Where to Stay in the Douro Valley for Wine Tasting

Will You Drive or Take a Tour?

The first consideration you have to keep in mind when planning where to stay in the Douro Valley for wine tasting is whether you will be driving, taking a tour, or hiring a driver.

We have discussed the merits of driving vs taking a tour in the Douro Valley in detail in other posts, but it is worth reiterating that driving in the Douro Valley is not for the faint of heart. The roads are narrow, the patamares are steep, and fortified wine packs a punch. We drive when visiting, albeit white knuckling at times, but others may want to skip this and book a tour for peace of mind.

Naturally, this can be limiting on where you stay, as some tours have central pick-ups (such as in Pinhao), whereas others may have hotel pickup opportunities in a limited radius. (Although, if we're honest, there are even more tours available that depart from Porto as a day trip!)

Those with a car have a much wider area of the Douro Valley to consider staying in. But if you decide not to drive, you may want to figure out what tours you want to take first, ensuring that you can actually get a pickup in Pinhao or at your hotel, and work backward to ensure your hotel can accommodate the pickup requirements or, worst case, get a driver to take you to the meeting point.

Hotels on Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Roads

Likewise, driving in the Douro Valley is a mix of primary, secondary, and tertiary roads. These correspond to the main roads running along the river (such as the N222 and perhaps the N323), the side roads branching off of that which hit many wineries, and then one more tier of side roads off of those that also hit additional wineries and hotels.

We like to think of these three road types in silos because they correspond to road qualities pretty well. Driving on the primary roads isn't too bad. The secondary roads that branch off from there get a bit harder. The tertiary roads that break off after that get a bit harder still. Does this cover 100% of road cases? Absolutely not, but it is a good rule of thumb to start.

We stayed in a hotel off a tertiary road, with a roughly 20-minute drive to get back to a main road, and that drive was one of the most stressful parts of our experience in the Douro Valley. Granted, we only had to do that once per day, but it was still nerve-wracking at the best of times. But as we were on a budget, we also did this because we found a hotel that was a great deal, with a killer view, and some wonderful food all the same.

As such, when looking at hotels, it would be worth keeping in mind driving logistics to get in and out each day, especially if you are a nervous driver. Want a bit of an easier time? Stay closer to a primary road near the river. Don't mind harrowing roads? You have more options open to you!

Be Mindful of the Bridges

Furthermore, it is also worth remembering that there are only two bridges that cross the Douro River in the most popular stretch of the wine region, one near the town of Bagauste and the other in Pinhao. These are about 20 minutes away from each other, making crossing the river somewhat inconvenient, depending on where you're staying.

If you are staying rather far away from either of these, and all the wineries you wish to book are on the other side of the river, you may be in for a longer drive to reach any destination. (Keep this in mind when planning tastings!)

We are always especially mindful of cases like this, as it presents a backtracking point because the other options to cross the river are much further away. We crossed both bridges when exploring the region, but we will admit that we visited more wineries closer to the Pinhao bridge and utilized that one the most.

Your mileage may vary here based on what wineries you wish to visit, as much like the geography at large, the options in the Douro Valley are expansive- the drive times add up.

Our Ideal Locations – Pinhao or a Nearby Quinta

In these articles, we usually like to hone in on one particular location for bookings that is our personal favorite, which takes all of the above ideas into consideration. In the Douro Valley, it is a bit harder than others, as there is no clear winner when it comes to deciding where to stay.

Instead, we need to break it down into two key cases.

For the nervous driver, or those taking tours, we would recommend staying as close as possible to Pinhao (or wherever your tour pickup location is). There are many hotels and restaurants right in town, the train station drops off nearby if taking the train in, and some wineries even have tasting rooms right there! This choice reduces some of the risks associated with driving too far away, and is pretty accessible as far as Douro Valley standards are concerned.

For those who are okay driving on the roads in the Douro Valley, this opens up more opportunities, and we'd recommend looking for a quinta at a wine estate within a short drive from Pinhao- particularly ones on orj just off secondary roads.

Ultimately, choosing where to stay in the Douro Valley is balancing the convenience of staying near Pinhao and being on main roads as much as possible, and navigating the smaller secondary and tertiary roads to get to possibly more interesting quintas that have better ambiance, views, etc.

Is either choice bad? Absolutely not, because no matter what you'll be in the Douro Valley and get to enjoy one of the most beautiful wine regions on Earth!

Have you stayed in the Douro Valley before? If so, where did you stay and what did you think of it? Comment below to share!

To book a hotel in the Douro Valley, click here. To book an apartment rental in the Douro Valley, click here.