North

Where nature has prepared to welcome you

Beauty starts in the North
Portugal was born in the North. In this region of mountains and natural parks, heritage is everywhere, in castles, such as in Guimarães, or in sanctuaries and churches which, in summer days, become the stage of festivities. Porto, a World Heritage city, is the main entrance door but also the starting point to travel around and discover the wondrous natural and cultural variety of the region.

 

Cheers to Oporto
In a visit to the city of Oporto, there are some not to be missed places, such as the Sé (main church), the São Bento Train Station or the Casa da Música. According to many visitors, Oporto has a mystical quality which is hard to describe, as it changes with the hours, the place and even daylight.

A tour of the Douro Valley
Starting in Oporto, where the river runs into the sea, and the Douro (table wines) and Port wines arrive, we can discover this Cultural Landscape, World Heritage in more than one way: by road, on a train, on a boat or even by helicopter. You will always be thrilled.

The Magic of the Route of Romanesque
The Route of Romanesque is a journey through 58 historical monuments located in the North of Portugal by the rivers Tâmega, Vouga and part of the Douro. It includes monasteries, churches and memorials, castles, bridges and towers, which all share the features of Romanesque architecture so typical of the region.

Breathing Gerês
The National Park of Peneda-Gerês, at the North-western end of Portugal, between the Alto Minho and the Trás-os-Montes regions, is the only reserved area in Portugal classified as National Park. It is a world apart, in which human activity is harmoniously integrated into Nature, thus preserving ancient values and traditions.

 

Route of the Port Wine and Douro
Port wine is Portugal’s eldest ambassador. Cultivated on the “socalcos” (terraces) of the Douro Valley, it is part of one of the first Demarcated Wine Regions of the World, created in 1756 with the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro (General Company of Vineyards’ Agriculture of Alto Douro).

Route of the Vinhos Verdes
On the North-western end of Portugal, the route of the Vinhos Verdes (literally, “green wines”, because of their sparkly freshness) takes us to a similarly green scenery, a natural landscape divided into small parts that spans all the Minho region and descends South towards the Vouga river.