5 Best Sights in Peso da Régua, Northern Portugal

This striking museum was inaugurated a few years after UNESCO named the Alto Douro Wine Region a World Heritage Site in 2001, underscoring its importance in terms of cultural history and tourism. Housed in the former headquarters of Portugal's oldest wine company, the Real Companhia Velha, it also has a contemporary wing that hosts major exhibitions about the region, its history, and its leading figures. The ticket price includes a complimentary glass of port wine, but those with an appetite can stay for lunch or dinner in the restaurant and wine bar, which overlook the river. For a guided tour of the museum in English (€30 per group), book a couple of days in advance, by email to  [email protected] or phone.

One of the oldest wine estates in the region, Quinta do Vallado is on the right bank of the Rio Corgo, a tributary of the Douro, and has stunning views of terraced vineyards along both valleys. It has been in the Ferreira family since 1818 and encompasses 158 acres, some with vines more than 70 years old. There are usually at least three guided winery visits (from €35) in English a day—ending in a tasting with one white wine, three reds, and one port—but you must make a reservation. Like several other Douro quintas, Vallado has rooms for guests, both in the traditional 18th-century manor and in the sleek, modern 21st-century wing. Doubles cost about €300 per night in summer.

Dating back to 1615, this large estate on the right bank of the Rio Douro developed from more ancient origins—its name being a corruption of the Latin "castrum," a fortified Roman camp—but has been in the Roquette family for a little over a century. Quinta do Crasto is known for its premium ports but also for its red and white table wines; it also produces fine olive oils. Reservations must be made to visit the winery, with the tour followed by a tasting (from €39 for five wines) or a lunch with wine pairing (from €94).

On the steep banks of the Távora River, a tributary of the Douro, and about 30 km (19 miles) from Lamego, the Quinta do Panascal produces grapes exclusively for Fonseca port wine, making it the ideal winery to visit for fans of the tipple, especially it you want to roll up without booking ahead. The winery's excellent audio guide leads you through the vines of various grape varieties, and then to the adega with its old granite tanks and wooden vats, before ending in a tasting of three or more ports. You can also book a private visit guided by a staff member.

This family-owned estate 11 km (7 miles) north of Pinhão draws architecture buffs with its prize-winning winery, designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira with an extraordinary schist and cork "skin." It is possible to visit just for a winery tour and tasting of three wines (from €30 per person, minimum of two), but gourmets come for the restaurant's wine-paired tasting menus (€62, plus €18 for the wines) that showcase locally sourced ingredients in updated regional dishes, although there are also à la carte options. There's a nice little hotel attached with 16 rooms, four of them in an old olive press building.