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Trás-os-Montes Portugal
Milk Street on the Road: Trás-os-Montes, Portugal
November 03 - November 10, 2025
May 25 - June 01, 2026
Where
Trás-os-Montes Portugal
Group Size
8-12 Travelers
Duration
8 Days, 7 Nights
When
November 3 - 10, 2025 May 25 - June 1, 2026
Price
6,000 USD per person
Farm to table is the way of life in Portugal’s Trás-os-Montes region. The locals raise animals, smoke their own meats, cultivate large vegetable gardens, grow grapes for wine, and tend to impressive flower gardens. The landscape is one of micro-climates and dramatic landscape changes. There are rolling green hills covered with terraced vineyards, native cork forests, arid stretches of olive groves and springs bubbling – literally – with the region’s famous mineral water. The landscape also tells the story of conquest and migration that defines the region, from Roman ruins to quiet tiny towns that speak of the mass migration to Portugal’s big cities in the 20th century. But we’re here for another, newer story.
Generations of rural abandonment are now being reversed as young people leave the cities for a rural way of life. Some are returning home and others are new to Trás-os-Montes, and they are all linking up with the people who never left to exchange knowledge, support, ideas – often times over the dinner table. As a result, a new Trás-os-Montes culture is emerging; it continues to be based on the land, dependent on neighbors, and traditional, but it is also contemporary, innovative and emerging. And this week-long trip in Portugal’s north, we’ll experience it all. We’ll cook with two young chefs who trained abroad in the world’s best restaurants but returned home to contribute to the deeply agricultural way of life they missed. We’ll meet a 5th-generation farmer whose diversified crops protect him from climate change and allow him to support his community with full-time jobs, just as his great-great grandfather did. We’ll bake rye and wheat breads in a wood-fired oven with a baker whose loaves travel by bus to France to feed the Portuguese population living abroad. We’ll stay with an innkeeper who hand-embroiders her linens, makes the jam at breakfast, and bakes the best orange cake we’ve ever tasted. And we’ll eat! Expect traditionally smoked meats, homemade quince paste, egg-enriched pastries, whole grain breads, vegetable soups, foraged mushrooms, slow-braised chicken, lots of olive oil and plenty of wine. The food will be rustic some days, refined others, and always made with local ingredients and immense care. That’s the Trás-os-Montes way.
COOK
MEET
HARVEST
LEARN
EXPLORE
Your itinerary
Day 1
Arrive & meet your fellow travelers
Check into our boutique hotel in Porto and join your fellow travelers in the lobby. We’ll walk to Nuno Mendes’s restaurant Cozinha das Flores, where everything is cooked over an open fire, for our welcome dinner. Over the restaurant’s contemporary dishes made with local North Portuguese ingredients we’ll get to know each other and learn about the week ahead. For dinner expect dishes like turnip natas, based on the beloved pastel de nata, but transformed into a savory wonder of creamy turnip custard that’s topped with caviar in a puff pastry, grilled pork and cabbage enchidos, giant noodles with white beans and cod, and delicate almond tarts.
Day 2
Taste the history of Porto and Trás-os-Montes
We start our exploration of the Trás-os-Montes story in postcard-perfect Porto, as it has deep connections to tomorrow’s rural destination. Today, however, we experience the urban side of this story. On an all-day walking tour of this beautiful city, we will learn about the complexities and contrasts of Porto and all of the culinary diversity that comes with it. We’ll see century-old opulent Parisian-style cafes, Bangladeshi grocers and rustic cheese-and-sausage shops run by the descendants of the poor migrants from Northern Portugal. These are particularly important for us, as the more recent descendents of these poor migrants are now moving back to the Northeast and will be some of our teachers and guides in Trás-os-Montes. We’ll sample flaky, sweet pastries, olive oils, tinned fish, and smoked meats. We’ll explore the fruit and vegetable stalls of Mercado do Bolhāo, arguably Portugal’s finest food market, and visit a historic grocery selling the classic cheeses of the north. At each stop, we’ll learn about the urban side of the Trás-os-Montes history and get prepared to more fully understand its rural heart, which we will immerse ourselves in starting in the morning. After a day of walking and tasting, we’ll relax over a flight of port wines and then the evening is yours to enjoy as you like.
