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DESTINATIONS PORTO


ABOVE: Douro Valley at Pinhao w WHERE TO GO NEXT


Once you know how Porto was built on the success of port wine, why not see where that wine comes from? The Douro Valley, a Unesco World Heritage area that skirts its namesake river, is a picture of luscious greenery. Over centuries of nurturing the land to produce plentiful grapes for port wine production, its distinctive hills are carved out like the contours of a map. Bridges have opened up easy


road access, taking roughly an hour and a half to drive to the picturesque town of Pinhão. It’s home to Quinta da Roeda, where visitors can tour the vineyard with its seven miles of vines, and learn how the port wine is produced for Croft. Agents can even arrange for their customers to get stuck in to treading the wine themselves. It’s a 30-minute version of the traditional four-hour process, but visitors can still get up to their knees in 3,000kg of grapes with a party vibe encouraged, in keeping with tradition. There are more boutique


hotels and guest houses popping up in the area as its tourism industry enjoys a surge. One fine example is Morgadio da Calçada, with rooms attached to a 17th- century mansion, which has been owned by the same family for centuries. Current owner Manuel Villas-Boas has even restored it in its original style. Now, the family not only grows


74 travelweekly.co.uk 14 June 2018


grapes but makes wine, as well as soap and other products. Its rooms are spacious and airy and Manuel invites guests for dinner, with home-cooked meals designed for sharing. Cod fish pie, a Portuguese speciality, is a favourite. The ambience feels like dinner


at a friend or family’s house, and with views over the impressive Douro Valley, what better place to drink to the history of Porto and its surrounding region with a glass of – you guessed it – port wine.


Getting there


Tap Air Portugal flies to Porto twice daily from Gatwick and has recently added a new route from London City, daily except Saturdays. With departures at 2.50pm, the airline hopes to capitalise on the quick check- in service at City – where passengers are guaranteed to get through security and bag-drop in 30 minutes – to capture the market of London-based workers taking a long weekend using only Friday afternoon as leave. For longer trips, Porto can be twinned with Portuguese capital Lisbon. Tap has daily departures to Lisbon from Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and Manchester. Fares from City to Porto start


at £71 one-way or £110 return. flytap.com


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