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The Douro Valley
Following the great River Douro in Portugal
OverviewTravelling on one of the world’s most spectacular railway lines, we follow the Great Douro River from its estuary, where the ancient city of Oporto is situated, through the famous Port wine vineyards and into the upper reaches of Portugal, where the river forms the border with Spain.
We start in Oporto, now a World Heritage Site, and explore the historic buildings and magnificent churches that rub shoulders with picturesque old quarters. We also visit Braga, the Canterbury of Portugal, founded over 2,000 years ago by the Romans; the fascinating medieval town centre of Guimaraes and the beautiful coastal town of Vila Conde, famous for building traditional wooden fishing boats and lace making.
From Oporto we travel by train up the Douro valley to Pocinho and then by road to Miranda do Douro. Our walks here pass through villages where people still follow an ancient way of life and speak the Mirandese dialect that has survived the centuries. The area is of outstanding beauty and many of the 15th century buildings still remain.
From Miranda we again travel by road and train, to Regua to walk through a distinctive landscape of vineyards. We will be able to see how Port is made (and taste it too!). During our stay we visit the magnificent old town Lamego, rich in charm, history and culture. We may also visit Vila Real and the Mateus palace before returning to Oporto for our final night.
Holiday Information SheetAll Holiday Information sheets are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader or a similar program to view these. To download Acrobat Reader visit get.adobe.com/reader.
our guide was excellent in the Douro Valley
Our guide was excellent on the Douro Valley holiday.
Travel has always been a passion of mine, ever since my first visit overseas to France on a school trip when I was 11.