Day 3
Eat at a traditional smoke house and taberna
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll depart Porto for Trás-os-Montes. Our first stop is Casa do Pedro, whose owner is a revered meat smoker who runs a fumeiro, or smokehouse, and a typical regional restaurant called a taberna. Smoking meats started before refrigeration as a way to preserve meat but the tradition continues throughout Trás-os-Montes today. We’ll have a classic North Portuguese lunch with Pedro himself. Expect smoked meats, of course, stew and bread. After a quick walk around the very pretty town, we’ll drive to Casa do Eira Longa, our home for two nights. The proprietress, Lurdes, is a one woman phenom. She embroiders the sheets on the beds and curtains on the windows, makes the jam, meats and cakes served at breakfast, tends a large vegetable garden and cooks. Her charming, rustic inn includes a swimming pool, a tennis court, abundant pots of geraniums and a small museum of the village. We’ll have time to walk around town or rest before we have a light dinner made by Lurdes.
Day 4
Bake sourdough breads in a wood-fired oven
Today we get to bake! After breakfast featuring plenty of coffee and Lurdes’s jams, as well as local cheeses and breads, we’ll drive just ten minutes to see Maria do Carmo in Boticas. Maria is another woman who seems to do everything herself. Yes, she bakes incredible sourdough breads, including the iconic rye bread broa, in her large wood-fired oven. But she also gathers the wood for the oven, raises pigs, smokes their meat for her special holiday bread, keeps chickens, tends her own giant garden, bakes cookies and stews in her oven and started a successful bakery business when she realized the craft was at risk of extinction in her town. Today we are lucky enough to bake with her and enjoy a lunch she prepares for us. We’ll bring our bread back to Casa do Eira Longa for a light dinner.
Day 5
Make a sausage that saved lives
Textiles are an important part of Trás-os-Montes culture, as we’ve experienced in our rooms at Casa do Eira. We’ll get a more in-depth look at the craft today when we visit a museum and workshop dedicated to linen. After one more taste of Ludres’s quince jam and a strong cup of coffee, we’ll pack up and head to the Museo de Linho. After a tour and demonstration there, we drive to meet João and Rita, two young chefs who returned to Portugal after cooking in some of the best restaurants in the world and who will be our teachers for two hands-on classes at their restaurant O Forno do Jales. Today we are also joined by João’s mother for a lesson in making alheiras, a sausage that traces its roots to Jews who came to the region after fleeing the Inquisition in Lisbon. We’ll learn all about its unlikely history as we make it and the rest of our dinner. After our meal, we’ll drive to Quinta do Paço, our hotel for the remainder of the trip.
Day 6
Learn about three agricultural pillars of Trás-os-Montes
João Menéres is a fifth-generation farmer, who runs a diversified olive, grape and cork farm. Living in Porto but commuting to his farm in Romeu, he is emblematic of the urban-rural relationship in Trás-os-Montes. He also produces some of the best wine and olive oil in Portugal. Today we will spend all day at his farm, Quinta do Romeu, walking the fields and forests, sampling the wine, and watching olive oil production. We’ll have a late, festive lunch at Maria Rita, the farm’s acclaimed restaurant featuring traditional Northern dishes. Tonight we’re on our own back at the hotel to read, enjoy the lovely gardens, go for a walk or rest.
Day 7
Forage for chestnuts and make our farewell feast
Chestnuts join olives, grapes, smoked meats and bread as a foundational ingredient in the cooking of Trás-os-Montes. Today we get to forage for chestnuts and cook with them. As we pick, we’ll also learn about an innovative new forestry project. The forests of Trás-os-Montes are under increased wildfire risk and Life Maronesa, Duarte Marques’s EU-supported project, uses Maronesa mountain cattle – a traditional Portuguese breed – to help protect the forests of Trás-os-Montes from wildfires by eating up brush. Beef from the cattle is, in turn, sold to local markets and chefs, creating a closed-loop system that supports ecology and economy. After a picnic lunch, we’ll meet up again with João and Rita at their restaurant to make dinner in the traditional large iron pots of Trás-os-Montes. These three-legged pots sit in a wood fired oven for hours, giving us plenty of time to harvest vegetables from the garden and prepare the rest of dinner. Joining us at O Forno do Jales will be all the people we’ve met this week to toast our week in Trás-os-Montes.
Day 8
Say goodbyes & depart
We end our trip in Trás-os-Montes. After breakfast, we will arrange for your transport to Porto or to Pinhão in the Douro River Valley. Until the next adventure!
