Must-see attractions in The Douro

  • São Salvador do Mundo

    The Douro

    A series of small chapels dotting the hillside, São Salvador do Mundo makes for a stunning diversion between Pinhão and Foz Côa. Follow the signs to these…

  • Miradouro São Leonardo de Galafura

    Peso da Régua

    For jaw-dropping views of the Douro Valley, head for this magnificent viewpoint between Régua and Pinhão. The N313-2 relentlessly switchbacks its way into…

  • A group visit one of the Paleolithic rock art in the Archeological Park in the Coa Valley, or Parque Arqueologico Vale do Coa, near Vila Nova de Foz Coa. The largest site of such art work found to date the site has been heritage listed.

    Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa

    The Douro

    Most visitors to Vila Nova de Foz Côa come for one reason: to see its world-famous gallery of rock art. Although the park is currently an active research…

  • Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão

    The Douro

    This mysterious little chapel was probably built by Visigoths as early as the 6th century. With Corinthian columns, round arches and intriguing symbols…

  • Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

    The Douro

    One of the country’s most important pilgrimage sites, this twin-towered, 18th-century church has a trim blue-and-white stucco interior with a sky-blue…

  • Mosteiro de São Gonçalo

    The Douro

    Founded in 1543 by João III, the Mosteiro de São Gonçalo and Igreja de São Gonçalo weren’t completed until 1620. Above the church’s photogenic, Italian…

  • Mosteiro de São João de Tarouca

    The Douro

    The stunning, massive yet skeletal remains of Portugal’s first Cistercian monastery, founded in 1124, stand eerily in the wooded Barosa valley below the…

  • Mosteiro de Salzedas

    The Douro

    With picturesque pink stone arches, the Cistercian Mosteiro de Salzedas is located 3km up the Barosa valley from Ucanha in Salzedas. This was one of the…

  • The Douro

    Older than Portugal itself, Lamego’s striking sé has been declared a national monument. There is little left of the 12th-century original except the base…

  • Museu do Douro

    Peso da Régua

    Bringing the Douro Valley's wine-producing history vividly to life, this wonderful museum has a wealth of artefacts and engaging displays, from a vast…

  • Museu Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso

    The Douro

    Hidden in one of the Mosteiro de São Gonçalo’s cloisters is this delightfully eclectic collection of modernist and contemporary art, a pleasant surprise…

  • Igreja Santa Maria de Almacave

    The Douro

    This unassuming little church is Lamego’s oldest surviving building, much of it dating back to the 12th century. It’s thought that after winning…

  • Museu de Lamego

    The Douro

    Occupying a grand 18th-century episcopal palace, the Museu de Lamego is one of Portugal’s finest regional museums. The collection features five entrancing…

  • Museu das Rendas de Bilros

    The Douro

    It’s no accident that seafaring fingers, so deft at making nets, should also be good at lacemaking. Vila do Conde is one of the few places in Portugal…

  • Casa de José Régio

    The Douro

    Religious art, antique furnishings, ceramics and early-20th-century contemporary art can be glimpsed at this museum, named after the distinguished local…

  • Old Town

    The Douro

    The sleepy old quarter makes for a pleasant stroll in the early evening. Highlights include the Praça do Município, with its impressive granite pelourinho…

  • Museu da Casa Grande

    The Douro

    Archaeological finds from the Stone Age to the 18th century have been uncovered in the region around Freixo de Numão, 12km west of Vila Nova de Foz Côa. A…

  • Ponte de São Gonçalo

    The Douro

    A symbol of the town’s heroic defence against the French (marked by a plaque at the southeastern end), the granite Ponte de São Gonçalo is Amarante’s…

  • Castelo

    The Douro

    Climb the narrow, winding Rua do Castelo to this modest medieval castle, encircled by a clutch of ancient stone houses. Little remains here – just some…

  • Mosteiro de Santa Clara

    The Douro

    Peering down over the town centre and the Rio Ave, this imposing ex-monastery, founded in 1318, still has a severe-looking Gothic chapel, though the main…

  • Casa do Barco

    The Douro

    On the lower level of Vila do Conde's glass-box riverfront tourist office, this small museum offers up models, photo displays, old fishing gear and one…

  • Solar dos Magalhães

    The Douro

    This burned-out skeleton of an old manor house situated above Rua Cândido dos Reis, near the train station, has been left in ruins – a stark and…

  • Igreja de São Domingos

    The Douro

    Rising beside São Gonçalo are several impressively steep switchbacks topped by this round, 18th-century church. The views from up top are stunning.

  • Igreja de São Pedro

    The Douro

    The nave of this baroque church is decorated with beautiful 17th-century blue-and-yellow azulejos (hand-painted tiles).

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