North-eastern Portugal follows the course of the Douro, the river that rises in Spain and meets the Atlantic at Porto. The country's second city, a UNESCO site, is a maze of steep lanes, Baroque churches covered in azulejos and iron bridges over the river; on the opposite bank, in Vila Nova de Gaia, the lodges store port wine. Around it, the coast offers the beaches of Matosinhos, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim.
Upriver lies the Douro valley, one of the world's first demarcated wine regions, with vineyards carved into terraces on steep schist slopes, a UNESCO site. Here are Peso da Régua, Pinhão, the wine quintas and, in the hills, Lamego with its Baroque stairway. Further upstream, at Vila Nova de Foz Côa, are the Palaeolithic rock engravings of the Côa valley. On the Tâmega river stands Amarante, with its bridge and convent sweets.
Beyond the mountains lies Trás-os-Montes, "behind the mountains", the country's most isolated region: plateaus, chestnut groves, stone villages and ancient traditions. Vila Real with the Mateus palace, Chaves with its Roman bridge and spa, Bragança with its medieval citadel, Miranda do Douro, where Mirandese, Portugal's second official language, is still spoken, and Montesinho natural park.
Getting around
Porto has a large airport and fast Alfa Pendular trains to Lisbon. The Douro railway runs up the valley to Pocinho, one of Europe's most beautiful train journeys; for Trás-os-Montes you need a car. Below you will find the destinations on the map, our guides and all the municipalities of Porto, Vila Real and Bragança districts.
Destinations on the map
Guides to the region
Amarante
A romantic little town on the Tâmega, linked to a saint of marriages and a genius of modern painting.
Bragança
An intact medieval citadel in Portugal's wild north-east, cradle of the last royal dynasty.
Chaves
A border town that grew around its hot springs, with a Roman bridge still in use after almost two thousand years.
Matosinhos
The grilled-fish capital on Porto's doorstep, cradle of Álvaro Siza's architecture.
Miranda do Douro
A border town above the Douro gorges, where people speak a language all their own.
Peso da Régua
The gateway to the Douro valley, where vineyards descend in terraces to the river.
Pinhão
A small village where the Pinhão meets the Douro, surrounded by the most famous quintas.
Porto
The capital of the north, a city of wine and bridges clinging to the banks of the Douro.
Vila Nova de Gaia
The south bank of the Douro, facing Porto, where Portugal's most famous wine has been aged for centuries.
Vila Real
The gateway to Trás-os-Montes, with Portugal's most famous Baroque palace, the one on the Mateus Rosé label.
Vila do Conde
Two seaside towns north of Porto, with memories of caravels, bobbin lace and long beaches.