Porto and the Douro Wine Region with Portugal by TravelTailors
Looking for an excellent DMC in Portugal to work with for Northern Portugal? Portugal by TravelTailors would love to help you offer this area to your valuable clients.
In this article, Portugal by TravelTailors takes us through Northern Portugal to explore not just Porto and the Douro Valley but also get off the beaten track a little. If you prefer a video rather than reading, do watch Paula's webinar below.
WEBINAR ON PORTO & THE DOURO VALLEY.
Webinar on Porto and Douro Valley - Portugal by Travel Tailors
Webinar on Porto and Douro Valley - Portugal by Travel Tailors
Some highlights from the North of Portugal include:
Porto: famous harbour city, historic production and exportation of Port Wine.
Douro Valley & Wine Region: an amazing landscape of man-built terraces covered with vineyards.
Guimarães: birthplace of Portugal - Afonso Henriques, first king of Portugal, was born here.
Strong religious traditions and the largest number of Sanctuaries in all of Portugal.
The famous, traditional Vinho Verde (Green Wine) is produced here and there is a strong local gastronomy to enjoy.
The North is much greener and mountainous with some amazing National Parks.
Traditional rural villages with beautiful granite houses.
Traditional farm to table cooking classes, adrenalin-filled activities, horse rides, biking or leisure hikes.
Vineyard - Image from www.quintanova.com
Douro Valley
The River Douro starts in Spain and finishes in the City of Porto. The Douro Wine region is a particular area as denoted by the map below with the UNESCO area in red. The Douro wine region has stunning vineyards along the riverside set on steep terraces that make cultivating and picking the grapes quite a challenge.
The best way to explore this region is by boat - either in a sailing boat or something more historic and vintage. We can arrange day trips or longer cruises. We love the section of the Douro river closer to Spain where the river narrows and there are fewer roads and cars. As part of any cruise, guests can stop at wine estates for food and wine tasting, picnics and other experiences.
Pool in Vineyards at Quinta Nova.
Wine tasting is a must and the Douro wines, which have been produced for over 2000 years and include many indigenous grapes varieties, can be enjoyed in many different wine estates in the region. We love Quinta Nova which is one of the oldest wine estates in the region and was the first to start as a hotel and offer rural tourism.
Northern Portugal
Northern Portugal has a wonderful rural charm with friendly local communities, farms, national parks and many ways to get out into nature and engage with local people. Guests can take part in painting and "farm to table" cooking classes, biking (including electric), hiking and even an adventure park which has the 3rd longest zipline in Europe at 1.5km park long!
Among the National parks is the stunning National Park of Geres where visitors can take part in jeep tours, biking and hiking. There are also the famous local Garrano horses which are very small. Horse riding with these is also available. The "Ecovia do Vez" offers over 30km of wooden walkways to explore and all over the north you will find these huge swings.
The North of Portugal is also famous for its stunning towns and monuments. We recommend visiting medieval Guimarães and its castle, the beautiful rural towns of Lindoso with its castle and Soajo with its twenty-four granite "espigueiros", or granaries. Also Braga and Peneda with their wonderful sanctuaries and the palaces of Quinta da Brejoel and Quinta da Aveleda where you can visit their historical gardens and do a wine tasting of the famous, local, Vinho Verde.
The North also have many powerful festivals. Carnaval de Podence and Carnaval de Luzarim are particularly unique and both fascinating and fun to attend. Particularly close to our hearts is Viana do Castelo where the owner, Paula Alves was born and where the wonderful folklore Festival of Our Lady in Sorrow, is held each August.
Hotel Ideas in the Duoro Valley.
Some of the many hotels we love in this area include:
Porto
Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage city, is one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal and although it is probably most known for the Port wine, which is shipped from here all over the world, it has much more to offer. It has a wonderful mix of past and present heritage combining ancient churches and monuments with modern architecture and entertainment.
The best way to really know the city, in our opinion, is to walk and enjoy the food, local shops, the river, the genuine warmth of the local people and of course, Port Wine in all its diversity! Our foodie, wine and Port walking tours in Porto are particularly excellent.
The famous Port wine cellars of Porto are in Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank of the Douro River. We can arrange visits to some of the most iconic cellars, arrange Port tastings and even allow guests to experience the special technique of how you open a vintage bottle of Port - and then drink it.
Porto can be explored by boat, vintage car, tram or even helicopter. Boat cruises at sunset and for dinner can be particularly popular. You can climb the Arrábida Bridge arch if you are feeling adventurous or just relax in the Serralves Gardens, the Gardens of the Crystal Palace or enjoy a picnic and sunset in the Jardim das Virtudes. Another relaxing spot gaining in popularity are the Sea Pools in Leçada Palmeira by architect Alvaro Siza Vieira
There are also many markets, artisan shops - such as the famous Lello bookstore, and "LX Factory," cafes, and traditional and Michelin-star restaurants to visit. A fun spot is the Claus Soap factory where you can take part in a workshop to make soaps.
Gastronomy experiences are endless in Porto. Guests can try a traditional pastry cooking class, foodie walking tours in the old part of Porto to try local delicacies such as "Cachorro da Gazda" hotdog and "Francesinha" sandwich or in Matosinhos focused on exploring the local market and gastronomy linked to the sea. Explore a farm in Vila Nova de Gaia that produces aromatic herbs, tea and oils. Try the famous meringues at Cafe Miss Pavlova and dine in one of the 4 Michelin-star restaurants.
Hotel Ideas in Porto.
Some of the many hotels we love in Porto include:
We do hope you found this information on the Northern area of Portugal including the Duoro Valley and Porto of interest and helpful.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For further information, sales and marketing resources and to set up a meeting with Portugal by Travel Tailors please contact us at Travel Kinship.
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Watch the webinars from Portugal by TravelTailors that we recorded given by the owner, Paula Alves.