There are always good reasons to get away. Because we look for sun, because we have days off or because we like to know new places.
If you have few days, Porto is a good option. Iberinbound iberinbound@iberinbound.com incoming travel agency specialized in Portugal, will accompany you on your tour. The trip is short from anywhere in Europe and they are easy to visit cities, with many points of interest, good cuisine and very lively. And the rivers that bathe them give them a special atmosphere, particularly during the mild autumn or spring weather, when the light adopts surprising shades. We are leaders in Group tours if they are Pilgrimage, Educational, Students, Leisure , ad-hoc groups, Shorex, MICE, knows how to turn your trip into a tale journey that you can never forget and will want to repeat.
It is also easy to travel to other places to learn more about the history and heritage of Portugal, or to take a walk through nature and simply feel the pure air of protected areas.
Portugal was born in the Porto and North region, where, in the twelfth century, the Portuguese became a town and a nation.
If you are in Porto, the cities of Braga and Guimarães (the latter World Heritage), the Gerês National Park, the Arouca Geopark or the Duero River are options that must be taken into account. From Lisbon you can quickly reach the World Heritage of Sintra, the Estoril coast or the natural parks of the Tagus estuaries or the Sado river. Next to Sado we also have the Arrábida Natural Park and the towns of Palmela, Sesimbra and Setúbal, which offer beautiful views of the sea. A little further south, but only 1 hour away by car, is Évora, which is also listed as a World Heritage Site. Like the Monasteries of Alcobaça and Batalha, north of the capital, shortly after the medieval walled town of Óbidos.
Porto, World Heritage city, is the gateway and the starting point of a trip through the natural and cultural diversity of the region. It is known for the wine of Porto, which from here leaves for the whole world, but also for a heritage that knows how to combine the antiquity of churches and monuments, such as the Cathedral or the Church of San Francisco, with the contemporaneity of outstanding buildings, like the House of Music or the Serralves Museum. And also for the School of Architecture, from which came the names of Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, both Pritzker Prizes.
The Douro River crosses the region. Enter Portugal between the canyons and mountains of the interior to explore the entire World Heritage landscape in which the wines of Porto and Douro are grown. There the wine that goes to the wineries of Gaia intersects with the cruise ships that visit the region.
In this area of mountains and natural parks, the heritage is divided between castles, such as Guimarães, or sanctuaries and churches that in summer are the scene of pilgrimages. Next to rural hermitages we find the baroque of the North of Portugal, made in granite and golden carving. In cities that have managed to preserve the human scale, such as Viana do Castelo, Braga, Lamego, Chaves or Vila Real, or in manor and stately homes, we find the most authentic Portuguese, who likes to share his table, customs and traditions In Porto and in the North of Portugal, joy and gratitude for all that we have and are naturally lived.
All these places are well connected and are an excellent suggestion to spend a different day and learn a little more about the Portuguese culture and landscapes.