Getting Off the Tracks in Régua
Another Trip Report from Wine Country
Happy weekend, Team Adulting!
I’m back with another dispatch from the field, once again from wine country. This time we brought some friends from the States. So instead of my usual expat life/adulting missives, it’s all about the destination.
Enjoy!
Porto to Régua
Peso da Régua is the biggest town in this part of the Douro River and sits about 2 hours up the train line from Porto. This is the same train that goes further out to Pinhão, where we filed our last field report. The vintage trains are a mighty charming way to travel, and 19€/person round trip is a good value.
Régua is far less charming than the other little hamlets sprinkled around Douro, but what you lose in charm you gain in amenities and convenience, such as numerous hotels, plenty of restaurant options, and lots more to see/do. It’s a great home base for excursions in any direction.
Our hotel of choice is this dated, “four-star” monstrosity that sits on the waterfront near the train station. Rooms hover around 85-100€ in shoulder season and offer balconies with stunning river views. Full breakfast is included in the price. The decor is a time capsule from the 1980s, and the location is central to everything in town.
What to do in Régua?
Drink wine and eat food, of course!
A section of the old train station has been converted into bottle shops, tasting rooms, and fancy restaurants. It’s bougie but the prices are reasonable compared to what you’d get for the same quality in US wine regions.
Our favorite spot is the Gato Preto Garrafeira (bottle shop), which offers inexpensive tastings of interesting wines in a casual setting, and they serve robust food as well.
Castas e Pratos serves upscale fare (bordering on gastronomy) alongside a 100-page wine list. We enjoyed dinner for 4 with a couple of bottles of wine and desserts for around 200€ all in. Not bad for the fancy-pants setting and fare.
We also caught a taxi over to Six Senses one night for dinner and cocktails. Reservations are tough to get, but if you’re persistent (and Hilary is persistent), they can be had. It’s a 10€ taxi over, and with a reservation, you’re welcome to wander the extensive grounds, hang out in the bar, and enjoy the sheer luxury of the joint, so get there early. Return taxis end up costing 20€ because, well, you’re a captive (and rich) audience.
Aside from drinking, Régua boasts active tourism options and it sits on a branch of the Caminho de Santiago, so you can strike out in either direction and follow the yellow and blue shell markings up through the vineyards and small towns.
Twice now, we have hiked up into the hills on this trail, looping back down to town through villages and farms. Beyond charming.
Getting off the Tracks
This being our third time in wine country, and the first time hosting guests (one of whom was celebrating her birthday), we decided to up our game and engage in some structured tourism.
Hilary, our resident AirBnB Experiences whisperer, found us a very highly rated Douro tour that included quintas, vineyards, boats, viewpoints, lunch, and plenty of port wine. As per usual, this experience was beyond incredible.
Our first stop was Quinta da Roêda in Pinhão, part of the Croft Port family. We joined a group for a tour explaining the aging process and went into the vineyard to learn about the vines. This was followed by a port and olive oil tasting on their stunning patio covered in wisteria. The bluebird, 24º (75ºF) weather and expansive winery views didn’t hurt.
Next, we hopped on a boat for a relaxing, one-hour cruise upstream past numerous quintas and vineyards. We had the whole boat to ourselves (whereas other tours can pile you on big group boats).
Afterward, our guide Antonio took us to his favorite miradouro for captivating views and a taste of his family’s white tawny port, a very unique offering.
For lunch, we left the river and headed inland to Casa dos Barros in Sabrosa, a boutique port and wine house located inside a 1700s mansion built by a family connected to the king. The drive takes you up through vineyards with absurd views the whole way. The setting is downright gorgeous, and we basked in a long, slow meal overlooking the vines.
The quirky manager Augusto took us through a private port tasting including 10, 20, and 30-year-old offerings, and showed off his bottle of 160-year-old Port. We drank all of it in their cellar in front of a barrel still going from 1853. It was a special and unique experience for sure.
If you want to follow in our footsteps, you can find our guide here (tell him Don and Hilary sent you).
Takeaways
This is the first time we have left the tracks and gone away from the river in the Douro region, and it definitely won’t be our last. There’s a lot to see and do along the train line, for sure, but the charm level goes up drastically when you get into the hills.
There are lots of opportunities to end up on big group tours out here. Our guide offered us a personalized, carefully crafted experience and his connections made our tastings and visits far more unique and special. Read descriptions well and choose your guide carefully or you could end up stacked in a van with a whole bunch of other people.
This week’s music selection isn’t new to me, but it may be new to you. Kunzite throws down psychedelic rock mixed with an electronic sound, and it never fails to make me want to rock out. Enjoy!
Did you do anything fun this week? DO SHARE!
Until next time…
Sure, group tours can be a real challenge. I do like the Free walking tours in major cities though. The people are usually young and enthusiastic and interested in answering questions. Of course we tip well.
We do love having personal guides but the prices in the West are a bit too steep for us. Now anywhere else in the world we take a full advantage and it makes it really special because we often get to also meet the guide’s family or community.