Portugal has been one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe for many years and has much more to offer than just port wine and the Algarve. Until now, Europe's westernmost country has been frequented mainly by city tourists, golfers and beach vacationers.
Now there is the opportunity to experience Portugal in a classic car - and to use these classic cars to explore regions that are far removed from the tourist strongholds and have retained their original landscape and culture over recent years. These regions represent the "real" Portugal and are among the real insider tips.
Vintage Tours - for lovers of classic cars and exclusive trips
With its road trips, Vintage Tours particularly appeals to fans of classic car tours and classic car enthusiasts who find it too expensive to transport their own classic cars to Portugal due to the long distances involved. But these road trips will also appeal to fans of exclusive tours who want to "experience" the diversity and uniqueness of Portugal's most beautiful regions in a different way. The tours are designed in such a way that, in addition to the driving pleasure in a classic car on carefully selected routes, they also offer the opportunity to get to know the cultural highlights of the respective region as well as the "country and its people". This allows participants to immerse themselves in the Portuguese soul. Of course, this also includes a carefully selected hotel and culinary package.
The road trips focus on the regions of Portugal Norte, the Douro Valley and the Alentejo
At the moment, the trips focus on the regions of Portugal Norte, the Douro Valley and the Alentejo. These regions are completely different, not only in terms of their landscape, but also in terms of their history, as they have been exposed to various influences over the past centuries. They are often underestimated due to their partial lack of recognition. Yet each of these three regions has a network of little-used national roads in good condition and therefore offer perfect conditions for exploring in a classic car.
The MGA roadster and Portugal - how do they go together?
The British MGA roadsters are available for road trips. They are very popular in Portugal - not least because of the long historical connection between Portugal and Great Britain - and blend in perfectly with the Portuguese landscape. The perfectly maintained MGA roadsters of the second series offer drivers an optimum combination of unadulterated driving pleasure and reliability, making them the ideal classics for an unforgettable road trip in Portugal. Vintage Tours is also happy to offer its customers the opportunity to take part in the tours with their own classic car, but it is important that the vehicles are roughly equivalent to the MGA roadsters in terms of performance and year of manufacture. This is to ensure a balanced field of drivers.
Over twenty years of exploring in classic cars have gone into Vintage Tours
Company founder Matthias Haux has never let go of the country of Portugal after spending several years there on business with his wife over 20 years ago. Since then, the couple, who share a love of classic cars, culture and high-class hotels and restaurants, have been touring Portugal in classic cars. More than twenty years of exploring and discovering the country and its people in classic cars have gone into the design of their tours. "The diversity of the landscape, the interesting history and culture of the country and the hospitality and warmth of the people provide the perfect conditions for our Vintage Tours. The idea of making this unique country accessible to other classic car enthusiasts and lovers of exclusive tours in a special way was an obvious one," says Matthias Haux.
Carefully selected routes and hotels ensure an unforgettable experience of the country and its people
The carefully selected routes guarantee maximum travel enjoyment and take guests to unique places time and time again. The in-depth knowledge of the country and its people enables guests to experience the history and culture of Portugal in a very original and genuine way - far off the beaten tourist track. The cooperation with the Pousadas de Portugal and their hotels in culturally and historically significant buildings allows guests to experience Portugal's long tradition and history in maximum comfort. In the Douro Valley, Vintage Tours cooperates with the leading wine hotels in the Alto Douro, which represent the history of the oldest wine-growing region in the world. In carefully selected restaurants, guests will get to know the typical specialties of each region.
The program offers road trips of different lengths
The program in the regions of Portugal Norte, the Douro Valley and the Alentejo includes road trips of different lengths and with different focuses, thus meeting the different needs of the participants.
The tours in the green north of Portugal start in Porto and are considered an insider tip. With its unique and untraveled roads, this region is a unique classic car destination. The drive through the Peneda-Gerês National Park with its striking rock formations and through the Minho region offers unforgettable impressions. But the region also offers guests unexpected insights into its culture, such as the cities of Guimarães and Braga, which are among the oldest in Portugal. Portuguese history was written here. It goes without saying that these tours also include a visit to the famous port wine cellars in Porto.
In the Douro Valley, the tours are all about viticulture in one of the oldest wine-growing regions in Europe. They take you from the lively city of Porto to the Alto Douro wine-growing region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the journey along the river valley, participants experience how the landscape along the course of the river changes the further inland you travel. Guests spend the night in exclusive wine hotels that bring the history of winegrowing in the Alto Douro to life. A visit to the Mateus Palace also tells the story of viticulture in this region.
The tours in the Alentejo start in Lisbon. They take guests along unique country roads into the endless expanse of this region. It is characterized by cork oak forests and olive groves as well as numerous fortresses and fortifications. Unspoiled roads offer pure driving pleasure and lead to unique cultural highlights such as Évora or Elvas. Here you can experience the long history of this border region with Spain and the influences of different cultures.
The program will be expanded from 2026 ...
The tours will start in March 2025. From 2026, the program will be expanded to include road trips in the Spanish regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, two regions that are also worth touring in a classic car due to their landscape and cultural diversity.
Further information can be found on the Vintage Tours website.
