Location: Vila Nova de Gaia
Top Things to do in Vila Nova de Gaia
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What to do and see in Vila Nova de Gaia, Northern Portugal: The Best Things to do
Vila Nova de Gaia, or simply Gaia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈnɔvɐ ðɨ ˈɣajɐ]; Proto-Celtic: *Cale) is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a population of 178,255 in 2001. The municipality has an area of 168.46 km². and a total population of 302,295 inhabitants (2011), making it the most populous municipality in Norte Region. Gaia together with Porto and 12 other municipalities makes up the commonly designated Porto Metropolitan Area.
Restaurants in Vila Nova de Gaia
1. Porto Augusto's
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,396 reviews
Reviewed By Alberto1102002 - Las Rozas, Spain
Fantastic, great experience and highly recommended. Our guide Sandra explained everything very warmly and solved our doubts. Best part is the final taste. The only thing is that Spaniards always like to eat something while drinking
2. Taylor's Port
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,767 reviews
Taylor’s, accepted by most wine authorities to be the greatest of all port shippers, invites you to a pleasant and informative tour of its famous lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia. During the tour the visitor will be given the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of Port wine, as well as that of the House of Taylor Fladgate making it one of the oldest Port companies.
Reviewed By 45philips - Crewe, United Kingdom
Super interesting self guided audio tour, done at your own pace. Well laid out with plenty of photos, maps and diagrams to explain the history and process without getting too technical or boring. No need to book just turn up, we arrived around 11 on a Sunday morning and it wasn’t busy. Fantastic value at €15 a per person for the tour and 2 generous samples one red one white Tasting is in a beautiful garden area where you can also purchase a selection of snacks to compliment the ports you are tasting. Helpful and friendly staff throughout our visit. You can’t visit Porto and not come here.
3. Graham's Port Lodge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,498 reviews
RESERVATION REQUIRED. Graham’s Port is owned and managed by the Symington family, ten of whom work in the company (four from the 4th generation and six from the 5th generation of Port producers). They and their ancestors have made some of the greatest Port Wines of all. The magnificent Graham’s cellars were built in 1890 and contain a priceless collection of Port ageing in seasoned oak cascks and in bottle. Visits can only be made by prior appointment so that you will be met on arrival and shown around the cellars by a highly trained guide in the language of your preference.
Reviewed By ddkine - Huntington Beach, United States
Educational tour with a view! Prior to our visit, our favorite port was Taylor Fladgate and we visited their distillery as well. But from an interest/educational and overall value standpoint the Graham distillery tour was much better. It was led by a guide (Taylor’s is self guided) who was very informative and fun to listen to. The tour was followed by a guided tasting as well and there were several options to choose from that was included in the tour price. And you could add to your tasting as well. The tasting room/lodge is located in the perfect place on the Gaia side of the Douro River with excellent views of Porto and Gaia and the river.
4. Capela do Senhor da Pedra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 612 reviews
Reviewed By AkoSiAys - Bonn, Germany
This little chapel sits on some rocks on the beach. One reason enough to visit it! We reached the place by bike from the Luís I Bridge. It was a nice bicycle ride as there are good bike paths along the beach promenade. The chapel is actually simple but the location made it really unique. It is quite peaceful and hearing the waves while there is really calming. The view from the chapel is also nice. You can go around it and stay on the rocks behind the chapel to enjoy the breeze.
5. Cockburn’s Port Wine Lodge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 705 reviews
The Cockburn’s Port Lodge holds the largest quantity of Port in oak barrels and wooden vats of any cellar in the historic area of Vila Nova de Gaia. This is where Cockburn’s Ports are aged, in particular its famous Special Reserve.
Reviewed By ElmParkRoyal - Reading, United Kingdom
After a lot of deliberation and comparative research on TA and company websites, we chose the Cockburn's Tour and subsequently felt that we had made absolutely the right choice. We had booked in advance, although, on the day, there was only Mrs EPR and I for our particular timeslot. Consequently, we had our own personal tour which was very thorough and informative. It was conducted by a very personable young guy who had a wealth of knowledge about the company and its product and was able to answer any question with aplomb. The 90 minutes we spent was well-structured and unhurried and took in every aspect of production, as well as Cockburn's history and its development. We concluded with a three port tasting session, alone again, in the clubby upstairs lounge. Certainly a good glassful in each case, with our guide explaining the nuances of each one then leaving us to conclude at our leisure. Earlier, we had travelled from Porto city centre to Vila Nova de Gaia by water taxi (3 Euros, less than 5 minutes duration) and walked up the very steep hill to the Cockburn's property. On return, we walked back down to the riverside to get a cable car up to the Pont Luis Bridge. From there was a brisk walk across the bridge to find the nearby funicular railway to get back down to the Douro waterfront again. A good morning's work for the enthusiastic tourist; every aspect highly recommended.
6. Quinta dos Corvos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 793 reviews
Reviewed By Camper281294
We generally don't take up the offers of those who hand out "great deals" but this person was not pushy and was sincere and passionate about Quinta dos Corvos. After a short walk we found ourselves returning to this Port House. Our tour guide, Maria was very knowledgeable and also passionate about the process of Port production, the types of Port, the best pairings of food. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She did let us know about a 5 Euro discount if we purchased and more importantly that we would be eligible to have the VAT portion of the cost (14%) returned at the airport....( Just remember to ask for the paper work to be filled out before you leave.) All in all we saved about 18 Euros!!! Maria is also fluent in 5 languages. All in all a great way to spend part of an afternoon, met a couple of nice people from Scotland and came away with a vintage bottle of red wine and a rare 20 year old bottle of White Port. Obrigado Maria
7. Porto Calem
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,987 reviews
Welcome into the world of Port Wine. Welcome to Porto Cálem, a house that produces wines of a superior quality, widely recognized through successive international awards. Visit the cellars where our wines age for many years until they achieve their perfect balance and learn how to distinguish the different aromas and flavours in a wine tasting. Learn more about the unique landscape of the demarcated region of Douro Valley and get to know the features which make this wine a special and unique one. Take part in an unforgettable experience which will teach you how to really enjoy a Port.
Reviewed By 354tl - Wiesbaden, Germany
We learnt about the Calem family from the stock exchange tour. Isabel, our guide, gave us a professional and informative presentation of the history and production of various type of port wine and the Douro Valley. We did the €16 tour and tried 3 wines. Very generous portion! We cant compare the experiences but we had a good time in there and would recommend this tour.
8. Sandeman Cellars
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,873 reviews
Majestically situated across the Douro river, looking toward the historic centre of Porto, in a granite building dated 1797, The House of Sandeman invites you to an experience full of mystery and seduction, in a setting which balances a traditional yet cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Reviewed By Kostapps
I learned so much about Port wine throughout this tour thanks to a great tour guide who was extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the wines being presented. She made leaving beautiful Porto extremely difficult! Would recommend the tour to absolutely everyone, gives me even more of a reason to come back to this quaint and magical place. Kosta from Montreal
9. Teleferico de Gaia
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 3,310 reviews
Reviewed By suehQ3110XL - Port Elizabeth, South Africa
After walking across the Dom Luis bridge, this is a great way to go down to the river front. There are plenty of cable cars and so there is barely a wait for a car. The trip shows all the incredibly scenic views if the Douro River and offers great photos For such a short trip, 6E for a one way ticket is pretty steep.
10. Espaco Porto Cruz
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 867 reviews
Reviewed By gulbaharozgur1995
Great place and professional service given to us by the waiter called Diogo Broga :) Thank you very much ! Well done !
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