When I visit Porto it is rare to cross to Gaia, although it is from this bank of the river that we have the most impressive view of the city. With the visit of my husband’s family to Portugal we had to visit this incredible city and while looking for an Airbnb, Gaia pier seemed to me a great option as it is a few minutes walk from the Ribeira (literally just across the Douro) and the prices are much nicer. The plan was also to visit one or another port wine cellar, so the location was ideal.
We arrived in Porto at night, after I had arrived that morning from a night flight, to have slept for a few hours and then to pass through Fatima and Coimbra, so fatigue only allowed us to take a short walk along the quay while the fog accumulated on top of Douro, embracing the typical Rabelo boats, which used to bring the barrels of wine from the Douro vineyards, to be stored here and thus become Port wines.
The following morning we took the Gaia cable car to Serra do Pilar, to cross D. Luis Bridge and start the visit of the city at a more comfortable quota for those of advanced age. We only returned to Gaia at the end of the day, with a Mexican family in love with Porto.
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The next day we went to visit the cellars of Porto Ferreira. We chose this cellars not only for the history of the brand itself, the power and the strength of D. Antónia Ferreira, a woman who stood out in a world of men, as by the beauty of the cellars. It was here that we learned, in the guided tour we did, the various types of Port wine that exist, the type of barrels, the types of aging, and in the end we had the opportunity to taste three wines, one white, one 10 year old Tawny (we learn that it is actually an average of the age of the various Tawny it has) and a Late Bottled Vintage (LBV – a wine that approaches the Vintage, although it stays a few years longer in the barrel and soon can grow old in the bottle) from 2016. We ended our visit and went to the cellars of Quinta de Santa Eufémia, as the cable car ride of the previous day included a wine tasting in these cellars.
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Where to stay?
For a large group (up to 7 people) I fully recommend the Airbnb where we stayed in. Super central, clean, nicely decorated, is one of six apartments that Porto City Hosts has, all in the same building.
If you are new to Airbnb follow this link and you will get a discount of 30€ on your first booking.
If you liked this post and want to read more about my trips to Portugal, you can visit the following posts:
