Wine country · WINE CELLAR VISITS
Cellars are the cold, quiet half of a wine visit and the half most people remember. The 15 below go under port lodges, chalk tunnels and schist caves, with entry prices and a note on how long you are actually underground.
Spend 50 minutes on the Douro River viewing Porto, Ribeira, and Vila Nova de Gaia from the water. Choose a daytime or sunset departure, then add a separate Burmester cellar visit with Port tasting. The boat uses an optional multilingual audio guide, and you should bring headphones and a jacket.
“nice..we had so much fun at the boat looking for the bridges”
Visit Cálem Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for a 15-minute interactive museum visit, a 30-minute guided cellar tour, and a Port tasting. Tours run in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The standard tasting features Fine White and Special Reserve Tawny.
“Very interesting and informative and a guide with a sense of humour”
Visit Cálem’s cellars with an English-speaking guide, learn how port is made, then taste a white port and special reserve during a 45-minute Fado performance. Guides such as Nikita and Felipe have been praised for keeping the short tour lively, though large groups can make listening harder.
“Great and enthusiastic tour guide. Really interesting and fado was beautiful”
Explore Taylor’s Port cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia with an audio guide in 13 languages. Follow the story of Port, the Douro Valley, and Taylor Fladgate at your own pace, then taste Chip Dry, LBV, and 10-year Tawny in the garden. Plan on about two hours.
“The self guided tour means you can visit at your own pace. our visit including the tasting took 2 hours. We also really enjoyed the tasting. This is lead at your table by a member of staff so feels very personal. Like the tour it all depends on your interest as to how long it takes”
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.”
Visit Burmester Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for a one-hour guided tour of Port production and history. Guides including Hugo, Bruno, and Fernando bring the cellar to life before you taste two or three Ports. Choose the premium option for chocolate pairing.
“It was very informative and fun at times. The port tasting was not the best as the Ruby and Tawney ports were not as good as we expected. We did however ask for a sample of something older and better. This we were given and it was so good we bought a bottle!”
Use a 24 or 48-hour Gray Line ticket to explore Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Matosinhos by sightseeing bus. Add a Douro cruise, port wine tasting, cellar visit, and a night tour with illuminated landmarks. An audio guide is available in 19 languages.
“After downloading the Gray Line app the buses were easy to locate in real time. We did all 3 routes and the night bus. Thoroughly recommended.”
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!”
Walk Edinburgh’s Old Town with a costumed storyteller, hear tales of riots, witchcraft, murder, and ghosts, then enter the Blair Street Underground Vaults. The tour ends with whisky, beer, or a soft drink in candlelit Megget’s Cellar. Groups are limited to 18 people.
“Veni is an amazing storyteller! She is very enthusiastic and fun to be around! We had a wonderful experience!”
In central Montepulciano, an English or Italian guide such as Emilio, Debi, Mirko, or Ron leads you through historic underground cellars before a tasting of five DOC and DOCG wines, pecorino, bruschetta, olive oil, and crostini.
“This is my favorite winery! Such rich history and amazing to see. The wine is amazing and the tasting was a lot of fun. So happy they ship the wine now. This is a must do tour.”
Walk Split’s Old Town with an English-speaking local guide, visiting Game of Thrones locations at Golden Gate, Vestibul, palace streets, and Diocletian’s cellars. Guides such as Mate, Marin, Nina, and Tomi mix filming details with Croatian history, photos, video clips, and practical city tips.
“Very nice and friendly guide. She speaks perfect English and made a nice mix of Split history and Game of Thrones locations and facts. We also were only 4 couples plus guide so a very relaxing group. If you like to know about the history of Split and also like game of thrones. This tour is for you.”
Meet at Schutzengel Apotheke for a one-hour German-language tour of a private pharmacy cellar. Descend through old underground rooms, see a former laboratory and medicine cellar, and trace 160 years of pharmaceutical history in a group limited to 10 people.
Explore Cockburn’s Port Wine Lodge with an English-speaking guide such as Violeta, Juliana, or Leticia. See the large cellars, learn how port is made, and finish with a tasting of three ports. Some sessions pair the wines with chocolate, and certain times may include the coopers’ workshop.
“Expertly guided tour of the cellars and barrel making, with a lovely sampling of Cockburns wonderful port.”
Ride from your Adelaide accommodation to four Barossa wineries with a guide such as Roy, Phil or Paul. Taste standard pours, enjoy a shared lunch at Lambert Estate, and return in time for dinner. The group is capped at 11, and the exact cellar doors may vary.
“I attended this tour with my partner and from the very first moment we were laughing! Our driver/tour guide, Roy, was absolutely amazing! He kept the atmosphere light and fun. His communication the day prior to the trip was great. We were lucky that our whole group was really great. We were able to visit 4 amazing wineries for a tasting, Roy went above and beyond to let us stop by an additional cellar door to purchase some wine. Overall, I recommend this tour, they pick up from Barossa area and Adelaide city.”
At Vollereaux Champagne House in the Marne Valley, you’ll tour historic cellars, learn how a sixth-generation family makes Champagne, and taste three cuvées. The one-hour visit includes 40 minutes of guided touring and 20 minutes of tasting, with English and French guides.
“Fabulous, intimide and small, able to see the cellar while in production which was fabulous ! The guide allowed for alternative tastings which was a great value add !”
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