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True aficionados will know the history and quality of Quinta do Panascal’s offerings. The region, known for growing grapes like Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, and Tinta Amarela, has been in the business of production since the early 1800s. The taste and quality remain the same centuries later; Fonseca Vineyard is the best place to taste Quinta do Panascal’s finest. It was the first to produce signature pours out of organically produced grapes.

Douro Valley is a place of incredible beauty worthy of protection. Douro International Natural Park (Parque Natural do Douro Internacional), which covers part of several municipalities, is one such protected area in Douro Valley. The natural park has spectacular landscapes and is home to endangered bird species, like the Egyptian vulture or Britango. While you can visit Parque Natural do Douro Internacional throughout the year, the months of February and March are wonderful, with trees blossoming all around.

Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa (Prehistoric Rock-Art Site of the Côa Valley) is another fascinating area in the Douro Valley region. Its rock art gallery pulls thousands of tourists yearly, although tourists must take a guided tour because the area is an active archaeological site. You can see three sites: Canada do Inferno, Ribeira de Piscos, and Penascosa. All three are worth exploring, with Penascosa home to the most important etchings, and Canada do Inferno gives insight into how the drawings almost disappeared.

Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios will add a spiritual touch to your Douro Valley visit. Work on the church, located on top of Mount St. Stephen, began in the 1700s but was only completed in 1905. It was originally dedicated to Saint Stephen, but as worship of the Virgin grew, it became a symbol of devotion to the Lady of Remedies. You must climb over 650 steps and pass through the dense trees of Santo Estêvão Park to reach the sanctuary.

There’s no better place to relive the history of Portugal’s inland than Museu de Lamego. Once a palace, the museum houses some important artistic works from the 16th and 17th centuries. The paintings of Vasco Fernandes (Grão Vasco) require special attention; the Portuguese painted 20 panels for the cathedral’s ceiling, but only five survive. Brussels tapestries and heavily gilded 17th-century chapels are the other attractions at the Museu de Lamego.

Douro Valley promises spectacular beauty and panoramic views. Carrascalinho Lookout, located south of Mogadouro, offers a fantastic, unhindered look at the valley. Mesmerize in the untouched beauty of the Douro River, the highest-flow river on the Iberian Peninsula. Flowing from the Duruelo de la Sierra—a Spanish town— to Porto, the Douro River covers a distance of 897 km. Stand and admire its beauty along with the eagles circling above.