7 nights starting from
£3795
Almond trees in blossom
Casa de Mateus Palace
Bom Jesus do Monte
Almond Blossom Train
Quinta da Aveleda
Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular
Castelo de Guimaraes Castle
Casa de Mateus Palace
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Estaçao de Sao Bento
Bom Jesus do Monte
Palace of the Condes de Castro Guimaraes
Red Camellia
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Almond Blossom
Rabelo boats
Almond Blossom
Vila Nova de Foz Côa
Marialva
Rock-art - Coa Valley
Almond trees in blossom
Tour highlights:
Porto’s UNESCO listed old town with Art Nouveau treasures amongst medieval gems
Glorious pink and white almond blossom in the Douro Valley, said to rival Japan’s cherry blossom
Ancient Braga and the Casa dos Biscainhos gardens
Casa de Mateus Gardens, at the home of the famous rose
Guimarães, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of the first King of Portugal
For Travel Editions' Head of Sales & Marketing, Ellen Walker, Portugal is far more than a destination — it is a place of enduring affection, treasured memories and lifelong friendships. Having returned countless times over the years, she has developed an intimate knowledge of the country that few visitors ever experience. Following the success of her first personally designed tour, Authentic Algarve, Ellen has once again drawn on her passion and expertise to create and lead an exceptional journey: Almond Blossom and Gardens of the Douro.
Timed to coincide with one of Europe's most enchanting natural spectacles, this carefully crafted tour reveals northern Portugal at its most beautiful. Vast hillsides are transformed by clouds of delicate white and pink almond blossom, creating breathtaking landscapes often likened to Japan's celebrated cherry blossom season — yet enjoyed without the crowds. Along the way, discover elegant gardens, historic manor houses and UNESCO-listed treasures, explore atmospheric medieval villages and vibrant cities, and savour the outstanding cuisine and wines for which the region is renowned.
A particular highlight is a two-night stay at the award-winning Casas do Côro, a luxurious collection of beautifully restored stone houses nestled within the ancient walled village of Marialva. Combined with spectacular scenery, fascinating cultural discoveries and Ellen's personal insight into Portugal's hidden gems, this is a truly special and immersive experience.
Join us for a memorable celebration of spring in one of Europe's most captivating and lesser-explored regions.
Available Departures |
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| 26 - February - 2027 | £ 3795.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings London Gatwick Departing: 26th February 2027 at 09:35 Returning: 05th March 2027 at 12:35 |
Day 1: London Gatwick to Porto
Fly from London Gatwick to Porto, where you will be met by your Tour Manager and transferred to the elegant five-star Pestana Vintage Porto Hotel for a two-night stay. After time to settle in and enjoy the surroundings, join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink before dinner with wine, providing the perfect introduction to Portugal’s captivating northern region.
Day 2: Exploring Porto
Enjoy a full-day guided tour of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage city renowned for its historic architecture, riverside setting and connection to the Port wine trade. Highlights include São Bento Station, the Clérigos Tower, Carmo Church and the picturesque Ribeira waterfront with views of the Dom Luís I Bridge. Cross to Vila Nova de Gaia for a cable car ride and a visit to a traditional Port wine cellar with tasting. Later, explore the famous Lello Bookshop and stroll along Rua Santa Catarina, home to the elegant Majestic Café. Evening at leisure.
Day 3: Porto, Pinhão and Marialva
Travel east into the spectacular Douro Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. Pause in the charming riverside village of Pinhão before continuing through blossom-filled valleys towards Vila Nova de Foz Côa. Following a late lunch at a local restaurant, visit the acclaimed Côa Museum, dedicated to the region’s remarkable prehistoric rock art. Continue to the beautifully restored Casas do Côro in the historic village of Marialva for a two-night stay. Dinner with wine is included this evening.
Day 4: Marialva, Barca d’Alva and Castelo Melhor
Begin with a guided visit of Marialva Castle, whose hilltop position offers magnificent views across almond groves, granite landscapes and surrounding countryside. Explore historic landmarks including the keep, Church of Santiago and Chapel of Misericórdia. Continue through the scenic Douro region to Barca d’Alva, situated beside the Douro River close to the Spanish border. Later, visit the peaceful village of Castelo Melhor, known for its medieval castle ruins and commanding views over the Côa Valley. Return to Casas do Côro for dinner and overnight accommodation.
