Spain/Portugal
Beyond the Vineyards: Sample Northern Portugal & Spain
Program No. 22812RJ
Venture along the vineyards of northern Portugal and Spain to taste regional delicacies, learn local history and discover UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this inspiring adventure.
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15 days
14 nights
29 meals
13B 7L 9D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
8
Braga & Bom Jesus do Monte, To Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
9
Lecture on Galicia, Santiago de Compostela Field Trip
Santiago de Compostela
10
Rias Baixas Wine Region, Galician Performance
Santiago de Compostela
13
La Ribera Wine Region & La Granja de San Ildefonso
La Granja de San Ildefonso
14
La Granja &Segovia
La Granja de San Ildefonso
At a Glance
Rooted in ancient tradition passed down from generation to generation, the unique winemaking process of Spain and Portugal produces some of the best wines in the world. From the sweet, fortified wine of Porto to the rich, bold reds of Ribera del Duero, learn about northern Spain and Portugal on a journey from vineyard to vineyard. Study the specialized process and then uncover how this industry impacted the region’s economy and environment. When you’re not sampling the local vino, explore seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, experience a treasure trove of Roman history and taste a variety of delicious cuisine as you learn how time-honored traditions paved the way to a fruitful future.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking approximately 3 miles a day. Uneven ground, cobble stones, steps and steep slopes, occasionally without handrails.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Discover the vineyards and history of the Douro River Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enjoy visits to several other renowned wine-producing regions.
- Savor Portuguese cuisine during a cooking demonstration with a local chef.
- Trace Spain's ancient history through the towns of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Las Médulas and Leon, and marvel at the well-preserved Roman aqueduct in Segovia.
General Notes
Program includes independent time to explore the city and several meals on your own. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities provided in preparatory materials.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Elena Lomban
Elena Lombán was born on the Atlantic coast of Galicia, Spain. After living in the U.S. for several years, she began leading educational programs in 2006. She is an English teacher and licensed Galicia expert, passionate about education and travel while sharing her knowledge of linguistics, literature, history, and art. Fluent in Spanish, Galician, English, Italian, and French, Elena has traveled throughout Europe and North America. She loves the thrill of meeting Road Scholars for each new learning adventure and living life to the fullest.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Elena Lomban
View biography
Elena Lombán was born on the Atlantic coast of Galicia, Spain. After living in the U.S. for several years, she began leading educational programs in 2006. She is an English teacher and licensed Galicia expert, passionate about education and travel while sharing her knowledge of linguistics, literature, history, and art. Fluent in Spanish, Galician, English, Italian, and French, Elena has traveled throughout Europe and North America. She loves the thrill of meeting Road Scholars for each new learning adventure and living life to the fullest.
Mayra Noguerales
View biography
Mayra Noguerales was born on the Canary Islands and moved to mainland Spain as a teenager. At 16, she moved to the US, and after four years in several states, headed to the UK to finish her university degree. Returning home, she moved to beautiful, historic El Escorial and became an educational Group Leader. Mayra enjoys time in her workshop creating all types of arts and crafts. Her passion and most rewarding experiences come from meeting people and sharing her knowledge of Spain and Portugal.
Joana Coelho Nascimento
View biography
Joana Nascimento is an artist, art educator, and researcher, focusing on the concept of landscape, bridging art, environment, architecture, and education. She was awarded a scholarship at Akademia Sztuk Pieknych w Krakowie in Poland, where she studied scenography and intermedia. Joana holds a bachelor's in sculpture, master’s in art and design for public space, and Ph.D. in arts education, all from the University of Porto where she is currently a researcher at the Institute for Research in Art, Design and Society (i2ADS).
Pedro Bandeira
View biography
Pedro Bandeira is a professor at the School of Architecture, Art and Design at the University of Minho and a researcher at Lab2PT. The author of several publications on architectural culture, he was awarded the Critics Prize by the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) in 2015. His design practice includes the Casa Rotativa (Coimbra, 2018), nominated for the European Mies van der Rohe Prize and winner of the Sustainability and Innovation Prize awarded by the Environmental Fund and the Association of Portuguese Architects.
