor’s, accepted by most wine authorities to be the greatest of all port shippers, invites you to a pleasant and informative tour of its famous lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia. During the tour the visitor will be given the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of Port wine, as well as that of the House of Taylor Fladgate making it one of the oldest Port companies.
Reviewed By 45philips - Crewe, United Kingdom
Super interesting self guided audio tour, done at your own pace. Well laid out with plenty of photos, maps and diagrams to explain the history and process without getting too technical or boring. No need to book just turn up, we arrived around 11 on a Sunday morning and it wasn’t busy. Fantastic value at €15 a per person for the tour and 2 generous samples one red one white Tasting is in a beautiful garden area where you can also purchase a selection of snacks to compliment the ports you are tasting. Helpful and friendly staff throughout our visit. You can’t visit Porto and not come here.
10. Quinta da Aveleda
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 329 reviews
Reviewed By Martinha_Mar - Guimaraes, Portugal
The visits to the historical gardens. The old cellar. The main house. The manueline window, the tea house on the lake and the Nossa Senhora da Vandoma Fountain. The picnic. Everything is gorgeous.????????
