Grand Tour of Portugal 2025

 

Portugal has been on our list of places to visit for some time. EF Go Ahead Tours offers a Grand Tour of Portugal with and extension to the Azores, so we booked it.

We traveled from Vermont to Boston late afternoon on Saturday October 25th. Got to Logan and settled into the lounge waiting on our overnight TAP Air flight to Porto. We arrived in Porto around 9:30 AM local time and caught a taxi to our hotel the Hf Fenix Porto. In order to guarantee an early check-in, we booked and extra night, Saturday night, so our room would be ready and waiting for us when we arrived.

We got settled in, napped, showered and met the rest of our travelers in the hotel lobby for a welcome cocktail then a walk to the restaurant, Passatempo, for our Welcome Dinner. The first meal together is always awkward but as we get to know one another, we become a traveling family.

Jay and I choose the hake dinner. And two yummy desserts.

We also discovered a really good Portuguese Stout, yes a stout in Port Wine Country!

Super Bock became our beer for the trip, we learned to look for it in restaurants and supermercados.

We dined on some delicious food and tried some yummy wines and beers, then the jet lag started to kick in and we wearily headed back to our hotel.

Monday, October 27, 2025

The hotel serves a breakfast buffet from 7-9 AM daily. We eat at a somewhat leisurely pace but don't linger too long, We have a 9AM lobby call.

Today is a day to explore Porto. We meet our bus driver for the week, Nuno and our local tour guide in the lobby; and it's on the bus and off we go, after sorting out who wants to sit where.

As we drive around town, our guide points out some things of interest. Like this statue of a lion crushing an eagle. (it's not what you think...) 

Rotunda da Boavista, is a large roundabout with public gardens at its center in the Boavista neighborhood in Porto. 

The statue (Monumento aos Heróis da Guerra Peninsular) commemorates the victory of the Portuguese and the British against the French troops that invaded Portugal during the Peninsular War (1807–1814). The lion is the symbol of the joint Portuguese and British victory, which is brought down the French imperial eagle.

Our local guide, explains the various types of architecture we can see. Like the Baroque-style Clerigos Tower.

We start to notice clam shells.

And pilgrims and their dogs.

They are traveling along The Camino de Santiago, or "The Way of Saint James," a network of pilgrimage routes across Europe that end at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which is believed to hold the tomb of the apostle St. James. Modern pilgrims walk for various reasons, including spiritual, cultural, or personal development, and can complete the journey on foot, by bike, or on horseback.

We make our way to the Porto Train Station, which doesn't sound too exciting until you enter the main hallway and look around. 

Estação ferroviária de São Bento, (the English translation of São Bento is Saint Benedict.) The station is located in the Historic Center of Porto, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as a National Monument of Portugal.

It's a functioning train station but also an art museum, The tiles tell the history of Portugal and show the various trades associated with the country's evolution.

We leave the train station and wander around the streets heading downhill, getting closer to the Douro River. 

Our next stop is the stunning Neoclassical Stock Exchange Palace. Countries that trade with Portugal are represented in panels.

We make our way around the palace and enter the dazzling, gilded geometrical patterns of the Arab Room. Floor to ceiling gold and intricate patterns.

Even the hallways have an artistic flair.

We cross on of the many bridges over the Douro River and head to Gaia, the home of Port Wine.

The best views of Porto are from the waters of the Douro. Our group will be taking a river cruise after lunch, we're all very excited about it. The weather is perfect for an afternoon on the water. In Portuguese, "Douro" is often translated as "river of gold" because its waters can look golden, especially at sunset. We shall see.

In the past, the crossing between the banks of Oporto (Porto) and Vila Nova de Gaia was made using boats, rafts or barges. However, the need was felt for a permanent crossing between the two banks of the Douro for the movement of people and goods. The Barcas Bridge was born in 1806. This bridge was made up of 20 barges connected by steel cables and could be opened to allow river traffic to pass. 

The D. Luís I Bridge was built in 1886 after the decommission of the Pênsil Bridge.

The Maria Pia Bridge, built between 1876 and 1877 by Gustave Eiffel's company, was the first railway bridge to connect the two banks of the Douro.

São João Bridge was designed by Edgar Cardoso, its construction began in 1984 and it was opened in 1991.

The Arrábida Bridge was inaugurated in 1963 and was designed by Edgar Cardoso. At the time of its construction, it had the longest reinforced concrete arch in the world. With a span of 270m, it reaches 70m above mean water level.

The Freixo Bridge is the one that is furthest upriver. It was built in an attempt to minimize traffic congestion experienced on the Arrábida and D. Luís I Bridges, particularly noticeable since the late 1980s. 

Designed by Professor António Reis, it was inaugurated in 1995, and has some interesting features: it is, in fact, two bridges built side by side, 10 cm away from each other. It currently has eight lanes and is intended exclusively for road traffic. 

The Infante Bridge is the most recent bridge to connect the two banks of the Douro River. Named in honor of Infante D. Henrique, it was built to replace the upper deck of the D. Luís I Bridge, which has since been converted for use by the Porto Metro.

A new bridge is under construction and will be for the new metro , bicycles and pedestrians.

What would a visit to the home of Port Wine be without a visit to a winery (with a tasting, of course!)

We visit the small but mighty, Ferreira Winery founded in 1751, by the Ferreira family of Régua, a producer and trader of Port Wines, and it is the only Port Wine company that has always been in Portuguese hands.

In the 19th century by Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, a widow and 33 years old, a direct descendent of the Ferreira family, took the lead in the family business and developed it into what became Casa Ferreira - a mission she accomplished with rare brilliance, revealing her extraordinary gift for business.

“Everyone should do all they can for the good of humanity.”

I really liked the Tawny Port (the middle glass). The Vintage White and Ruby were Ok but the tawny was the best in my opinion.

Back on the bus and heading back to Porto, it really does look gold in the sunset.

More photos from Porto, Gaia and the Douro River CLICK HERE

We have at 8:45 lobby call tomorrow for our visit to Guimarães, a city commonly referred to as the "birthplace of Portugal" or "the cradle city" (Cidade Berço in Portuguese) because it was in Guimarães that Portugal's first King, Afonso Henriques was born, and also because the Battle of São Mamede – which is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal – was fought in the vicinity of the city.

Got to love historic family tensions leading to battles.

Travel on my friends.