Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Porto, the Douro
& Trás-os-Montes
Why Go?
It's the dynamic Rio Douro that brings diversity to the province it has defined, with its
granite bluffs, wine caves, medieval stone houses and steep, terraced vineyards. Porto, Por-
tugal's second-largest city, is at its mouth; the world's oldest demarcated vineyards are
close to the source; and scores of friendly villages in between have always relied on it for
water, food and commerce. Come for the intricately carved cathedrals, baroque churches,
palatial
quintas
(country villas), beaux-arts boulevards and 18th-century wine cellars.
Sandwiched between the Rio Douro and the Spanish border in Portugal's extreme north-
east corner, ruggedly beautiful Trás-os-Montes is named for its centuries-long isolation 'be-
hind the mountains'. Here, rural life is still the region's heart and soul, from the southwest's
steep vineyard-clad hillsides, to the olive groves, almond orchards and rugged canyonlands
of the sun-baked east, and the chestnut- shaded, heathery highlands of the north.
When to Go
Jun 24
Festa de São João, Porto's biggest party: music, fireworks and plastic mallets.
