Wine country · TRAIN EXPERIENCES
Every trip has one free day too few. These 9 train experiences justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get back to the fun part.
Start beside Porto Cathedral with a city train ride, then tour Real Companhia Velha, Portugal’s oldest port cellar, and taste two wines. Finish with a one-hour Douro cruise. You can split the train and boat over two days, which helps you avoid rushing.
“Very full experience to get the most from the city within 4-5 hours.”
Start at Porto Cathedral and ride a narrated tourist train past major landmarks before visiting Real Companhia Velha, founded in 1756. Tour its oldest cellar, watch a short Port wine film, and taste two Ports. An optional Portuguese buffet lunch is available at a four-star hotel.
“It was very nice and interest tour to find out about the wine history of Porto!”
Travel from Barcelona to Montserrat with an English or Spanish-speaking guide, then choose extra mountain time or a winery visit at Oller del Mas. Expect guided monastery access, dramatic views, optional cogwheel train rides, Catalan food, and wine tasting in a 10th-century castle.
“In spite of rain, we really enjoyed the beautiful Abbey and learning about its history. We also loved the winery and tapas option. Our guide Lesley was-fantastic.”
Start in Régua with five wines at a century-old quinta, then visit São Leonardo de Galafura and eat a generous traditional lunch at Quinta da Laceira. Cruise to Pinhão and return by train. Local guides such as João and Katya bring different strengths to the day.
“Our guide inspires confidence from the moment we met him - chatting to all the tour participants and getting to know us and our backgrounds First stop the winery and tastings - some in a lovely setting inside the winery - no rush / great explanations of the wine / no sales pressure / food quality wines - felt like a real small family business And the views over the vines into the hills and valleys was spectacular Drive to the farm lunch - again unassuming - straightforward delicious food -more than enough - not rushed at all -so lots of time to chat to our fellow tour participants Back…”
You’ll spend a full day tracing Italian heritage in Serra Gaúcha, with a two-hour ride from Gramado or Canela, Aurora Winery, the Maria Fumaça train, Italian Epic Park, cheese tasting, and factory shopping. Guides Lázaro or Rosa lead the park’s nine story settings.
“Almoço excelente, Epopeia muito legal , Maria fumaça tb , Tramontina ( muito tempo desnecessário) , loja de malharia muito cara referente a Minas Gerais . Restante excelente, visita a Aurora , achei que iríamos nos vinhedos .”
Join an English or Chinese-speaking guide for a full day beyond Melbourne. See Brighton’s Bathing Boxes, spend 2.5 hours at Healesville Sanctuary, stop at Rochford Winery at your own cost, and ride Puffing Billy through the Dandenong Ranges. Pickup is from three Melbourne CBD locations.
“I highly recommend to double check the pick up location if joining this tour to prevent unnecessary conflict with tour guide: We were noticed to change the pick up point a day upon our tour from a walking distance to ~15min vehicle travel. Yet, another parties were picked up in our original spot. We enquired our tour guide, Devin about the new arrangement and he repeatedly insisted that was the instruction he received in a considerably unprofessional manner. We understand mistake could occur but an inappropriate response wouldn’t solve any problem but deliver negative impressions. In the end of the tour, Devin finally apologised a bit more sincerely, he suggested…”
Spend 12 hours exploring the Douro with DouroCriativo. Meet at Gaia, visit the São Leonardo de Galafura viewpoint, taste five wines at a century-old estate, eat a family-prepared lunch at Quinta da Laceira, cruise from Régua to Pinhão, then return to Porto by train.
“Plus: wine and port tasting was very interesting, with explanations from Helena and a chat with Isabella (her jams are +++). The lunch was excellent and the owner very friendly. Minuses: no guide to explain the history of the region, our driver friendly but shy (perhaps language barrier ...). On the boat not too many developments / train: nice ride but we could have taken boat and train independently of the excursion by ourselves. Value for money not very well balanced.”
Travel from St. Moritz to Tirano and back on the regional Bernina Red Train, using a standard first or second-class carriage. Enjoy free time in Tirano, then taste three Valtellina wines with bresaola, Casera cheese, and chisciol at a historic wine shop near the station.
“Everything. The food was awful as was the wine. The restaurant is right by the train station and extremely loud. Highly DON’T recommend”
Travel from Sorrento to Pompeii by Campania Express, join a two-hour English or Italian guided visit, enjoy one free hour, then ride by bus to Vesuvius for a crater hike. Tickets, transport, and return train are included, but food and hotel pickup are not.
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