Suggested Reading List
(23 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Beyond the Vineyards: Sample Northern Portugal & Spain
Program Number: 22812
Grape Harvest
Miguel Torga's first novel is a tribute to the Douro, its people, and its landscapes. A book for all who love this extraordinary region.
Gaudi: The life of a Visionary
A chronological journey covering the life and works of Gaudi
Spain, A Traveler's Literary Companion
The History of Spain - Land on a Crossroad
Professor Emerita Joyce E. Salisbury of the University of Wisconsin unfurls a broad and fascinating panorama of Spanish history, spanning the centuries from the first Neolithic settlement of the peninsula to Spain’s 20th century Civil War in this documentary series.
Spain, A Traveler's Literary Companion
This collection of 30 stories from a who’s who of contemporary Spanish literature, including writers from Galicia, Leon, the Basque Country, Madrid and Barcelona.
Women and Authority in Early Modern Spain; Peasants of Galicia
This book examines how the rise of the global empire affected the lives of everyday women who remained in northwest Spain. In various parts of the peninsula, the reach of the empire was felt most directly through the absence of men in daily life. Galicia, in particular, experienced exceptionally high levels of male migration, resulting in communities where women predominated. Using sources such as court cases, marriage contracts, wills, and Inquisition records, Allyson Poska demonstrates how peasant women assumed social and legal authority in the frequent, and sometimes permanent, absence of their spouses, defying established norms regarding sexuality, property, and family roles.
Eyewitness Guide Portugal
Featuring hundreds of photographs and drawings, an excellent overview of the culture and history, and good information about where to go and what to do.
Everything But the Squeal
An Englishman married to a "Galega", John Barlow has a unique perspective on Galicia and Galician people. Add to that a wild idea to travel throughout Galicia over the course of a year trying to eat every part of a pig (except the squeal), and you have a book which evokes the people, the landscape, and especially the gastronomic fiestas of this area.
The World of El Cid: Chronicles of the Spanish Reconquest
A Traveller’s History of Portugal
A lively, admirably concise survey from prehistory to the present, great for travelers to Portugal who would like an overview of the country's history and culture.
The New Spaniards
John Hooper's fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the 21st century
Eyewitness Guide Northern Spain
A literate, visually rich guide to northern Spain from Galicia across Asturias and the Basque Country to La Rioja to the Pyrenees.
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empirer
This epic narrative history by bestselling author Roger Crowley (City of Fortune, MED185) chronicles the rise of Portugal as the small nation forged a dominant share in the global spice trade. His cast of characters (the ambitious King Manuel I, marauding governors and intrepid seamen) built a trade monopoly with the ferocity of a holy crusade, forever shifting Europe's center of power from the Mediterranean to Western Europe.
Food and Wines of Spain
A classic collection of 400 recipes, interwoven with cultural commentary and the culinary history of Spain
Roads to Santiago, A Modern-Day Pilgrimage Through Spain
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook
A kilometer-by-kilometer guide to the route of St. James across northern Spain with copious information on the historical and artistic sites along the way. You probably won't want it in your daypack, but in your suitcase it will be invaluable for previews of the following day and reflections on the preceding one
Spain, A History
An authoritative overview of Spain through the ages by one of the world's leading scholars on the history of Spain, Sir Raymond Carr.
The Hive
A daringly irreverent depiction of decadence and decay in Franco's Spain written by the 1989 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Camilo José Cela.
Spain & Portugal Adventure Map
A double-sided full color map of Spain and Portugal at a scale of 1:1,000,000 with good shaded relief, topographic detail, roads and waterways.
The City and the Mountains
Eça de Queirós' novel is a tribute to rural Portugal, and a satirical condemnation of the emptiness of city life and modernity.
Made in Spain
Spanish Chef and philanthropist Jose Andres introduces the cuisine of Spain in this 13 episode series available on Prime.
Ghosts of Spain
Tremlett captures the Spanish character, history and modern politics in this masterful portrait, interweaving the story of his love for the country (where he has lived for 20 years) with interviews, anecdotes and observation.
Journey to Portugal, In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture
Jose Saramago's richly detailed account of his journey across Portugal in 1979. He combines his vivid impressions of the Portuguese landscape and people with a dose of history, fiction and meditations.