Douro Valley small group tour, Mateus Palace, Lunch and Wine tastings

What you pay for

Central Porto pickup with coffee and pastries in Amarante, plus quinta lunch with wines; tips are not included.

North On Wheels takes you from Porto through Amarante to Mateus Palace and its gardens, with a quinta lunch in Favaios. The tour lasts ten hours and costs from €180 per adult. Departure is at 8:00 from Monday to Friday, with pickup at accommodation in central Porto. You share the van with up to five guests. The palace visit adds time away from the quintas before the route continues to Pinhão.

The catch: The 8:00 departures run Monday to Friday only, leaving weekend visitors without an option.

Duration

10 hours

Price unit

Per adult

Departure

8:00 Monday to Friday

Pickup

Accommodation in central Porto

Stops

Amarante and Mateus Palace, then Favaios and Pinhão

Lunch

Favaios quinta lunch with wines and a cellar visit

Group

Up to five guests

Main trade-off

Weekday departures only

In the price

Hot & Cold Drinks; Hotel pickup and drop-off; Coffee and Pastries in Amarante; Regional Lunch in Douro Valley with white and red wines, Favaios muscat and Port Wine.; Luxury Air-Conditioned Van; Photo & Video

Not in the price

Gratuities

Guide languages

English

Cancellation

free cancellation until 24 hours before

Itinerary

The van goes through Amarante to Mateus Palace before a quinta lunch in Favaios, then descends to Pinhão for the river.

1. 1
   Amarante 2 h

   Visit Amarante's old bridge and São Gonçalo Church, with time for pastries at a local cake shop before the drive to Vila Real.

2. 2
   Vila Real 2 h

   A guide takes you through Mateus Palace before you walk through the gardens on the estate.

3. 3
   Favaios 2 h

   Lunch at the Favaios quinta comes with Douro wines and muscat. The cellar visit follows the meal.

4. 4
   Pinhão 2 h

   Visit Pinhão station before a rabelo trip upstream towards Romaneira. The return road follows the N222 towards Régua.

The route allows two hours for each main stop, including the palace and Favaios lunch. Pinhão includes an hour on the boat. The day lasts ten hours and finishes with return transport to your Porto hotel.

What is included

Options and departures

The single option combines the Mateus Palace visit with quinta lunch and central Porto pickup. It leaves at 8:00 from Monday to Friday.

Means: Choose an 8:00 weekday departure if Mateus Palace matters; this route has no weekend option.

Meeting point and pickup

Central Porto pickup

Collection covers hotels and guesthouses in central Porto, with apartments also covered.

Pickup timing

The collection window starts 15 minutes before departure. Have your group ready at the arranged pickup point.

Your vehicle

Look for a black Mercedes van when your guide arrives at your accommodation.

Pick-up at Hotels/Guesthouses/Apartments in Porto City Center

Who it is for

Book this if Mateus Palace is part of your plan and you can travel on a weekday. The van takes up to five guests. You need ten hours for the day, and the route has no Saturday or Sunday departure.

For a small group at weekends, Douro First costs from €175 per adult; Sunday uses a different lunch venue. If you want a guided Amarante walk, Deltatur's food tour costs from €89 per adult; food comes as tapas and tastings.

Means: Choose a weekday at 8:00 when you can give Mateus Palace and the Favaios lunch a full ten hours.

Not for

• Visitors travelling only at weekends
• Families with children under eight
• Parties needing more than five seats together

In harvest: reserve the weekday tour ahead for September and October. The Favaios lunch and cellar visit do not include grape picking.

Know before you go

Cancellation and booking

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Confirmation: within 48 hours of booking. Ticket: show it on your phone. Up to 5 travellers per booking.

Reviews

The bars split the 63 reviews counted on the booking page when it was last read; the total above is live and adds Tripadvisor.

Counted on two sites: 51 on Tripadvisor at 5.0 and 12 on the booking page at 5.0, updated 22 October 2026. We show the numbers, not the texts.

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