Meet the Crew
We are firm believers in the power of local knowledge. Our guides and the culinary masters and other artisans who are part of our trips all deeply reflect that. Meet some of our local heroes:
Célia Pedroso
Maria do Carmo
João Coutinho Pires and Rita Gomes
João Menéres
Pedro Domingues
Duarte Marques
Where you'll stay
Pousada do Porto Hotel
This trip’s focus on deeply local experiences and places is also well reflected in our choice of accommodation. We always select boutique and independent places, ones inspired by international standards while staying loyal to the area’s local heritage – that’s the balance we seek for more than a good night’s rest.
Located on a charming pedestrianized street, Pousada do Porto is perfect for exploring the city and its sites. Officially opened in 2021, this historic building has been converted into a contemporary hotel. Much of the character of this 18th century building has been meticulously preserved including its vaulted ceilings and exposed stone.
Hotel Quinta do Paço
Tucked away in Portugal’s picturesque countryside, Hotel Quinta do Paço is a hidden gem that beautifully combines old-world charm with modern amenities. The moment you arrive, you’re greeted by lush gardens, historic architecture, and a peaceful ambiance that makes you feel instantly relaxed. With top-notch service and a focus on comfort, it’s the perfect base for exploring the region or simply relaxing in style.
Casa da Eira Longa
Casa da Eira Longa is a cozy countryside getaway in Northern Portugal where you can kick back and relax in nature. This charming stone house has comfortable rooms and a beautiful garden to explore, making it great for a laid-back escape. It’s the perfect spot for a peaceful retreat away from the buzz of the city.
Quinta da Corujeira
An agriturismo located in the Northern Portugal countryside, Quinta da Corujeira is another perfect base for exploring the area. With a pool and wonderful views, it is also a comfortable place to spend the day relaxing.
Hear what travelers are saying
I met the most extraordinary people in Trás-os-Montes! Their relationships to land, craft and community makes this quiet corner of Northern Portugal a vibrantly interesting destination.
Rosemary Gill, Milk Street Director of Education
Superb. Amazing. Celia is a wonder. We couldn't have asked for more.
Brian F.
Celia is a gem. So much more than a "guide," she is knowledgeable and yet so humble and gracious. You will be lucky if she leads your group!
Anna B.
Know before you go
PRICING AND ACCOMMODATION
The total cost of this trip is $6,000. For travelers wishing to have single accommodations during the trip, an additional $1,250 supplement will be due at the time of the final payment. A $500 non-refundable deposit per traveler is required to secure space on the trip. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip.
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Travelers should feel comfortable walking two to four miles each day and remaining on their feet for periods of time. There are a couple of hikes on uneven ground. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on during a couple cooking workshops.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
For flights in and out of Porto Airport (OPO), we suggest you arrive anytime arrive by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart anytime on Day 8. We’ll provide the option of booking additional nights at our Porto hotel before and/or after the tour, and are more than happy to provide suggestions for things to do and see in the city on your own.
INCLUSIONS
• All accommodation throughout the trip in stylish, boutique hotels • Professional guides throughout the entire experience • All meals and drinks included in the above activities • Admission to all proposed activities, locations, and events • Private coach for visits inside and outside the center city • A hungry group of Culinary Backstreets and Milk Street travelers, excited to explore all that Portugal has to offer!
EXCLUSIONS
• Private individual arrival & departure airport transfers • Airfare and transportation to/from the start and end destination • Meals beyond those specified in the itinerary above • Alcoholic beverages other than those served at the table • Accommodations outside those noted, including pre- or post-trip hotel nights • Activities, tours & entry fees not included above • Personal purchases and incidentals at hotels
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
We encourage an adventurous palate! We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, though ingredients cannot always be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. This trip is not suitable for non-meat eaters. If you have other food allergies or intolerances, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.
NOTES ON ITINERARY
Itineraries and daily schedules are subject to change. We expect to do everything listed in the itinerary, though the order may be rearranged based on weather or other local conditions.
OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY
We have reinforced our commitment to sustainability and safety with new guidelines to assure maximum safety of our guests on our trips while maintaining the quality of the experience. All of our experiences are designed to have minimal impact on the community and environment. For more details on our precautions, read here.
CANCELLATION POLICY
You may cancel 90 days before the start of the trip and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after 60 days before the start of the trip there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after 45 days there is a 75% cancellation and fee and on or after 30 days there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our Terms and Conditions for full details).
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