Day 5: Casa de Mateus Gardens and Braga
Depart Marialva and travel towards Vila Real for a visit to the magnificent Casa de Mateus Gardens. Admire the estate’s Baroque architecture, ornamental lake, impressive plant collections and distinctive cedar tunnel. Continue to the attractive riverside town of Amarante, where free time is provided for lunch and exploration. Surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery and crossed by the Tâmega River, the town is one of northern Portugal’s most charming destinations. Later, continue to Braga, where dinner and the evening are at leisure.
Day 6: Discovering Braga
Spend the day exploring Braga, one of Portugal’s oldest cities, Braga is famed for its rich Roman and Christian heritage and is often referred to as the “Portuguese Rome.” Visit the historic cathedral and the celebrated Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, reached via the traditional funicular and renowned for its grand Baroque staircase and gardens. After free time for lunch, visit the Nogueira da Silva Museum, home to fine collections of art, furniture and decorative objects. The elegant French-style gardens provide a peaceful conclusion to the day.
Day 7: Quinta da Aveleda, Guimarães and Camelia Park Flavius
Enjoy a varied final day beginning at Quinta da Aveleda, one of the most important estates in the Vinho Verde region, known for its beautiful gardens and rare tree collections. Continue to Guimarães, a UNESCO World Heritage city often described as the birthplace of Portugal. Discover its medieval streets, historic squares, castle and ducal palace, with time for lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, visit Camelia Park Flavius to admire its extensive collection of camellias, including japonicas, sasanquas and hybrids. This evening, gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 8: Porto to London Gatwick
After breakfast, check out of your hotel and transfer to Porto Airport. Reflect on the memorable landscapes, historic cities and cultural treasures experienced throughout the tour before boarding your return flight to London Gatwick, bringing this wonderful journey through northern Portugal to a close.
NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager’s discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Hotel Pestana Vintage Porto (2 nights)
Located in the heart of Porto’s historic Ribeira district, the Pestana Vintage Porto enjoys a privileged setting on the banks of the Douro River and is one of the city’s most iconic hotels. Housed within a collection of beautifully restored historic buildings overlooking the vibrant waterfront, this five-star hotel combines traditional Portuguese character with contemporary comfort. Guests can enjoy stunning views of the Dom Luís I Bridge and the colourful riverside façades, while many of Porto’s most famous attractions are within easy walking distance. Its unique location, elegant atmosphere and connection to the city's rich heritage make it an ideal base from which to explore this UNESCO World Heritage city.
Hotel Website
Casas do Coro, Marialva (2 nights on HB basis)
An unusual four-star hotel being a collection of houses of Beira architecture grouped around a central “Casao do Largo” which houses the hotel restaurant. Founded 23 years ago, the houses are a mixture of old and new offering very comfortable accommodation with all modern amenities including en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, air-conditioning, safe and hairdryer. The hotel also offers a spa with sauna, Turkish Bath, indoor pool and aqua gym (at extra cost).
Hotel Website
Hotel Vila Gale, Braga (3 nights, B&B basis)
Part of the Vila Gale “Collection” of superior hotels, the traditional four-star hotel was formed and expanded from the renovation of the hospital of Sao Marcos, dating from 1506. This characterful hotel, located in the heart of the city offers a beautiful courtyard, two bars, two restaurants and very comfortable bedrooms with all modern amenities including en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, wifi, air-conditioning, minibar, safe and hairdryer.
Hotel Website
Recent Reviews
“This was a very thoughtfully designed and varied itinerary, exploring the beautiful landscapes of the Douro Valley. The tour was brilliantly managed by Ellen, who was attentive and sensitive to the needs of the whole group.” Lisa Rhys-Davies, travelled February 2026
“One of the highlights of the trip was the tour of Porto and the unexpected visit to the church at Braga. The social aspect was also particularly enjoyable, with meals providing a great opportunity to connect with others in the group.” Mrs B, travelled February 2026
"A sensational and treasured tour of Porto and the Duoro Valley including magical stops at Marialva and Braga. A special week with special guides and new friends Ellen Walker and local Carlos Ciarla, both great characters and organisers. The full Porto day was brilliant with my highlight the tour of port producer Sandeman set right by the Duoro river but there was something for everyone. The medieval grounds and castle Marialva could not be excelled, with our very own Almond tree by the annex room and an unusual spa facility. The visit to Bon Jesus do Monte was fascinating! You don’t need to be religious to feel the spiritual awakening at this monumental site. Not cheap for a week away but worth every penny!" Richard Gilbert, travelled February 2026
Great holiday, despite not seeing much too much almond blossom (due to weather). Hotels were all very good, especially Casas do Coro. Ellen and Carlos were excellent guides. Personally, the visit to the camellia collection wasn't very satisfactory. The logistics of the tour didn't work for those at the back of the group.
