History and oenology come together on this day trip to the Mateus Palace, a Baroque mansion in northern Portugal where you'll visit its rooms and enjoy a tasting of Port wines.
Day Trip Details
We'll pick you up at the designated time in front of the Lapa Church and, from this spot in Porto, we'll head east, crossing the beautiful landscapes of the vineyards of the valley of the Duoro River.
After an approximately 1 hour bus ride, we'll reach Mateus Palace. This Baroque mansion from 1747 is today managed by the Fundação de Casa de Mateus (Mateus Foundation), created in 1970 to preserve the palace's heritage, its gardens, and its winery.
Once there, we'll visit the interior of the house-museum of the Mateus Palace. During this 25-minute tour, you'll discover the different rooms of this beautiful mansion. We'll see the original 18th-century furniture and learn about the history of the decorative pieces that stand out in the palace. Tables, chairs, tapestries, chests, paintings, lamps…This house has so many pieces of art!
After the tour of the palace's interior, you can explore the chapel and gardens of the Mateus Palace at your own pace. Its different flowerbeds and paths among trees will transport you back to the 18th century. These gardens also feature vegetable gardens, vineyards, and an artificial pond reflecting the palace's facade.
Once you've finished your stroll around the chapel and the palace's gardens, you'll head to Quinta do Lodeiro, where we'll finish the tour with a complete lunch including:
- Starter: Avó bread, marinated olives, Shepherl cheese with Lamego ham, Alheira de caza sausage, and a creamy carrot and orange soup.
- Main: grilled cod or crispy confit chicken with garden salad, rustic potatoes with aromatic olive oil reduction.
- Dessert: a chocolate cube and coffee
All of this will be paired with white and red Duero wines. Plus, you'll enjoy a tasting of 3 Porto wines with Denominación de Origen.
After the tasting, we'll return to the meeting point in Porto, where we'll conclude this day trip of 8 hours.
