Rui

The Epicurist

  • I live in Porto
  • I speak English
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 11 hours

Hi there! Nice to meet you

Rui

There is nothing better than enjoying a good meal, paired with a good wine, in the company of good friends and family. The motto is: Carpamus Dulcia

Born in Porto, but my roots are in the Douro Valley, where my soul is really at home.

  • I live in Porto
  • I speak English
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 11 hours

Book one of my offers in Porto

Let's explore Porto together! As your local guide, I'll show you the best of Porto on a private & personalized tour for you.

Did you know that I can personalize your experience?

All Withlocals tours are completely customisable to your needs. Just let me know your preferences for a private and personalized experience!

Reviews

Dimitri
22 October 2023
We were interested in a small group tour of the Douro valley, and decided to splurge on a private tour, picking Rui as our guide. It was a fantastic experience. He arrived at our hotel to pick us up at 9 am, and promptly departed for the Douro valley. It was quite foggy so he took smaller more scenic roads, which took a few hours. Rui had a wealth of knowledge about the Douro valley, wine and port making and general information about Portugal and the conversation was easy and plentiful. The views he showed us were amazing. For a change of pace, he secured us a spot on a smaller river boat which took us on a brief ride up the river and back, to allow us to appreciate the vineyards from a different vantage point. Following the cruise, we stopped for lunch at a very nice restaurant. Then it was on for some more touring by car until our scheduled wine tasting at an estate port wine producer. Their selections of olive oil, a vintage white wine, a vintage red wine, a 10 year white port and a 20 year tawny port were all delicious. We then returned to Porto. It was a wonderful day, and we can't say enough good things about Rui. We couldn't believe we had spent ten hours together with him.A Great Day With Rui in the Douro Valley
Jen
15 October 2023
My friend and I had a wonderful excursion to the Douro Valley. Rui is very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the region, with great local connections. The trip was personalized based on our conversations and Rui went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful trip!Douro Day Trip
Kyle
11 October 2023
My wife and I had a lovely day with Rui who is kind, charming, and knowledgeable and who clearly takes pride in his work and his country. He was flexible and communicative in customizing the itinerary prior to booking and made the day of seamless. The wine port region is truly stunning and easily enjoyed from his comfortable car that he drove safely and expertly. We are quiet, but Rui never had trouble filling the silence with interesting facts and amusing anecdotes, which we truly appreciated. Lunch was one of the best we had all trip. We opted to add a second tasting which, while worth it, didn’t start until almost 5pm which meant we got back to our Porto hotel around 7pm - this was not a problem for us and it shows how generous Rui is with his time, but if you have a dinner reservation I would clarify the timing in advance to be safe. Overall would recommend. Thanks Rui!Douro te amo
Unknown
9 October 2023
He picked us up at 9 and when we asked about the itinerary Rui said we wouldn’t like the boat trip because it was very crowded and could skip it if we wanted. He told us nothing about the itinerary and very little about the area except that he has many other “projects” (private tours) that are better than the one we were on. Driving through Peso da Regua he complained about the traffic and said he hates the town. Imagine our surprise when we went back there for lunch at 2:30 after a lovely boat ride. He didn’t tell us we wouldn’t eat lunch so late or why he picked the place. The 8 hour trip should have ended in Porto at 5 but the port tasting didn’t start until 4:45! It was 10 long hours of driving. He never asked about us or what we might be interested in and at one point told one of the 3 of us how to run her successful business. 10 hours of driving! Not what we expected
Lynn
5 October 2023
We had a lovely day travelling through the Douro Valley. The terraced vineyards on the steep mountainsides were really impressive; the one hour boat ride was peaceful and gave a good view of the area. The place Rui took us to for lunch was excellent, the winery beautiful, and his commentary gave us many insights into Portuguese customs and politics. The only negative was the car was tight for 4 passengers but would have been perfect for 3.Rui is a knowledgeable guide!
Marilyn
26 September 2023
Rui was an outstanding tour guide! His passion and knowledge of the Douro Valley and history of Portugal was exceptional. Also food and wine! We loved every minute of our day with him! Highly recommend!!!An amazing day in Douro Valley!
Julie
23 September 2023
Rui was full of winderful history and provided us with the most wondrtful dayDay in Douro
Cassidy
13 September 2023
We had the most amazing time touring the Port Region and Douro Valley with Rui. He is full of information, fun facts, and super engaging. He is very knowledgeable and clearly loves what he does. Could not recommend a tour with anyone more!
Ray
28 May 2023
We had a private tour with Rui to the Douro Valley, from the moment we booked his communication was excellent!! Rui was punctual and highly knowledgeable on the whole area!! He was very friendly, great to talk to and he is passionate about what he does!! He knows all the great unknown places as well as the big tourist spots and can explain everything about the places We would highly recommend him and would definitely use his services again!!Douro Valley Tour
Taaren
14 May 2023
Rui was very knowledgeable, great driver, knew wonderful spots to take us for lunch and winery. Communicated well beforehand to pick us up in a convenient spot to our hotel. Car was clean.Great host for the Douro

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