Dog-Friendly Douro Valley
I spent a lot of time in Portugal in the three years before the pandemic, but never made it to the Douro Valley! When I decided to return to Portugal for spring break in 2024, I made it a priority to get to Douro. Although I was only in the area for a couple of days, it was so special and I know I’ll return someday. I found the Douro Valley to be about the same level of dog-friendly as other parts of Portugal. Dogs aren’t allowed in all restaurants/cafés/tasting rooms, but they’re allowed in some. Many places have outdoor seating in the spring.
Where We Stayed
Hotel Rural Casa dos Viscondes Várzea is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The building and surrounding grounds are stunningly beautiful. The hotel is surrounded by vineyards, gardens, a pool, and beautiful hills in the distance. The hotel itself is an old manor with lovely furnishings and decor. The entire place is dog-friendly, and there are two very cute Rhodesian Ridgebacks living there. Breakfast is provided in the morning, and you can opt to have dinner in the gorgeous dining room for €40 (I cannot recommend this enough, the food was spectacular - you choose from a list of entrees and there is an appetizer buffet and as much wine as you want). We didn’t encounter many other guests in April, but the owner and staff were incredibly kind and welcoming.
What We Did
Honestly, we spent a lot of time at our hotel! I ate dinner there both nights (Alice was allowed in the dining room too), we went on walks both mornings, hung by the pool one afternoon. But we did get away for a few other activities.
The nearby city of Lamego has some restaurants and shops, and a market along the main street on the Sunday we were there. Above Lamego is Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, a beautiful church with an extravagant staircase that leads all the way down to the main street of Lamego at the bottom of the hill. There are woods, trails, and picnic tables on the hill around the church. I’m so glad we went here, and saw the view from Lamego afterward. I even took Alice inside the church for a minute, because the sign didn’t say anything about dogs and there was no one working there to ask.
We had lunch at Six Senses Douro Valley - a spectacular hotel that I wish I could afford to stay at! Everyone here was so kind, and we even met the two dogs who live here. Foxy and Acqua were both strays who kept hanging near the hotel, until the manager decided to take them in. Acqua is 15, just like Alice, and the two of them took a nice little nap together while I ate. I had brunch on their outdoor patio, facing the vineyards and the Douro River. It was a lovely experience!
We also visited a really nice port wine vineyard, Quinta Santa Eufémia. I am not a big fan of port wines, but the two I tried here were the best I’ve had. The staff members, Lisa and Benny, were so kind and accommodating. Even though Alice was not allowed to go indoors or on the tour, Benny told me about the history of Quinta Santa Eufémia and the process of making the ports there, and Lisa helped me with which snacks should accompany the wine to enhance it.
