Hiking the Douro River Valley

The hike started in Porto on Day #1. Unbeknownst to us, Porto is a hilly city having been built on the hills along the Douro River Valley. It's accessible by 6 bridges. The image shows the Dom Luis Bridge that opened in 1886. The bridge designed by the Gustave Eiffel Company (of Eiffel Tower fame) is a multilevel bridge for cars on the bottom and trains run overhead. Both levels have sidewalks. We climbed to the top of the hill we are facing. The views of the city and its other bridges were amazing.

After Porto and train-ride along the river to Pinhao, the hike started. We had 4 days of early starts, all day hiking ending in a different town with new hotels, and a great diner of the local cuisine. Along the way we walked along roads that were literally cliffhangers, scenic vistas galore and vineyards in every direction, and we met some great people in every town. Our friendly cab driver, Luis, shuttled us skillfully for some short hops making the cliffhangers seem like an everyday drive.

The trip ended with a day long cruise down the Douro River. The image below is Pinhao. You can see a cruise ship on the right and the hills cut with grape vines and olive trees. Known for its Port Wines, the regions soils with both schist and granite rock, give them a distinct flavor. Portugal is being talked about as undiscovered and beautiful. I encourage you to check out the Portugal collection in my Portfolio.

Take me to Portugal