The Douro
Occupying a grand 18th-century episcopal palace, the Museu de Lamego is one of Portugal’s finest regional museums. The collection features five entrancing…
Must-see attractions in The Douro & Trás-os-Montes
Aliados & Bolhão
Sticking out on Porto's skyline like a sore thumb – albeit a beautiful baroque one – this 76m-high tower was designed by Italian-born baroque master…
Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória
Miragaia
Note the sign in front of this former monastery apologising for the expulsion of the Jews in 1496 under the Portuguese Inquisition and the iron fist of…
Ribeira
This riverfront promenade is postcard Porto, taking in the whole spectacular sweep of the city, from Ribeira's pastel houses stacked like Lego bricks to…
The Douro
It’s no accident that seafaring fingers, so deft at making nets, should also be good at lacemaking. Vila do Conde is one of the few places in Portugal…
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Vitória
Miragaia
In Porto's medieval Vitória quarter, this church stands on land that once belonged to the Jewish community. Completed in 1539, it was given a baroque…
The Douro
Religious art, antique furnishings, ceramics and early-20th-century contemporary art can be glimpsed at this museum, named after the distinguished local…
Miragaia
With its cobblestones polished smooth by centuries of shoe leather, and pretty tiled houses with little wrought-iron balconies and window boxes brimming…
Vila Nova de Gaia
Watching over Gaia is this 17th-century hilltop monastery, with its striking circular cloister, church with gilded altar, and stellar river views from its…
Vila Nova de Gaia
In the quaint, alley-woven heart of Vila Nova da Gaia sits this whitewashed church. Built in the 14th century, it was given a baroque makeover in the 18th…
Foz do Douro
Some 5000 marine creatures splash in the tanks at Sealife, where kiddie highlights include a shark tunnel and a rock pool for handling crabs, starfish and…
Foz do Douro
Otherwise known as the Castelo do Queijo (Cheese Castle) because of the wedge of rock it stands upon, Forte de São Francisco Xavier looks every inch the…
Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia
Miragaia
One of Porto's oldest churches, the medieval Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia was completely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, and pays homage to St…
The Douro
The sleepy old quarter makes for a pleasant stroll in the early evening. Highlights include the Praça do Município, with its impressive granite pelourinho…
Porto
Nothing blows away the city cobwebs like a wander along this beach, fringed by the protected dunes of the Douro Estuary Nature Reserve. The stiff sea…
Porto
Architects Barbosa & Guimarães have left their imprint on this contemporary marina complex in Afurada. With forms that mirror the shape of boat masts and…
The Douro
Archaeological finds from the Stone Age to the 18th century have been uncovered in the region around Freixo de Numão, 12km west of Vila Nova de Foz Côa. A…
Miragaia
Porto's marionette museum turns the spotlight on the remarkable puppet creations that have taken to the stage at the Teatro Marionetas do Porto over the…
Miragaia
Porto is reduced to postcard format at this viewpoint, perched high and mighty above a mosaic of terracotta rooftops that tumble down to the Douro. It's a…
Porto
Ponte Dom Luís I might hog the limelight, but it is this railway bridge, slightly further east, that bears the hallmark of Gustave Eiffel. Built when the…
The Douro
A symbol of the town’s heroic defence against the French (marked by a plaque at the southeastern end), the granite Ponte de São Gonçalo is Amarante’s…
Foz do Douro
Arriving in Matosinhos, you can’t help but stop dead in your tracks as your gaze is drawn upward to this 50m-high sculpture by North American artist Janet…
Foz do Douro
A joy for the aimless ambler, this 19th-century garden is flanked by graceful old buildings and dotted with willowy palms, sculptures, fountains and a…
Miragaia
A much-loved picnic spot of tripeiros, these tucked-away gardens stagger down the hillside in a series of lawn terraces. Find a shady spot under the trees…
Miragaia
A guaranteed kid-pleaser – if slightly overpriced – this interactive museum catapults you back to the 14th to 16th centuries, when the Portuguese ruled…
Miragaia
As you amble down the hill, keep a look out on the right-hand side for the Rua São Miguel. On the corner, at No 4, you'll see a panel of 19th-century blue…
Aliados & Bolhão
This gracefully baroque, early 18th-century, twin-towered church sits on the Praça da Batalha, stopping you dead in your tracks with its resplendent…
Miragaia
This new 5D cinema whisks you on a virtual flight over Porto, revealing angles never seen at ground level, with added special effects such as motion seats…
Ribeira
Once part of a Franciscan convent, this church hides an opulent interior behind its unassuming facade. Gothic in shape, with a fine Renaissance portal,…
Miragaia
Set up above a narrow maze of stone stairs, this medieval church with magnificent views was built in 1539 on land that was originally part of Porto’s old…
Miragaia
This pleasantly leafy park is known simply as ‘Cordoaria’. Check out the four haunting sculptures by Spain's Juan Muñoz. The romantic, narrow lanes that…
The Douro
Climb the narrow, winding Rua do Castelo to this modest medieval castle, encircled by a clutch of ancient stone houses. Little remains here – just some…
The Douro
Peering down over the town centre and the Rio Ave, this imposing ex-monastery, founded in 1318, still has a severe-looking Gothic chapel, though the main…
Aliados & Bolhão
Nicolau Nasoni designed the Igreja dos Clérigos, with its theatrical facade and unusual, oval-shaped nave, resembling a Fabergé egg due to its dusky pink…
The Douro
On the lower level of Vila do Conde's glass-box riverfront tourist office, this small museum offers up models, photo displays, old fishing gear and one…
Miragaia
One of Porto's handful of remaining public fountains, which were once a place to tap into fresh spring water and local gossip, the stone-carved,…
Foz do Douro
One of Foz do Douro's most visible icons, this lighthouse stands on an esplanade, bearing the full brunt of the swells and storms of the Atlantic. Take a…
The Douro
This burned-out skeleton of an old manor house situated above Rua Cândido dos Reis, near the train station, has been left in ruins – a stark and…
Ribeira
Rotating exhibitions of mixed media, sculpture, photography and video art are curated by the cultural ministry and are shown in the remains of the 13th…
Miragaia
Set in the 19th-century riverside customs house, this museum traces the motorcar from its inception to the future. It does the same for radio and…
