Traveling to Foz-Tua

[Cees]

From September 26 - October 3 I will make my first trip to Portugal. From Porto I go by train to Foz-Tua where I booked a room. Always wanted to ride this famous Douro line. From there I take hikings to discover this area.
It must be great to be in this beautiful region at harvest time and maybe take part in some harvest activities.
Does anybody know any quinta in or near Foz-Tua worth visiting? Other suggestions about this area are welcome too.

[Eric Menchen]

Others know the geography better than I, but when I looked at the map I recognized one name - Quinta de Roriz calls São João da Pesqueira home, and that looks to be less than 10km away as the crow flies. There is no direct route, however, so it is more like 30km by car. Quinta de Ventozelo, which I know nothing about, is also there. And it looks like Quevedo is there too, so I suspect Oscar will join in on this thread.

By the way, you should introduce yourself if you haven't already done so. I used to live just south of Utrect in Houten, so I'm at least a bit curious about you.

[Frederick Blais]

The only issue with Eric's suggestions is that the vineyards are on the other side of the river from the train station.

My suggestion would be to go hike either at Vesuvio or Vargellas that have their own train station with easy access. You could probably just send them an email to say you'll pass by to hike and enjoy some good time. Then come back with the train to Tua.

Hiking in the Douro is certainly challenging in certain areas with the powdery shist and argile and steepy slopes, I've encountered a couple of tourist with bad injuries. Enjoy your time and share some photos!

[Roy Hersh]

Cees,

Have a very nice time!

[Andy Velebil]

Cees,

I've sent you an email...

the main issue is being that far east up river. Most of the Quinta's aren't really set up for visitors unless you contact them in advance for a private tour. That can get very difficult as they are very busy during the harvest time. I'd suggest emailing some or checking out placed closer to Pinhao where visitors are welcomed, such as Sandeman's Seixo or Fonseca's Panascal.

Where are you staying at in Tua? I'd also suggest emailing them and inquiring if they know of any Quinta's they could assist you in setting up visits to.

I will also say that getting around that far up is a major pain. The train runs along one side of the Douro only and getting the 100 yards across the river to the other side can take up to 2 hours by car depending on where you are at. Things look close on a map yet take WAY longer to actually get there than you think. So keep that in mind and plan your travel time accordingly.

[Eric Menchen]

Yes, I was naively assuming a car to travel ~30km to the south side of the river. Consulting an old map I have, I see on the north side Quintas Malvedos, Tua, and Zimbro, and a little further away, Romaneira. I have no idea how any of these may be able to handle visitors, or even if a few still exist.

[*InfongeHofe]

Cees,

What I'm very curious about is whether you stay in Tua or in Foz Coa (Vila Nova de Foz Coa), not far from the end of the Douro-line, Pocinho. If the latter is the case you could consider Quinta do Vale Meao (not far from Pocinho) although "officially" they have no facilities to receive visitors. Near Foz Coa the new project Duorum http://www.duorum.pt at Quinta do Castelo Melhor might be a possibility. Ofcourse - as mentioned by others - Quinta do Vesuvio and Quinta do Vargellas would be great to visit.
As a fellow countryman of yours, who has visited the Douro region in the last three years I'm pretty sure that you will have a great time over there: it's a wonderfull place to be!
If you want to, you can contact me at p.metman@chello.nl

[oscarquevedo]

I'll give my !

Tua is a very beautiful place, from where you can see a big extension of vineyards in the north and south bank. However, it is not easy to cross the river by boat. Moreover only if you talk to someone in the quintas you can have a car waiting for you to pick you up on the south bank.

In Tua's side of the Douro, north bank, you have Quinta dos Malvedos pretty close. It is very beautiful but I'm not sure if Symington has it open for visitors. There is a good restaurant for lunch or dinner, Calça Curta with god fish and meat.

Around 20km north from Tua there is a village with thermal baths, in Pombal de Ansiães.

As others said, I would suggest you to catch the train until Ferradosa, where you have a great restaurant, or Vargellas and Vesuvio, which are great quintas to visit. If you want to visit Quevedo, please come over. Our winery is in S. João da Pesqueira and I would love to meet you!

[Frederick Blais]

I'll give my !



Around 20km north from Tua there is a village with thermal baths, in Pombal de Ansiães.

are these natural or artificial?