In short
- Four private tours leaving from Porto, each with a driver-guide and a vehicle kept for your group alone.
- Flat rate per vehicle: car up to 4 people, van up to 8, minibus up to 19. Douro Valley and Aveiro-Coimbra from €420, Porto from €330.
- The walking tour works differently: €120 for two people, then €15 per additional participant.
- Departures every half hour from 7.30am to 9.30am on the vehicle days, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Porto.
- Everything on this page is bookable online, with the date and the departure time chosen at checkout.
Going private in Porto is less about luxury than about who sets the pace. The vehicle is yours, the guide is yours, and the day bends around what you feel like doing rather than the other way round. No headsets, no waiting for the last person back at the van, no fixed lunch stop. We run four private tours from Porto, all of them bookable online. Here is what each one covers, what it costs, and how to pick the right one.
Why book a private tour in Porto
Porto rewards flexibility. The Livraria Lello queue moves fast at 9.30am and badly at noon. The light on the Dom Luís I bridge is worth twenty minutes of doing nothing. A quinta in the Douro will happily keep you an extra half hour if the conversation is going well. None of that fits a fixed group itinerary, and all of it fits a private one.
The second argument is arithmetic. Our private rates are per vehicle, not per head. At two people a shared seat is cheaper. At three or four the gap closes, and from four up the private day usually costs less per person than a shared one while giving you the whole van. That is the point at which most of our clients switch.
Douro Valley in private: from €420 per group
Nine hours in the first demarcated wine region in the world, built around what you actually want from it. Family-run quintas or the well-known houses, port and table wine tastings, lunch facing the vines, a stop in Pinhão, the viewpoints above Régua. If you would rather walk an hour through the terraces than sit through a third cellar visit, say so on the morning and the guide reshapes the day.
Practical: 9 hours, departures at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am or 9.30am, hotel pickup and drop-off in Porto. €420 by car for up to 4 people, €600 by van for up to 8, €900 by minibus for up to 19. Included: private driver-guide, air-conditioned vehicle, water on board. Not included: lunch, cellar admissions, river cruise.
Porto in private: from €330 per group
A full day for the city without the forced march. Ribeira, Livraria Lello, São Bento, the viewpoints, and then whatever you feel like: the Bolhão market, the quieter streets of Bonfim and Miragaia, an hour sitting still somewhere with a coffee. The guide books lunch if you want it and tells you honestly which add-ons are worth the money, whether that is the six-bridges cruise or a pair of Gaia cellars.
Practical: 9 hours, departures at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am or 9.30am, hotel pickup and drop-off. €330 by car for up to 4 people, €528 by van for up to 8, €870 by minibus for up to 19. Included: private driver-guide, air-conditioned vehicle, water on board. Not included: lunch, cruise, admissions.
Aveiro and Coimbra in private: from €420 per group
Two towns that have nothing in common, in one day. Coimbra first, the old capital, with the university quarter and the Joanina Library, which is worth booking a time slot for well ahead. Then Aveiro, forty-five minutes down the road, for the canals, the Art Nouveau facades, the ovos moles and a moliceiro cruise if you want one. Because the van is yours, you can also decide on the day to give three quarters of your time to just one of the two.
Practical: 9 hours, departures at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am or 9.30am, hotel pickup and drop-off. €420 by car for up to 4 people, €600 by van for up to 8, €900 by minibus for up to 19. Included: private driver-guide, air-conditioned vehicle, water on board. Not included: admissions, tastings, the moliceiro cruise.
Porto on foot in private: €120 for two people
Three hours in the historic centre with a guide who is yours alone, and nothing but your legs. The route takes shape as you talk: the UNESCO-listed lanes, Livraria Lello, São Bento, the viewpoints over the river, a coffee stop, a cellar if the mood takes you. This is what we suggest for a first morning, before anything else, because it gives you the map of the city in your head and makes the rest of the stay easier.
Practical: 3 hours, departures at 8am, 8.30am, 9am, 9.30am, then 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm and 2.30pm. €120 for two people, €15 per additional participant, up to 12. Included: private local guide, meeting point in the historic centre, recommendations for the rest of your stay. Not included: food and drink, admissions, cellar visit.
Car, van or minibus: how to choose
On the three vehicle days the rate follows the vehicle, so the only question is how many of you there are. Up to 4, the car. From 5 to 8, the van. From 9 to 19, the minibus. You pick it when you book and the price adjusts on the spot.
A quick comparison on the Douro day, which is the one people ask about most:
- Two people: €420 the car, so €210 each. The shared departure at €152 per person is cheaper.
- Four people: €420 the car, so €105 each, against €152 shared. Private wins, with the vehicle to yourselves.
- Eight people: €600 the van, so €75 each. Half the price of a shared seat.
- Sixteen people: €900 the minibus, so €56 each.
Above 19, write to us and we put on a second vehicle with a second guide.
Booking, payment and cancellation
Everything is booked from the offers page: choose the tour, the date, the departure time and the vehicle, then confirm. You receive the confirmation by email with the meeting details and the guide’s number.
Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before departure. After that the tour is payable. If a flight is cancelled or you fall ill with a doctor’s note, we move the date at no cost. In July and August the morning departures fill up first, so book a week or two ahead if your dates are fixed.
Frequently asked questions about our private tours
Is the rate really for the whole group?
Yes, for a given vehicle. The car covers up to 4 people for €330 or €420 depending on the day, whether there are two of you or four. Above 4, the van and the minibus change the flat rate. Only the walking tour works per head, at €120 for two then €15 each.
Can we choose our departure time?
Within the slots offered. The vehicle days leave at 7.30am, 8am, 8.30am, 9am or 9.30am. The walking tour leaves at 8am, 8.30am, 9am, 9.30am, 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm or 2.30pm.
Can the route change during the day?
That is the whole point of going private. An extra hour at a quinta, a longer lunch instead of a visit, an earlier finish: the guide adapts as long as the road allows.
Is lunch included?
No, on none of the four. The guide books the table if you want, and you settle up there. That leaves you the choice between a quinta with a view over the vines and a twelve-euro tasca.
What language is the tour in?
English or French, tell us when you book. For Spanish, Italian or German, give us notice and we will check guide availability for your dates.
Are children welcome?
Yes, and the private format suits them better than a group departure: the pace slows down, stops get shorter, and nobody minds a detour to a park. Since the rate is per vehicle, children do not change the price on the three vehicle days.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes on the three vehicle days, anywhere in Porto, with drop-off at the end. The walking tour meets in the historic centre, on foot.
Can we combine several tours in one stay?
That is what we recommend for four days or more: the walking tour on the first morning to get your bearings, then the Douro, then Aveiro and Coimbra. Write to us if you want the three booked together and we will look at the dates with you.