We took advantage of the fact that my brother came to spend a few days in Portugal and we arranged a trip to celebrate my birthday Aveiro, Harbor and the region of Douro, places I had been wanting to visit for a long time. We left on Saturday, October 30th, and returned on Wednesday, November 3rd, but we know we will have to go back slowly because we still have some places to visit in Porto and our only day in the Douro was in the rain, so we just stayed at the hotel pool.

Despite being rushed, the trip was a delight because I was able to spend a lot of time with my brother and get to know the North region for the first time, which is very different from everything we have seen in Portugal.

Summary Itinerary

• Saturday – We left Cascais, stopped in Aveiro, had lunch, walked around and continued on to Vila Nova de Gaia, where we stayed. We walked along the riverbank in VNG and had dinner there, with a view of Porto.
• Sunday – As it was raining, we went to SeaLife, drove through Matosinhos, visited WOW – where we had lunch, and then walked around Porto.
• Second – The sun came out and we walked around Porto all day and ended the day in VNG.
• Third– We left in the morning for the Douro, arriving at the hotel around 1 pm. We had lunch at the hotel restaurant and then spent the whole afternoon enjoying the heated pool. We went out for dinner at the restaurant recommended by the hotel.
• Fourth– We had a hearty breakfast at 8am and left straight for Cascais, stopping only at a gas station for the boys to get some food. calls of work.

Accommodations

• Porto / Vila Nova de Gaia – we stayed in a super modern 2-bedroom apartment in Vila Nova de Gaia with a SPECTACULAR VIEW of Porto. It was expensive, but it was worth it to have that view every day! Breakfast is served every day in a picnic basket that is delivered to the apartment. I thought it was really cute and I’ll post photos in the details below. This is the place: Oh! Porto Apartments. I recommend it!
• Douro – we chose a hotel with an indoor pool because we knew that the weather in November tends to be rainy. We also wanted to have a view of the Douro from the rooms and also a restaurant because we were with a baby and a child, so our choice was Douro Royal Valley Hotel & Spa. A large, charmless hotel, but with an indoor pool that was excellent for us to enjoy with the kids.

Now let's get to the details! 😉

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Saturday (10/30/2021)

We left Cascais around 11am and had to stop at a gas station 30 minutes away because Jujuba gave us the biggest “gift” ever. Then we continued straight to Aveiro, arriving there around 2pm. What a beautiful city! <3 I was impressed by how clean and well-maintained the city was. I didn't see any abandoned buildings in the city center, as is common in Portuguese cities, I didn't see any trash on the streets or sidewalks full of holes. I saw charming houses, well-kept gardens and even an entire public playground without graffiti or broken toys. I swear I felt like I was in another country...

Lunch in Aveiro

We parked the car in the parking lot of Fórum Aveiro, a very central and modern shopping mall, and headed to the The Iron Duke pub, as we had reserved a table for lunch. We were very well attended to and ate burgers with beers (not me) that went down really well.

Getting to know Aveiro

After lunch, we walked a little through the town center towards the canal to take a ride on a typical moliceiro boat. My brother stopped at Peixinho Confectionery to buy the famous Ovos Moles de Aveiro and only now, when I went to their website, did I see that they are the oldest house selling ovos moles in the city, founded in 1856. It's no wonder there was a line when he was there. I tried the sweets he bought and I confess that I didn't like them very much, but if you like sweets with eggs, go for it!

Unfortunately it started to rain and so we gave up on the boat ride. We went back to the Forum so Paddy could go to the playground, but the rain got heavier and the little guy could only go down the slide once. It was a shame. We stopped at a gourmet brigadeiro shop, Brigs, and I ordered a cheesecake and another one recommended by the owner, but I confess that I found them too fancy for my taste. I prefer the little black one.

