VISITING PORTUGAL.

[Christopher Woodman]

Hello,


I am considering taking a 5 or 7 day vacation in November or December, and possibly will go to Portugal for the first time. What are the best "Porto Vinho" places to visit?. My interest in port is big, but I want to see lots of portugese culture also. Porto & Villa Novo de Gaia seem logical places to visit, but I am sure there are many great places.

If any of you have tips on cheap hotels & great restaurants with a good port selection, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks in Advance.


Sincerely,


Christopher D J Woodman

[Marco D.]

For the casual visitor to V. Nova d Gaia, I would recommend visiting the Taylor and Grahams lodge, for their sheer beauty. The Sandeman lodge, for the nice museum. The Burmester lodge for their great Colheitas.

You can take a commuter train in Gaia to a department store called the Corte Ingles, which surpisingly has a great selection of wines.

Try to catch a FC Porto game in the Estádio do Dragão.

Cafe Majestic for the great atmosphere. There is a large indoor "Mercado" nearby which is a great place to snag some bread, cheese and chorizo.

There are lots of gorgeous churches to visit, but DO NOT miss the Igreja Sao Francisco... just dripping in golden baroque ornamentation.

[Andy Velebil]

If you are visiting Oporto and Vila Nova d. Gaia I would recommend visiting our friends at Vinologia Port bar. A huge selection of Port by the glass is available and Goncalo, who's step-father owns it, is a regular here on It sits at the opposite corner as the legendary Factory House (a must see for any Port lover, but you can't go inside). At the corner of R. do Infante Dom Henrique and R. de Sao Joao Novo. A short one block from the river on the Oporto side. Drop in and tell them you are from

I also love the Kopke Lodge on the Gaia side (next to the Calem Lodge). It looks small from the outside, but go inside and ask to taste some Ports. Their tasting room is upstairs with a great view of the river and Oporto across the river. Along that same stretch of river front is a number of nice restaurants to chose from.

Sandeman Lodge is a favorite of mine as well. Spectacular museum as Marco already stated.
Quinta do Noval Lodge is also a favorite to enjoy a glass or two ( IIRC, they are only open mon-fri that time of year).
Ferreira Lodge is also a great museum and worth the few Euro's entry price to see some great memorabilia.

There are plenty of churches and old buildings to check out. Although the river fronts are a bit touristy, go a street or two away and you are back into pretty traditional areas. So it's easy to find authentic restaurants, shops, etc.

I don't recommend going into the Douro unless you have several days to spend there and a car to get around with. It's a long haul up there and it's not easy to get around. There are a few Quintas open to the general public, but at that time of year I don't know what is open or their hours. The rest require contact in advance and you generally have to know someone there to get a visit, since they are closed to the general public.



Have fun!

[Eric Menchen]

I suspect people here may recommend the Pestana hotel, but if you are staying for a week, you might want to consider a rental. We rented one of the apartments listed here. It is less than a block from Vinologia and the Factory House, and an easy walk across the river to the lodges in V.N.d.G.

[Markus D.]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning my first trip to Porto around that time around for maybe 3-5 days. Planning on exploring Porto and Villa Novo de Gaia. Vinologia is a definite stop for me! I also read another review of Tromba Rija on this forum and it sounded amazing! Is it possible to just walk around Villa Novo de Gaia during the day and exploring the lodges or is it better to go in with a plan? Quinta do Noval and Kopke are two important stops for me.

I was wondering about accommodations. I'm traveling alone and was wondering if anyone could recommend something < $100/night? Preferably close to the action. Is it possible to get around most places walking? Also, is it fairly easy to get by on English?

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm very new to exploring this wonderful city!

Thanks,

Markus

[Christopher Woodman]

Hi All,


Thank you all for the great advise. When I get to Oporto & VNdG I will use the good tips given.

Thank you,


Christopher D J Woodman

[Eric Menchen]

... Is it possible to just walk around Villa Novo de Gaia during the day and exploring the lodges or is it better to go in with a plan? Quinta do Noval and Kopke are two important stops for me. ... Is it possible to get around most places walking? Also, is it fairly easy to get by on English?

It is quite easy to walk around to the various lodges, and if you're feeling more adventurous, the trams are easy to use as well. Quinta do Noval and Kopke both have tasting rooms that you can just stop into. Some of the other places have bigger facilities with tours, etc.

I think you can do o.k. with English, but I'm not a good datapoint for this because my wife speaks fluent Spanish and French and was able to converse when I couldn't.