Douro - World Heritage

Characterized by the beauty of its extraordinary landscapes, by its protected areas, and also by the majesty of its heritage, the Douro region attracts visitors also by its famed wines - Port wine, white and red Douro wine, sparkling wines and brandies - as well as by the widely known traditional gastronomy, the hospitality and the ways and customs which define its people.

Regional gastronomy and wines in the land of fine food

From the heights of the mountain ridges come the kid, the rabbit, the partridge and the hare, making of this region a gathering point for all those who enjoy hunting. From the rivers and creeks come to our table the spotted trouts. 

Land of good food and good wine, the region has great suggestions to newcomers; smoked ham, meat bread, chestnut soup, garlic sausage soup, trouts with smoked ham, partridge in a clay pot, roasted pork with chestnuts, codfish bread, smoked ham bread, wheat and corn bread, smoked pork meats. 

The sweets and desserts are also distinct and diversified: the sponge-bread (pão-de-ló), sugared squash in the oven (chila no forno), celestials (celestes), ring biscuits (rosquilhas) and love cakes (bolinhos de amor), among many others.

To talk about the Douro as a holiday destination is inevitably to talk about the River Douro, its terraced vineyards, the farms in which the famous Port Wine is produced and the secular festivals that take place all over this region.

View of the Douro River

Douro's Farms and Manor Houses 

All the scenery in the Douro has great appeal. From the surroundings of the mountain ridges to the river banks, from the beauty of the wild genista to the terraces of tamed grape-vines, to the almond and cherry trees in bloom, all around you this singular landscape unfolds, in myriad shades and colours, according to the time of the year and the place chosen.

Everywhere, the scenery is indelibly marked by the manor houses and the farms, and by evidences of wandering peoples and different cultures. For example, the valley of the River Côa, which encloses the largest most beautiful park of cave art in the world, also considered World Heritage by UNESCO.

The medieval heritage is also intense and deep. Castles like the ones of Numão, Marialva and Freixo de Espada à Cinta remind us at every moment of the strategical importance the Douro has always had in history.

The land of Port Wine

Pinhão is geographically considered the center of the Douro valley, where you can find many of the Port and Douro wine farms. The valley is breathtaking and beautiful, with the hills sloping down abruptly to the river banks. And the more inland you go, the more quiet and peaceful you find it, with the human presence marked only by the vineyard terraces along the banks and some olive trees groves. 

This is the land of the Port Wine, the oldest delimited wine region in the world, established in 1756. Come know it.

Make your reservation now in one of the most beautiful hotels in the Douro region.