Beyond the Vineyards: Sample Northern Portugal & Spain

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

United States citizens don’t need a visa for any of the countries you’ll be visiting. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on September 8, 2025

Meet the group at HF Tuela Porto in Porto

Start of Trip:  3:00 p.m. hotel check-in; 6:00 p.m. Orientation followed by Welcome Dinner.

Getting to the site: Airport transfers — from the arrival airport to the first site on the program arrival date, and from the last site to the departure airport on the program departure date — are included at no extra cost if you have booked your airfare through Road Scholar. Participants who purchased their airfare through Road Scholar and are arriving EARLY are eligible to join the included airport transfer(s) from the arrival airport on the program arrival date. Participants interested in this option need to notify Road Scholar no later than 30 days prior to departure by calling (800)-454-5768, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET Transfer vehicles vary by group. Program Only Participants (POPs) must make their own way to the first hotel at their own cost. For participants making their own arrangements, the easiest way to get to your program hotel is by taxi.Taxis are readily available at the Oporto Airport (OPO) and cost about 30 to 35 euros per car. The ride is about 15 km or about 9.3 miles and should take anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on time and traffic patterns. We do not recommend using the buses, unless you are capable of easily handling your own luggage and are comfortable navigating the system in Portuguese. Taxis are equipped with a meter on which the fares are displayed. During Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and on all other days from 9.00 pm at night until 6.00 am in the morning, a surcharge of 20% is automatically added to the fare on the meter. Don't accept any taxi ride offers from anyone touting for business inside the airport buildings. Go to the official taxi rank located outside the terminal building.

Getting to the site by train or bus: Buses and trains are available.

Your trip ends on: Sunday, September 21, 2025 in La Granja de San Ildefonso at Parador de la Granja

End of Trip: 10:30 a.m. after breakfast; 4:00 a.m. onward airport transfers; 11:00 a.m. hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: Airport transfers — from the last site to the departure airport on the program departure date — are included at no extra cost if you have booked your airfare through Road Scholar. Participants who purchased their airfare through Road Scholar and are departing later are eligible to join the included airport transfer(s) from the departure airport on the program departure date. Participants interested in this option need to notify Road Scholar no later than 30 days prior to departure by calling (800)-454-5768, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET For those participants extending their stay and who wish to make their own way to the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), taxis from the hotel to the airport will cost between 120 to 150 euros. We do not recommend using the buses or trains, unless you are capable of easily handling your own luggage and are comfortable navigating the system in Spanish.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.