Review by Sargeant who travelled 20-February-2025
Travel Editions feedback:
We are pleased that overall, you enjoyed the tour despite the low cloud on the day we went to see the Almond Blossom. We are sorry that the Camelia visit did not work for you, normally Snr Antonio has done the visit in a slightly different way to the way he did this year, and we are going to ask him to go back to the way he has done it before.
An excellent, well organized tour; whilst the initial information sent out was sparse the tour itself exceeded my expectation. Particular highlights were the 'out of this world' accommodation and location of Marialva, the Douro valley train journey and the Majestic Cafe, Porto.
Review by Raynsford who travelled 20-February-2025
An enjoyable tour and everyone seemed to be happy and interested and made a very good group. The tour included a lot more than almond blossom and gardens which was a lovely surprise.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-February-2025
An interesting and varied itinerary.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-February-2025
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-February-2025
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-February-2025
As mentioned to Ellen two nights stay instead of one at Marialva would be perfect. I think that in Porto and Braga an experienced city guide should lead a walking tour giving a general introduction to the cities, their unique architectural highlights etc. Where specialist guides were available they were excellent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 20-February-2025
Review by Ballantyne who travelled 20-February-2025
I enjoyed the trip and it was a super group. My only comment is that I thought the local guide could have been better prepared. Some of the walking city tours were too long. I would have liked to have taken advantage of the spa facilities available at the hotels. The hotel in Porto was a bit tired.
Review by anonymous who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and comments, we are delighted you enjoyed the tour and company of your fellow travellers. As this was the inaugural tour we are already tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on feedback received.
We were very unfortunate with the weather but the Tour Leader worked tirelessly to minimize the impact of this.
Review by Spence who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that despite the weather the tour was a success and you enjoyed it.
The weather during the first few days was rather unkind but some astute adjustments to the proposed itinerary in Porto enabled us to remain relatively dry for the most part! However, on the third day, the more than 2 hour delay to the train at Regua due to a rock fall on the line ahead had a much greater impact on that and the following day, especially at the Côa Museum where the planned guided tour with a local rock art expert was replaced by excerpts from the audio guide played through our “whisper” headsets; a poor substitute. The Quinta da Aveleda gardens and wine-tasting on the fifth day were most enjoyable but we spent so long there that the “ample time … allowed for a leisurely lunch” in Guimaraes was only 50 minutes, including pigeon swatting! Highlights for me; the final part of the railway journey from Regua to Pochino, the dinner at Casas do Coro, everything in Braga and the company of so many friendly fellow travellers.
Review by Cackett who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your feedback and we are delighted that you enjoyed the tour and the company of so many friendly fellow travellers. As this is the first time this tour has operated, we are already tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback received to date. It was unfortunate that the unexpected weather also impacted on parts of the tour. Thank you again for your invaluable feedback and comments.
it was very unfortunate that the weather was so awful (except the last day!), which meant that the almond blossom was a bit disappointing) but the holiday was very enjoyable anyway. An extra day in Porto would be good in future (a whole week's holiday?) in order to get more of a feel for the place, and perhaps the holiday should be called "Camellias of the Duoro" as they were much more in flower and looking good.
Review by Gatward who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your feedback and we are delighted that you enjoyed the tour. As this is the first time this tour has operated we have already started tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback received to date. It was unfortunate that the unexpected weather also impacted on parts of the tour including the Almond Blossom. Thank you again for your feedback and comments.
