We arrived at Porto in the mid morning.  The main city in the Douro region is Porto, the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon, the capital. Most river cruises of the Douro do a round trip Porto. But as we wanted to go to Madrid, we did Vegas Teron to Porto. The ports of call are the same as the round trip Porto cruises.  Porto is my favourite city of this entire trip.

Porto is a very beautiful city and the historical core city and river side area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  In 2001, Porto was declared the European City of Culture.

Porto, Portugal’s second largest city

Beautiful city of Porto. Photo taken from across the river at Gaia

On one side of the Douro river is Porto, and opposite is Gaia. Along the Gaia bank, the various wine cellars “park” the traditional boats used to carry the wine from the vineyard in the Douro Valley to the cellars in Gaia. Now these are mainly more ornamental. Most of the wine cellars of Porto are now mostly in Gaia. Port Wine is actually named after Porto and only the sweet red wine from Porto can be called Port.

Traditional boat, moored along the Douro River.  Lucky me, took managed to capture the seagull in the photo!

After lunch, we started our city tour of Porto.  We were bussed to the centre of the city of Porto for a walking tour of the city.  Porto is a hilly city.  There are trams in the city which one can take, but Porto is really a city which should be best explored on foot.

Trams in the city

Our tour started with a visit to Porto’s Cathedral, one of the city’s oldest monuments.

Porto Cathedral

Another unusual place we visited in Porto was the Porto railway station, not to take the train but to look around. Its walls were covered with the beautiful Portugese blue and white tiles depicting scenes from Portuguese history.

Sao Bento Train Station in Porto

Our tour ended at the main square which is ringed with shops and cafes.  The city’s main street is Avenide does Aliados, which is lined by a number of art nouveau buildings dating back almost 100 years.  We were then given some free time to wonder around the city on our own.

The city center of Porto

One interesting shop near the square that you cannot miss is MacDonald’s.  This must be the most beautiful MacDonalds in the world. It took over the premises of the Old Imperial Cafe and retained the chandelier, stained glass windows and facade, including the eagle.

The most beautiful MacDonald’s in the World is at Porto

Did you know that JK Rowling was teaching at Porto University when she was writing her first Harry Potter book? It was said that she used to visit a very well known book shop, Livararia Lello in Porto and have coffee on the second floor of the small book shop. The staircase of Hogwarts castle as described in the book is based on the beautiful staircase of Livraria Lello.  It is the oldest bookshop in Porto and has been listed as one of the best bookshops in the world by Lonely Planet.

Livraria Lello, one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world

After that, the bus came by again to take us for a tour of a cellar at Gaia. We were brought to The Graham’s 1890 Lodge, one of the renown wine cellars in Gaia.  It is a working cellar and wines are aging in the barrels in the cellar.  As usual after the tour of the cellar, we had a wonderful port tasting session, sampling the various types of port produced by Graham’s.

The Graham’s 1890 Lodge, a renown working wine cellar in Gaia.

Besides coming here to have a wonderful port tasting session, another good reason to visit Graham’s is because, you can also get a wonderful view of the iconic 2-tier bridge the spans the Douro River and connects the cities of Porto and Gaia from its terrace.

The cities of Porto & Gaia

It was Captain’s dinner that night and as this was our third cruise with Amawaterways, we were invited to the Captain’s table for dinner.  Our ship docks at Porto that night.  After dinner, we went up to the top deck of the ship and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city.

Beautiful view of Porto at night

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The ship had docked overnight at Porto.  This morning, we went on an excursion to Guimarães, one of the most historic towns in Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and European Capital of Culture in 2012.

The birthplace of Portugal’s first king, Guimarães claims to be “the cradle of the nation” and boasts a historic center that is one of the most attractive and best-preserved in all of Portugal.   First stop that morning was the old medieval Guimarães castle.

Guimaraes Castle

The historic town of Guimaraes was an exceptionally well preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town.

