Ecolotours Turismo propose you the Porto Vale do Douro Coimbra and Serra da Freita 9 nights Tourist tour.

Porto

Extending along the Douro estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest cities in Europe and was classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1996.

Visiting Porto is to let yourself be conquered by the charm and melancholy of a city nestled between its past and the modernity that moves it. During your stay you will be accompanied by people who will guide you and introduce you to the songs and charms of this city.
You will discover the Tasquinhas of traditional Northern Portugal cuisine, gourmet restaurants as well as taste wonderful wines from the many Port wine cellars on the left bank of the Douro River.

The city of Porto is known as Invicta (Invincible).
To come to Porto is to discover in every corner its history, its architecture, and its traditions.

In Porto, a riverside town, you can also enjoy unforgettable boat trips on the Douro River, with its right and left banks, packed between traditional fishing villages and modern villas, which will not leave you indifferent.

You will leave Porto towards the Douro Valley, in a tourist train, to the Peso da Régua, crossing an unforgettable landscape, always next to the banks of the Douro. A car will be waiting for you and, with the help of our tour guide, will tour the Wine Route to discover vineyards, farms and fantastic landscapes. You will be hosted in a rural hotel of a wine farm and, surrounded by a special welcome, you´ll visit their cellars and taste their wines, before trying the regional cuisine in restaurants selected by us.

Returned to Porto, a pause for an atelier where, after an overview of the most beautiful tiles, an artist will help you to create your own tile.

In this tourist program, you will also visit the famous cities of Coimbra, Braga and the city of Guimarães – where Portugal was born.

For the mountain lovers, hiking and natural pools, Serra da Freita and its exceptional landscapes await you!

To visit in Porto:

• Square and Avenue of the Aliados
• Church of Santo António dos Congregados
• São Bento Station
• Cathedral
• Church of Santa Clara
• Serra do Pilar
• Majestic Cafe
• Carmo Church
• Congregados Basilica
• Clérigos tower
• Bolsa Palace
• House of the Infante
• Port wine cellars

Douro Valley

Classified as a World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, the Douro Valley in Portugal stretches along the river that gives it its name, from the Spanish border to the city of Porto. The Douro river crosses the northern region of the Country in the midst of thousands and thousands of hectares of vineyards, where the famous Port Wine is produced. After a stop in the old city of Porto, we will embark on a tourist train, towards the Peso da Régua, where is waiting vehicles destined to discover the Port Wine Route.

You will take in fantastic scenery, lunch and dinner in selected traditional restaurants where you will discover the traditional cuisine of the Douro Valley, visit the wineries and olive oil mills. You´ll be hosted in traditional Portuguese Farms “Quintas”, where you will be very well received.

The Douro, is a river that is born in Spain at 2060 mt of altitude, in the Mountain range of Urbión integral part of the Iberian mountain range. Wander through the Meseta for 525 km and, at the 112 km, enters Portuguese territory in a rugged region and its bed is flanked by majestic granite valleys. In Barca de Alva, the river is completely Portuguese in the remaining 213 km of its bed and becomes navigable in the last 200 km, before joining the Atlantic Ocean, in Porto.

The Douro Valley, the birthplace of Porto, produces the best and oldest vineyards in Europe. There wine is produced over 2000 years ago. In 1756, the Douro Valley became the first demarcated wine region in the world. The following year a detailed classification of the vines was made (almost 100 years before the people of Bordeaux embarked on a similar task). Separated from the Ocean by the mountains of the Marão and protected from the humid Atlantic winds, the Douro Valley is characterized by dry and torrid summers alternated with rigorous winters. This wild and mountainous area, spectacular by its proportions, remained practically inaccessible until a relatively recent time.

To visit in the Douro Valley:

• The Wine Route and Terraces
• The vineyards
• The wine producers
• Port Wine Tasting
• Traditional cuisine
• Activities in the Douro

Coimbra

Coimbra is the oldest university city in Portugal and is located in the center of the country.

It was in Coimbra that the first Portuguese University was built. It is among the oldest Universities in Europe along with Sorbonne, Bologna, Oxford or Salamanca. The Coimbra Group, founded in 1985, brings together European universities.

The city remains populated with many students from all over the country. The “praxe”, is a traditional ritual of initiation to university life. The costume (traditional student clothing) consists of a black suit for men and a women’s skirt with black shoes, tie and cape. The old town is located on the hill of Alcáçova, where one arrives walking through narrow and picturesque alleys interspersed, sometimes by stairs that give the name suggestive of “Break-Backs”.

Distant 200 km from Lisbon and 100 km from Porto, Coimbra is bathed by the river Mondego. It was National Capital of Culture in 2003.

To visit in Coimbra:

• Old university
• Old Cathedral of Coimbra
• Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha
• The streets of Coimbra
• Monastery of Santa Cruz
• Little Portugal Park
• Mondego Green Park
• Av. De Almedina
• Coimbra University
• Bell tower
• Biblioteque Joanina
• Machado de Castro National Museum
• Ruins of Conímbriga

Serra da Freita

The great peculiarity of the Géoparque de Arouca, recognized in 2009 by UNESCO, is in the so-called “Pedra parideiras” of Castanheira, the giant trilobites of Canelas and the icnofossils of Vale do Paiva. But its heritage includes 41 geosites, meaning sites of geological interest that are remarkable for their uniqueness and value from a scientific, didactic and tourist point of view. This truly open-air museum, with a surface of 382 km2, is framed by the massifs of the Freita, Montemuro and Arada mountains. It is crossed by different waterways, offering excellent conditions for various activities.

In order to fully enjoy their landscapes, the Géoparque has created a network of 14 hiking trails, in which 13 are small routes and one of great route, all of them marked out.

To visit in SERRA DA FREITA:

• Pedestrian rails
• Its rivers
• Natural pools
• Great landscapes
• Varied vegetation
• The locals