Portugal: Route through the Minho Region and Douro Valley, tailor-made by car

The "Minho and Douro Valley" tour is the ideal itinerary for lovers of fine wine, as you'll have the chance to taste Portugal's very best port wine. This tour will take you across the north of the country to discover the stunning Minho and Douro Valleys. Verdant vineyard-covered slopes rise up above these rivers. All of this with Porto as a base, a city full of life and brimming with amazing treasures, with modernist buildings standing alongside monuments from bygone times. Just outside Porto is Vila Nova de Gaia, on the banks of the River Douro and home to the wineries with Porto Designation of Origin. There are many wineries in the region; some more picturesque, some more traditional... What you'll see here is that the wine is different. And that's because they add a very special ingredient: wine brandy. You can also photograph the spectacular vineyards of the Douro, declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, as well as some of its most characteristic villages such as Amarante, whose bridge was used to defend citizens from the French invasion in the early nineteenth century. From the Mesao Frio viewpoint, you'll snatch the best views of the river as it meanders through spectacular vineyards. And in Lamego you'll find the most important Baroque shrine in Portugal: the Santuario de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. A journey with views before reaching Pinhao, the wine capital of Porto. Take a walk through the terraces, enter the estates and savour the wonderful wines. You'll also have the chance to visit the rural area of Minho and explore towns such as Guimaraes, the birthplace of Portugal and a place with an incomparable historical heritage. You'll also pass through Braga, dubbed the "Portuguese Rome" due to its Roman past. And finally, the birthplace of Portugal's colourful rooster, aka the medieval city of Barcelos, where you can't leave without taking home a souvenir of this much-revered bird. Activity-filled days to enjoy nature, but also to taste wines and savour Portuguese cuisine.