Your rail journeys:
Today we fly to Porto and continue by coach to Guimarães where we’ll check in to our hotel. This evening we’ll enjoy a welcome drink before dinner is served in the hotel’s restaurant.
After a leisurely breakfast our coach takes us to Porto, Portugal’s second largest city known for its port wine production. Many of the highlights are in the historic centre and our local guide will show us the Igreja de São Francisco, or Church of Saint Francis, which is the most prominent Gothic monument in Porto with an ornate Baroque interior. See the medieval Ribeira District where narrow cobbled streets wind past former merchants houses and admire the splendid 19th century neo-classical Palácio da Bolsa. Once home to the Stock Exchange, it was built to impress European investors. We’ll stop at São Bento Railway Station where the atrium is lined with magnificent azulejos, Portugal’s traditional ceramic tiles, before visiting the Tram Car Museum. Housed in an old thermoelectric power station, the museum has a fascinating collection of trams, trailers and vehicles.
After our visit you’ll have time at leisure for lunch. This afternoon we’ll enjoy a boat trip on the River Douro. The north bank is cluttered with fascinating houses whose characteristic colours cascade down the hillside. On the opposite side see the famous wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. Six magnificent bridges link the two banks of the river and we’ll pass under them all on this relaxing cruise. Dinner is served in the hotel this evening.
Hotel Santa Luzia
Situated on one of the oldest and most typical streets in the heart of Guimarães, the 4-star Hotel Santa Luzia combines modern art with the ancestry that characterises the town’s historical centre. Contemporary bedrooms with private bathrooms have air-conditioning, a minibar and cable TV. The hotel has a restaurant serving Portuguese and international cuisine and a patio bar. Facilities also include the Santa Luzia Arthotel Spa with indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish bath.