Food & Culture Tour of Porto, Portugal

April 28 to May 6, 2024

Join us to learn about Portuguese food and culture

April 28 to May 6, 2024

Come along to Porto to learn about Portuguese food and culture, a city that packs cuisine, culture and history into one engaging experience. The focus of this trip is food, but we’ll see and learn so much more about Portugal.

The cuisine ranges from hearty soups to fish, shellfish and meats. The Portuguese were explorers who were first in sailing the oceans of the world. They brought home spices and influences that continue to be featured in Portuguese cuisine.

Given the name of the city, Porto is most often associated with Port wine. We will see that there is more to the city than this as we travel up the Douro River for time on the river and a visit to some vineyards. There is a full range of red wines that may not be as well known, but are equally worthy of attention. And throughout the north of Portugal, you’ll find Vinho Verde, a young white wine that’s quite agreeable with fish and more.

When we’re not eating or cooking, there will be much time to learn about the country, its culture, and its people. We will start with a walking tour of the city, explore the city’s varied neighborhoods on foot, and make our way out to the beaches just at the mouth of the Douro River. We’ll admire churches and houses faced with lovely tiles. We’ll visit the cathedral and other historic buildings. We will walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge, high above the river.

We’ll take a relaxed pace throughout this trip, leaving you some time to yourself to explore and shop for souvenirs.

Inquire About This Trip

What we will do

Here is a selection of possible activities we’ll undertake on this trip:

Walking tour of historic Porto
Boat trip up Douro River to explore Port production and visit vineyards
Visit to Porto public market
Visit to Port Museum and Port tasting
Portuguese cooking class
Dining at top Porto restaurants
Excursion by train to Viana do Castello near Spanish border
Ride on an historic tram to the beach
Visit to the Majestic Café
Tapas tour of the city

Dates: April 28 to May 6, 2024
Cost: $3950
Maximum group size: 12

More:

What makes Porto special

Portugal has attracted a growing number of visitors in recent years, with Porto one of the country’s most popular attractions. The city is located on the banks of the Douro River which flows from Spain, across Portugal and into the Ocean. The center of the city is just a few miles from the beaches of the Atlantic.

Porto is smaller and more manageable than Lisbon, making it easier to explore and enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Porto is perhaps best known for its Port, with vineyards that lie up river providing the grapes, with the Port traditionally aged in the tile-roofed warehouses that line the far side of the river from Porto.

Porto’s food scene is quickly growing as popular as its fortified wine. Here is where traditional Portuguese dishes meet the bounty of the ocean, providing visitors with a wide selection of dishes.

And when we’re not focused on food and drink, there are many other things to see and do. We’ll walk on the historic metal bridge high above the Douro River, visit the cathedral, have a drink at a café beside the river, view the blue and white tiles that line the entry hall of the train station, and eat as many Pastéis de Nata as we physically can.

An introduction to Portuguese cuisine

Portugal is often overshadowed by Spain, its larger neighbor to the north and east, but don’t assume that Portuguese food is the same as found in Spain. It is unique and benefits from spices, ingredients, and techniques collected from all over the world.

It’s absolutely impossible to explain Portuguese cuisine here fully, but let us give you an introduction:

Petiscos:

These are kind of like tapas, but different. It’s the same idea, to have small dishes, but the nature of the dishes is not the same as tapas. Expect such things as octopus salad, cheese & sausage boards, clams, Codfish cakes and more.

Soups:

Often with a base of potato, carrots and other vegetables. Expect some kale and perhaps a few slices of sausage on top.

Bacalhau:

Salted cod may be the most common ingredient in Portugues cooking. It can be baked as a filet or in casseroles. It can be grilled, found swimming in rice, or shredded with scrambled eggs, onions, and fried potatoes.

Pastéis de Nata:

Portuguese pastries and desserts are wonderful. Perhaps the best known are Pastéis de Nata, which are small custard-filled cups. These are worth every calorie, but don’t limit yourself to just this treat. There are so many more to sample.

Where we will stay

While in Porto, we will stay at the Menina Colina Guesthouse just beside the historic center of the city. This hotel, formerly a Porto residence, provides a unique combination of history and comfort and is run by some of the most friendly and helpful people we have ever met.

Each room in the hotel is completely unique and each has been painstakingly restored, with a large, modern bathroom added to each room.

There is also a garden for our use, with many of the rooms sporting a balcony looking over the garden.

A highlight of our stay will be the freshly prepared breakfasts each day.

Trip Details

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April 28 to May 6, 2024 (7 nights - 8 Days)
Total cost of the tour: $3950

Supplement for single occupancy: $450

Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $350

(Places in the tour are limited to 11 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!
Payment schedule
$350 deposit. The deposit is refundable through January 31, 2024.
$1800 initial payment (Due January 31, 2024)
$1800 final payment (Due March 15, 2024)
All payments are refundable if we need to cancel the trip due to government restrictions or unsafe travel conditions.
** Earn a $300 discount when you bring or refer a friend.
Pickup and drop- off at designated airport
Guided exploration of Porto and its cuisine.
7 nights lodging
7 dinners and breakfasts, with appropriate amounts of beer or local wine
Train excursion to Viana do Castelo
Local transportation by van and driver

What’s not included:
Airfare & Travel Insurance
Lunches
Admission to some museums and local sites and other misc. costs.
Lodging will be at the Menina Colina Guesthouse in Porto. Each painstakingly restored room, either single or double, has its own private bathroom.
Traditional Portuguese breakfasts will be taken at your hotel each morning.
Lunch will be taken on your own.
Dinner will be at fine restaurants throughout Porto.
At the start or end of the trip, participants may opt to visit Lisbon, or even stop in the Azores on your way across the Atlantic. From Lisbon you can take a train north to Porto.
We are happy to offer advice on how best to extend your trip, if you like.
Your deposit is non-refundable after January 15th, 2024, unless of course the trip is canceled for any reason by Travel Fever Tours. Natural disasters, political instability or low enrollment would form the basis for canceling a trip. After that date, payments are nonrefundable.
You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements. In all cases, review of enrollment numbers will not take place any later than the date of the First Installment payment.