Guimaraes Town

In the heart of the old town was the impressive town square Largo da Oliveira.  The story had it that Wamba the Visigoth, refused to take his position as King unless a dry olive twig stuck into the ground bear green shoots.  The twig did bear green shoots and is still standing in the square today.  There is a church behind the tree and it is known as the Church of Our Lady of the Olive Tree (Nossa Senhora da Oliveria)

Nossa Senhora da Oliveira

Guimaraes Cathedral

After the tour of  Guimarães, we went back to the ship for lunch.  That afternoon was free and easy time to spend at Porto.  Our ship was docked on the Gaia side.  From the Gaia side, we could take a funicular over to Porto.  However, DH and I decided to take the free shuttle service that Amawaterways was providing to take those interested into town instead.  From the town square, we wondered to the Riveria area.  One of the best things to do in Porto is to stroll along the riviera, and browse the shops or enjoy a coffee or even better, a glass of port or a Mojito like I did, and watch the world go by.

Along the riveria

The afternoon was bright and sunny, and the Riberia (riveria) district and its promenade lining the river banks were beautiful. We walked along the river of the Porto side and crossed the bridge linking Porto and Gaia on foot.

The beautiful Riberia of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

There were many old “barcos rabelos” (traditional boats used to ferry port down the Douro river) parked along the river.  These days they are mainly ornamental and are parked along the river on the Gaia side as a symbol/trademark of each cellar.  They were a beautiful sight with the Dom Luis I Bridge in the background.

Traditional boats along the river

That night, we had a Farewell Cocktail on the ship before disembarkation the next morning.

Next up : Fatima, the renown Marian Pilgrimage Site

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This morning we visited an old monastery in rural Portugal.  I can’t remember the name of the place now. ??

Old Monastery

Later, we cruised to Entre-Os-Rios, arriving this evening. Dinner that night was at the Alpendurada Monastery.  Upon arrival, we were given a tour of the 16th century Benedictine Abbey which has now been converted to a boutique hotel.

Monastery of Alpendurada

After the tour we had some pre-dinner port wine at the terrace of the abbey which afforded a breathtaking view of the Douro river valley.

Douro River, view from Monastery of Alpendurada

Dinner of Tradtional home cooked Portugese food was served at the rustic cellar.  The ambience was wonderful.  I felt like I was back in history.

Traditional Portugese dinner @ Monastaery of Alpendurada

On the way out, after dinner, i had the opportunity to peak into one of the guests rooms which was converted from the monk’s cell. It was small but kind of cute.

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This morning, some of the cruise members went on a picnic at Quinta do Seixo, the estate we visited the day before.  DH and I joined the excursion to the palace and gardens known as the Palacio de Mateus (Mateus Palace), located in the beautiful region of Trás-os-Montes near the city of Vila Real. Mateus Palace is an 18th century palace build by the Count of Vila Real .  It is considered a perfect example of baroque architecture, with an impressive façade made up of beautiful pinnacles on the roof and an ornate bannister stairway, all reflecting on the pond in front of it.  You may recognize the palace in the picture on the labels of Mateus wine.

Mateus Palace, Vila Real

Mateus Palace, Vila Real

The interior of the house featured various religious images and exquisite furniture, artwork, and hand-carved wooden ceilings. The exterior was equally stunning, it not, more so,  with beautiful gardens and vineyards.  The gardens of the Mateus Palace was dotted with fountains, a huge lake, flowers, hedges, pergolas and trees.  These gardens are suppose to be among the most beautiful in all of Portugal.

The gardens of Mateus Palace

The vineyards were equally impressive with fat juicy looking grapes ready to be harvested.

From the vineyard @ Mateus Palace

We went back to the ship for lunch and it was a lazy afternoon spent on the ship as it sail along the Douro River.  That evening, we had a BBQ dinner planned for us on the top deck of the ship. The crew were so sporting that the Captain actually sang for us.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable evening.

BBQ dinner on the top deck of the ship

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