The 7 Self-Guided Winery Visits That Earn Their Price

1.Quinta da Regaleira: Skip-The-Booth E-Ticket and Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 2,067 reviews · 75 - 100 minutes · from $32Our pick

Enter Sintra’s Quinta da Regaleira with a timed e-ticket, then explore its palace, chapel, grottoes, aquarium, greenhouse, and famous initiation well at your own pace. Download the audio guide before arrival, bring headphones, and allow more than the listed 75 to 100 minutes if you want to see the grounds properly.

“Beautiful place to explore and you will definitely need a few hours here to really take in all the beauty. I would 100% recommend visiting if you get the chance!”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Private Self-Guided E-Bike Ride in Tuscany with Vineyard Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 775 reviews · 4 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $96Top rated

Set out from central Florence with John’s e-bike team, then follow a GPS route through Fiesole, olive groves, forest roads, and Tuscan hills to a boutique vineyard. Wine, food, and tastings cost extra. You ride independently, so solid bike skills and comfort with traffic are essential.

“This was brilliant. Easy to follow and exceptionally beautiful route. The bikes give as mush assistance as you want and worked well. Lovely accommodating host who gives a great explanation of everything to expect on bike ride.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Schlumberger Wine Cellar Guided or Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 285 reviews · 1 day · from $15Best value

Tour Schlumberger’s historic Vienna cellar at your own pace with an audio guide, see how sparkling wine is made, try hand-riddling, then choose a tasting set of sparkling, rosé, or mixed wines. The cellar is cool, atmospheric, and about 20 minutes from Stephansplatz by public transport.

“The tour is self guided (the audio guide was something similar to a watch) the explanations are pretty good, but it is a little uncomfortable (if you don’t have earbuds wired you need to hold it near the ear all the time). The wine is enjoyable; however, please note that only one standard glass is included, with additional glasses costing 3 euros for regular and 5 euros for premium. It was a good experience but it can be improved in my humble opinion.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Castle of the Moors & Quinta Entry with Audio Guides

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 252 reviews · 1 day · from $57

Visit the Moorish Castle and Quinta da Regaleira with timed entry to the Quinta, a castle ticket, and three offline audio tours in English, French, German, or Spanish. You set the pace, follow maps on your phone, and hear stories about Sintra’s walls, wells, fountains, towers, and palaces.

“Easy to navigate and listen to audio as your walk thru the park. Giving suggestions as to where to walk to.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Self-Guided Gibbston Valley Wineries Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 128 reviews · 5 hours - 450 minutes · from $56

Ride from Arrowtown or Arrow Junction through the Gibbston Valley on a standard bike or e-bike. Follow the Arrow and Kawarau rivers, cross suspension bridges, stop at wineries, a cheesery, and taverns, then catch the scheduled shuttle back to Queenstown.

“We were blessed with stunning weather which made our ride extra nice. The scenery is beautiful and we frequently stopped for pictures. We managed to stop at three wineries (last one where the pick up stop is) and were able to spend around 30-45 minutes at each. They do offer to pick you up at any of the other wineries so there’s always the options to stay longer at one. We went for the half day option but I felt we could have used a little more time on the bike as the first hour was spent driving us to the starting location and instructing us with the bikes etc..…”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Hawkes Bay Wineries Self-Guided Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · from $40

Start near Ash Ridge Wines at 11 am for a six-hour self-guided ride through the Bridge Pa Triangle and Gimblett Gravels. You get a bike, helmet, route map, and summer wine pickup, while tasting fees are paid directly at each winery.

“Fabulous bike rental company in the middle of Hawke’s Bay wine region. Great bikes which were easy to ride on the flat bike paths. Fabulous scenery and close to lots of wineries.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Hawkes Bay Wineries Self-Guided Electric Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · from $62

Collect your e-bike and helmet at Ash Ridge Wines, then follow a supplied map around Hawke’s Bay’s cellar doors. Phil provides route help, roadside support, and summer wine collection. Choose stops such as Trinity Hill, Sileni, Paritua, and Unison, with tastings and lunch at your own cost.

“This was a great experience. The bikes were really well maintained and safe, Phil provided maps that gave us plenty of flexibility on our route, and he also picks up any purchased wine so we didn’t need to ride with it. The trails were well maintained and it was easy to get around to the wineries. I would recommend this to friends.”

Check availability →Read our full review