Your private guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you to central Porto to begin your panoramic tour of the city. Set off on foot, with your guide leading you through the narrow lanes and twisting streets of the old town to the Sé do Porto, the city’s hilltop cathedral, the Torre dos Clérigos, a Baroque church, and the Beaux Arts São Bento Train Station with its azulejo-tiled interior. En route, you’ll learn about the city’s history and culture and perhaps enjoy a quick pastry.
After you’ve taken a look around central Porto, your driver will take you to the outskirts of the city and the lookout at the Serra do Pilar Monastery where you can enjoy panoramic views of Porto below. From here, you’ll continue on to the Foz do Douro, the mouth of the Douro River, where sandy beaches and a scenic esplanade look out over the Atlantic.
Your next stop is across the river at the marina in Vila Nova de Gaia, where you’ll board your private boat and enjoy a lunch cruise on the Douro River. As you journey down the river, you’ll see the city sights from a different perspective and get an idea of what it was like for port traders to wrestle their heavily laden barges across the water to the port warehouses. As you cruise, you’ll pass under six bridges all dating from different eras and enjoy a hearty lunch of traditional Portuguese fare.
At the end of your cruise, your guide will take you back to your hotel.