I know this was an inaugural tour, so finding not everything can run smoothly and you have no control over the weather which was not friendly with the blossoming almond trees not at their best. Day's three schedule was thrown by a 2 hr delay caused by a landslide on the track, nobody's fault but we missed the afternoon's planned itinerary and the visit to the Museum was so rushed as to be completely ineffective, and we certainly didn't need the large mid afternoon meal when we had had a hotel breakfast and were having a superb dinner in the evening. One good meal a day after the breakfast is certainly enough. The tour of the Quinta da Aveleda was excellent, that of Casa de Mateus less so. The House of Casa Biscainhos in Braga with its enthusiastic guide was well worth the visit. I loved Oporto.
Review by anonymous who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that the tour was a success and you enjoyed it. As this is the first time this tour has operated your comments are most helpful for future planning and we are already tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback. Thank you again for your comments as they really do help in developing and improving the tour.
Overall very good. Your manager coped well with the train delay and ever present chance of rain so that we really didn’t miss anything. Of the garden visited, only the wine estate where we had a tasting was worth visiting. Excellent guide and interesting garden. Sadly both the Mateus garden and the one in Braga were ravaged by box blight and since both relied heavily on clipped box but the gardens had taken no effort to replant (with something else) they were a real disappointment. Hotel one was fine, a bit soulless but ok. Hotel three from the same chain had way more character but a pervading small of damp, at least on the second floor. Hotel two was very interesting. I felt like I should be one of the “beautiful people” to stay there. I imagine it would be glorious by April/may. Down side was that it was quite difficult terrain for us oldies with slippery cobbles on a slope. Our room also had a really treacherous step between bed area and bathroom to beware at night. Enjoyed it anyhow.
Review by Keighley who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that the tour was a success overall with all comments taken on board. As this is the first time the tour has operated it is a great help for future planning and we have already started tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback. The weather was unfortunate and not the normal for the time of year but hopefully it did not impact too much on the enjoyment of the trip. Once again thank you for all your comments as they really do help in developing and improving the tour.
The tour manager sets the tone and Ellen made sure it was a cracking good tour. Weather and the rock fall were challenging, but work-arounds meant the 'travellers' weren't bothered by either. It was a really good group and all got on well.
Review by kettlewell who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that the tour was a success and you enjoyed it so much.
I was not very happy to be flying with Easyjet as they are not a company I admire or would choose to fly with. I did think twice about booking the tour because if this. The admin support was excellent, ie printing boarding passes, the itinerary, etc. I would have liked to have had more time in Porto, ie an additional day and the tour to have been 7 days. The rejigging of the itinerary due to the weather early on in the week was good, but we spent a lot of time driving around to try to see the almond blossom which to my mind was unnecessary. Maybe the tour shouldn't have included the words 'almond blossom'!! I enjoyed the tour and the varied things we saw and did. The itinerary needs a bit of tweaking, but I hope it continues.
Review by Bateman who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that the tour was a success and that you enjoyed it. As this is the first time this tour has operated your comments are very helpful and we have already started tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback so far. Thank you again for your comments as it really does help in developing and improving the tour for the future.
There were aspects of the trip which were beyond the control of Travel Editions, such as the weather (wet) and a landslide (train from Porto to Pocinho), but there were other aspects which prevented me scoring you "excellent". The second and third hotels were marvels of restoration and were generally well run. However, the first, the Vila Gale in Porto was not. Enormous queues at reception made receptionists unavailable for booking taxis, etc.. All room keys needed reprogramming one evening, but guests were not stopped from going up to their rooms even though staff knew they wiuld have to come straight down again. Ellen was generally helpful as tour manager, but Anna was useless I'm afraid. She was a nice girl but her english is not good enough for a tour guide, her delivery was in a dull monotone. and she had a habit of walking 50 yards ahead of most of the group, describing sights well before the group could get there and then moving on straight away. The "whisper" communicators were rendered almost useless by this behaviour. Food was generally good, the visits to the camellia garden and Avaleda were highlights, and the walking tour of Porto was also pretty good
Review by Evans who travelled 07-March-2024
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you so much for your invaluable feedback and we are delighted that the tour was a success overall with your comments noted. As this is the first time this tour has operated your comments are most helpful for future planning and we have already started tweaking parts of the tour for next year based on the feedback. It was unfortunate that the weather also impacted on parts of the tour. Once again thank you for all your comments as they really do help in developing and improving the tour.
