Duoro Valley Accommodation

[ausmarko]

Well, just 4 days to go until I land in Lisbon for a week's sightseeing then up to Porto to start the Portuguese.
First day up the coast then to the inland route joining up at Rates. I will be getting the train/bus from Lisbon to Coimbra for a day visit then on to Porto.
Can anyone recommend accommodation in the Duoro Valley as I would like to do a side trip there as well before starting the walk to Santiago.
Should be a good time to visit the region as I know this time of year last year on the Frances (one year ago already is unbelievable!)
travelling through the Rioja region was spectacular at harvest time.

 

[mspath]

ausmarko,

The Douro valley in a very beautiful area of Portugal which I have driven through in winter. The great vineyards terraced along the gentle river should be lovely in the amber sunlight of autumn. To help in your planning here are two useful on-line source >>
http://www.dourovalley.eu/en/
and
http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/portugal/porto-rio-douro/douro/

For accommodation after you choose your destination try >> http://www.roughguides.com/hostels/?country=portugal

Bom Caminho!,

Margaret Meredith

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, ausmarko,
Margaret is right about the beauty of the Douro Valley. I have been there in winter, near harvest time, and also in the early summer, and it is always breathtaking. I am assuming you will not have a car here, so you will be limited somewhat by the availability of public transportation. There is good train service up and down the river, so I would suggest you take a train either to Peso da Regua (called simply Regua in the area) or Pinhao. Both are on the river. Regua is a much bigger place, has a lot of commerce and isn't really terribly attractive but is well located and has good restaurants. Pinhao is a much smaller, sleepier little town and has some budget accommodations.

Without a car, you are really not going to be able to go up and weave around the vineyards overlooking the river or back away from the river. If I'm wrong about the car, let me know and I can suggest some nice driving routes to visit vineyards, many of them nestled away near beautiful little villages.

If you don't have a car, I think train is your best bet. I would HIGHLY recommend a train trip from either Regua or Pinhao eastward to the end of the line, a sleepy little town called Pocinho. It's about a 45 minute train ride from Pinhao (rough estimate based on fading memory). It's a little chug chug train, very local and weaves along the river in a stretch where there are no roads, just incredible views. There's about a half hour stop at the end of the line while the crew has a coffee in the bar, then the return trip takes about the same amount of time. The Pinhao to Pocinho section is the most beautiful by far. I will post some pictures when I'm at a computer that allows me to do that.

If you do have a car, I'd suggest spending the night in Mesao Frio. There's a moderately priced B&B I like a lot, Casa das Canilhas where you will have a balcony or patio just looking down over the river below. It's beautiful.

So this is good for a start, but let me know about transportation, how many days, and budget, and I can probably ramble on a bit more. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Canuck]

If I may add to Laurie's suggestion, take the train up from Porto and come back down by boat to Vila Nova de Gaia. Finish your day in Gaia with a port wine sampling tour. Tickets available at the port or by the Internet.
Enjoy it as much as I did,
Jean-Marc

 

[ausmarko]

Thanks for the great suggestions. No car as this is mainly a Camino experience but with so many great things to do and see I find that this Camino will only be a third of the total time in Portugal/Spain.
I am hoping to get the Ingles in as well after the Portuguese but can't miss the Duoro while I am in the area. The train to the end of the line and the boat trip back sound like a must do.
Laurie, A Camino budget and only a couple of days unfortunately

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, I do think you would like Pinhao better than staying in Regua.

There are not a whole lot of places to stay, but I found a few:

PInhao -- One star hotel, 37 euros for a single: http://www.hotel-douro.pt/index_en.php
Regua: Two star hotel, about 40, I think: http://www.imperiohotel.com/

There may very well be places with cheap rooms above a bar, in a home, etc, but I don't have any knowledge of those places. Good luck with this, Laurie

 

[jirit]

When my wife and I did the Camino back in 2007, we went to Portugal afterwards, and spent some time exploring the Duoro Valley. We stayed at this place for a few nights using it as a base to explore the river north and south of there:

Quinta De La Rosa-Turismo
Pinhao, Douro Valley
351 254 732 254 http://www.quintadelarosa.com/

Pinhao is about 1/2 way up the Duoro Valley, basically in the middle of the wine region and easy to access by either car or train (we took the train from Porto).

Easy 10-15 minute walking distance from the centre of the town, perched south of the town high above the river. Highly recommended

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Give your feet a rest!!

http://uniworld.com/boutique-river-...n-and-the-douro-river-valley/2013/highlights/

 

[DurhamParish]

Last year, after I completed the Camino from Porto, my wife joined me in Santiago and we visited Portugal, including a couple of days in the Duoro Valley. One of the most memorable experiences of my life. It is beautiful, and September is harvest time.

 

[peregrina2000]

Ahh, jirit,
I think the Quinta de la Rosa is a lovely spot. It's a nice walk from the town of Pinhao as well. You said you used this as a base to travel around the Douro, and I'm wondering how you did that without a car. Are there buses, say to Alijo, or to some of the vineyards up and away from the river?

 

[jirit]

Ahh, jirit,
I think the Quinta de la Rosa is a lovely spot. It's a nice walk from the town of Pinhao as well. You said you used this as a base to travel around the Douro, and I'm wondering how you did that without a car. Are there buses, say to Alijo, or to some of the vineyards up and away from the river?

A combination of walking and taking the train. We did exactly the same trip you did going up the river valley to the end of the line. Plus we did a few day walks in and around the town itself. In between consumed reasonable volumes of wine enjoying the afternoon sun from the deck.

 

[Cliff175]

Good Evening, Are you familiar with a Camino Route which begins in Viseu? believe it's in the Duoro Valley area.

I would appreciate any information.
Thank You
Cliff

 

[jirit]

There is an alternate route off the Via de la Plata that slides through parts of Portugal, probably through the far eastern sections of the valley

 

[mspath]

Cliff,

For a route that connects Viseu to Chaves on the border see this Turgalicia web notice from 2012 . Scan within this Forum topic also for further discussion on the Viseu route. Unfortunately there have been major forest fires in the area of Viseu recently during late summer.

Bom Caminho,

Margaret Meredith

 

[amsimoes]

Cliff,

For a route that connects Viseu to Chaves on the border see this Turgalicia web notice from 2012 . Scan within this Forum topic also for further discussion on the Viseu route. Unfortunately there have been major forest fires in the area of Viseu recently during late summer.

Bom Caminho,

Margaret Meredith

 

[amsimoes]

Please see www.cpisantiago.pt

 

[Pattii]

How long does the Portuguese route take to walk on average?

 

[mspath]

amsimoes,

Thank you for your reference to the Viseu/Santiago path. I hope to follow it sometime in the near future.

MM

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Camino Frances is named that because it starts approximately at the border of France. The Camino Portugues begins at approximately the border of Portugal in Tue, and takes about six days. More generically named the Camino Portugues, the longer route is from Lisbon, is about 625 kilometers, and takes about 30 days.

 

[amsimoes]

Me and my wife we took 16 days from Viseu to Santiago (387 km). I remind you that the first 60 km are very beautiful but also very difficult.
Aurélio