Douro valley winery tour (porto)

[Devo12]

Has anyone done the Douro valley winery tour through celebrity, at porto? Worth it? Good day? See a fair bit?

 

thanks. Devo

[catspaw1]

We did a land tour of Portugal & I would recommend just staying in Porto. It's a beautiful city but very hilly. Uber worked great in 2019. Follow Rick Steve's walking tour at the top of the city.  Book a winery tour in advance. Go to Grahams  winery for a great view & outstanding 20 year old port. Take Uber as it's up a steep hill. Great tour but booked when our hotel tried to get us in 

[lydnsyd]

On a previous cruise we did a Celebrity excursion to a port house & also a river trip but personally I didn't think it was value for money.

On a recent cruise we got a taxi from Leixoes to Cockburns Port House in Porto.  It is a working port house so proved to be very interesting. You will have to prebook a time in advance. Well worth a visit and a fraction of the cost of a Celebrity tour.

Edited August 20 by lydnsyd

[Lolou127]

1 hour ago, lydnsyd said:

On a previous cruise we did a Celebrity excursion to a port house & also a river trip but personally I didn't think it was value for money.

On a recent cruise we got a taxi from Leixoes to Cockburns Port House in Porto.  It is a working port house so proved to be very interesting. You will have to prebook a time in advance. Well worth a visit and a fraction of the cost of a Celebrity tour.

That sounds really interesting, who did you book through? we have Porto on our next Apex cruise 

[zitsky]

We do many Celebrity tours and are planning a trip to the Douro valley with friends who have been there.  What we learned visiting the wine area around Lisbon is that private wine tours are almost always better.  I know because I booked one through TripAdvisor which turned into a disaster.

[lexmiller]

We were just on Apex, B3B.  On 31 July, we were in Porto from 8am - 5pm.  We booked the Celebrity excursion "Duoro Valley Winery Tour", 8 hours.  Our cost, as we booked long ago and cancelled and rebooked as prices changed through sales, was $87 per person.  An amazing deal for the adventures of the day!  We had a splendid time, a true example of what a Celebrity shore excursion should be.  We had a 90 minute stop in Amarante which was fabulous - our excellent guide gave us a brief walking tour through the expansive outdoor market then set us loose, tons of fun.  Really enjoyed this town.  Quinta da Avessada in the village of Favaios was the main destination, a beautiful winery where we learned lots while touring various rooms, had free time outside to wander the grounds and admire the vineyards then a multi-course lunch that was not only incredibly delicious showcasing the local foods, but also enjoyable as that it was part entertainment - some musicians, and every course was accompanied by a local fable/story.  We tasted several wines and at lunch, various bottles were placed on the tables.  Love the vinho verde.  Learned lots about the Adega Cooperativa de Favaios-we did not know anything at all about the cooperatives, how this, in this region, is how wine is grown, produced, processed then sold - as part of the Cooperative!  Moscatel de Honra was one of the featured wines.  Honestly, one of the best Celebrity excursions we've ever done, and this was our 41st Celebrity cruise.  We have spent many days in Tuscany, doing an intensive wine land tour, visiting Motalcino, Montepulciano and Chianti - 3 days, 3 wineries each day.  This day excursion in the Duoro, was of course, not that - and we knew that.  But it was good fun, learned lots, a great mix of free time and enjoyable touring time, outstanding lunch, excellent wines. 

 

[Devo12]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

We do many Celebrity tours and are planning a trip to the Douro valley with friends who have been there.  What we learned visiting the wine area around Lisbon is that private wine tours are almost always better.  I know because I booked one through TripAdvisor which turned into a disaster.

Thanks for this. I generally book non ship excursions. But we are in port for 10 hours and most of these tours are 8-9 hours so I would feel way more comfortable booking it with celebrity so we get back on the boat!

[Devo12]

Lexmiller. Thank you very much for this info. This is exactly what I was looking for. I think we will book it. Also like hearing that your excursions went on sale! Nothing for us yet, cruise in April 25. Maybe Black Friday!! But cancel and rebook as you say. Thanks again. 

[Liao]

14 hours ago, Devo12 said:

Has anyone done the Douro valley winery tour through celebrity, at porto? Worth it? Good day? See a fair bit?

 

thanks. Devo

If you look into private tours, checkout Viator and Trip Advisor.  I’ve used both in Bordeaux and Tuscany and they work with very knowledgeable experts and the wineries we went to were all great.  Especially the large estates in France.

[wanderlust58]

When will you be in Porto?  What you will see in the Douro depends on the time of year that you are there.  Having lived in Porto, I’d say stay there and visit a port wine lodge.  If you are really interested in all wines, not just port, the Douro day trip would probably suit better.  Otherwise, enjoy the Ribeira, the tiled churches, the stock exchange, the market, and other sights. 

[Sussex Cruiser]

If you are expecting an in depth tour of the winery then you will be very disappointed.  We were shown a museum type room which showed the old methods, and a very small amount of info after that - 15 mins max.  The stop at the winery was just about the lunch (and people stashing the leftover wine from all the tables in their bags).

It is a long way for lunch, but very beautiful countryside.

 

I wouldn't do it again... I'd rather stay in Porto and do the port houses myself. (Taxi to the top of the hill and walk down to the riverside)

[Cruise Junky]

2 hours ago, wanderlust58 said:

When will you be in Porto?  What you will see in the Douro depends on the time of year that you are there.  Having lived in Porto, I’d say stay there and visit a port wine lodge.  If you are really interested in all wines, not just port, the Douro day trip would probably suit better.  Otherwise, enjoy the Ribeira, the tiled churches, the stock exchange, the market, and other sights. 

We’re going in November and that’s my Plan. We’ll head straight to Taylor.  

[wanderlust58]

Excellent choice.  The Douro region in November is pretty wet, cold and dead/brown. Enjoy Porto!

[Devo12]

We are going in April of 25. 
 

lexmiller- did you happen to stop in either of vigo or la coruna? If you did, wondering if you have any recommendations for excursions?? Those are the last 2 on our cruise that we need an excursion/trip. 
 

thanks. Devo

[lydnsyd]

9 hours ago, Lolou127 said:

That sounds really interesting, who did you book through? we have Porto on our next Apex cruise 

You just go onto the Cockburn website & book a tour time You don't have to pay in advance

[wanderlust58]

If Cockburn's is booked, try Sandeman and Taylor -- they both give good tours. Taylor's also has a little museum attached to it.  Only a 30 minute walkthrough, but it offers an interesting history of the business side of the house.