August 1-2, 2024 – The Scenic Interior near Porto; Bridges Boat Tour

After our fantastic visit to Porto, we were now looking forward to a seeing the scenic interior. We followed a route recommended by several folks in blogs or on travel sites. The round trip was under four hours, so we figured we would have plenty of time to stop along the way. (Little did we know that there were hardly any pull-offs/scenic overlooks – or even shoulders – on this entire route! I cannot count the number of times I wanted to stop and take a picture and/or enjoy the view, but was prevented from doing so because it would have meant stopping in the middle of the winding road.)

Our route:

Okay, now that I’ve vented about the lack of scenic overlooks or shoulders, I will tell you that this was a beautiful drive. We can’t show you just how beautiful it was due to said issue and rant, but we have several pictures to share. We’ll start with Peso de Régua.

The two pictures below were taken at Régua Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam on the Douro, where the river forms the border line between the districts of Vila Real and Viseu. It is also a lock.

The picture on the left below is of one “cruise ship” entering the lock while the other waits.

The picture on the left below is of the actual town of Pinhão. It is a lovely town in the heart of Port wine country at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers.

That was pretty much if for August 1st.

We chilled a bit the morning of the 2nd. I went to the coffee shop I’d found the day before. Our only “organized” plan for this day was to take a “Luxury Yacht Tour of the 6 Bridges and Douro Estuary.” Yes, by boat. I know, we live on a boat, but still. We thought it would be fun to see Porto and Gaia and such from the water. This is a description of the tour:

“Enjoy a memorable experience on a glamorous yacht, calmly navigating the Douro River while contemplating the main sights of the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Navigation is always carried out smoothly, with short breaks, so that you can contemplate the main sights and take photo sessions to later remember your trip. You can listen to your favorite music playlist on board by connecting your mobile phone via Bluetooth to our Marshall speaker. After viewing the six iconic bridges that connect the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, it’s time to sail towards the mouth of the Douro River and observe the beautiful natural landscape of the Douro Estuary.”

The six bridges to which this refers are:
— Arrábida Bridge
— D. Luís I Bridge
— Infante Bridge
— Maria Pia Bridge
— São João Bridge
— Freixo Bridge

I’d neglected to take a picture of this church – Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, or Church of Saint Ildefonso – located across the street from our hotel before, so here it is. This granite church built in Baroque style is decorated with over 11,000 classic blue and white azulejos. The tiles are painted depicting the life of Saint Ildefonso and stories from the Gospels.

Here are some pictures of our walk to the marina where the boat was waiting for us.

The huge building pictured on the right below is the Alfandega Congress Center. In other words, a conference center. It is a former-customs house.

We were the only ones who’d made it to the boat. Another group had reservations but were held up due to some transportation issues. So it was just the couple who owned the yacht, their dog, and us! We got comfy, Michael with a glass of wine and I with a tonic water. It was a nice yacht and the couple who owned it were delightful. The music coming out of the speakers was really nice. All good!

And we’re off!

You will recognize the picture on the left-hand side below as the D. Luís I Bridge. You can see one of the cable cars we referenced in a previous post in the right-hand picture below. We saw these before, but now from the water.

Pictured on the left-hand side below, are the old city walls and the end of the D. Luis I Bridge.

The next two bridges are very close together. They are the Maria Pia Bridge and the São João Bridge.

We are approaching the sixth bridge, Freixo Bridge. Now it was time to turn around and enjoy the same views on the return trip.

Pictured below on the left is the Pestana Palácio do Freixo. It is a 5-star hotel located in an 18th century palace. I would love to stay there! Given the good prices one can get in Portugal, we could afford to stay for one night if we counted it as a splurge.