Porto City Break

As the capital of northern Portugal, Porto has grown in popularity in recent years, becoming the go-to destination for a European city break.

Your week begins with a walking tour of the city’s intertwining medieval streets, it’s historic Manueline architecture and bustling 21^st century plazas. One of the more popular districts is Ribeira Cais, close to Porto’s most famous landmark: the Ponte Luiz I bridge. The bridge connects Porto on the north bank with its twin city Vila Nova de Gaia, whose famous port houses line the southern bank of the grand Douro river.

Porto is famous across the world for its port wine and sits on the mouth of the Douro river: the historic gateway to the Alto Douro region, where wine has been produced for over 2,000 years. You’ll have a chance to sample the three main styles of port wine: ruby (the variation we typically see here in the UK), tawny (aged longer for a more mellow flavour), and branco (white port from white grapes, served chilled).

You’ll also spend a day exploring the river valleys and wine terraces of the upper Douro where both port, moscatel and many of Portugal’s best DOC table wines are produced. Heading north, you’ll spend time in the old roman city of Braga and  UNESCO-protected Guimaraes: the birthplace of Portugal, and to the south, you’ll visit the pretty river town of Aveiro – the Venice of Portugal.