Arriving in Vila Nova de Gaia

We took a stroll around the Forum, which has lots of cool shops and a very interesting open-air shopping mall structure, and then we got in the car to head to our apartment. When we arrived in Vila Nova de Gaia, we went straight to the Parking lot Ponte Luiz I, because we had received a message from the hotel telling us to park on the top floor of the parking lot because the building would be right next door. We drove up the 9 floors of the parking lot and when we left, there was our renovated building among several other older ones (and some even falling apart). We paid 17 euros per day to park there, but if you book in advance through their app, you can pay a little over 12 euros. I even tried to make the reservation, but I put the wrong parking lot – Dom Luiz – and it was a mess to fix.

Our apartment in Vila Nova de Gaia

We entered our apartment Oh! Porto Apartments, which was on the top floor of the building, and we were amazed by the view! It really is what we see in the photos on Booking and much more! It's much better in person. 🙂

Exploring Vila Nova de Gaia

We took some photos of the late afternoon, packed our things, had a snack and went out on foot to explore the main street of VNG, which is on the banks of the Douro River. It was super pleasant. Diogo Leite Avenue It is full of restaurants and shops, there is plenty of space to walk around and we even found a playground that was a hit with the little one. Behind it are the famous port wine warehouses.

Dinner in Vila Nova de Gaia

We tried to dine at several restaurants without reservations, but all of them had their outside tables occupied. We ended up getting seated at The George Gastro & Cocktail Bar, but to our surprise the kitchen was already closing. We ordered our drinks and asked if we could buy the famous cupcakes from Portuguese Codfish Cake House, and luckily, the answer was YES. We bought some and that was our dinner! lol

On the way back to the apartment, we took the elevator from the Ponte Luiz I parking lot to the eighth floor and then went up the hill to the ninth floor, where our car was and the parking lot exit. We got out at the door of our building and were home in no time. I could only imagine us climbing the hills to the top, what a purpose that would be.

This elevator is a great tip for anyone staying at the top of Vila Nova de Gaia!

Day 2 – Sunday (10/31/2021)

We woke up and unfortunately the day was horrible and very foggy! How sad that was…

We waited until 8:30 and called reception to order our breakfast. A young man handed us a huge picnic basket full of delicious snacks and we ate very calmly while we watched the fog slowly disappear.

Getting to Know Sea Life

We got ready and drove to the Sea Life, since the weather continued to be bad. We parked in a nearby parking lot, which was a bit broke to be honest, and walked to the aquarium. We paid 13.95 euros per adult and 9.50 euros for Paddy, who was 3 years and 8 months old at the time. We took the classic photo at the entrance that costs a fortune – I always make a point of taking it, against my husband’s wishes, of course… lol – and started the tour.

I found the space to be quite cramped and more crowded than I would have liked, but it was really cool to see the little one's excitement with so many different animals. Halfway through the tour, we went out to see the penguins in an outdoor tank and then went back to the tour. indoor. I think that since it had been very little time since we had visited the Lisbon Oceanarium – see more details here – I wasn’t that impressed, but I think it’s a really cool tour to do with kids when you’re in the area. We loved walking through the tunnel with sharks swimming over our heads!

Getting to know Matosinhos

At the end, right outside the store where we bought some souvenirs and took the photo, there was a playground that was great for Paddy to burn off some energy. We stayed there for a while and then went to explore the city of Matosinhos, since it was raining. Look how cute:

Getting to Know the World of Wine

When hunger began to set in, we headed to the WOW, world of wine, in Vila Nova de Gaia, because I had read that there were several interesting restaurants with views of the city of Porto. We parked the car in their own parking lot and went looking for a restaurant that would accept us without a reservation. We struggled a bit to find one, but we finally managed to reserve a table through the app. The Fork node VP Brunch. We really liked the food, but we found the service confusing and slow. It seemed like a new restaurant with poorly trained staff, but I didn't check when they opened. The fact is that the view from the place is beautiful and the entire WOW complex is charming. We didn't get to do the tours there, but I imagine they would be interesting for those who don't have very young children. Who knows, maybe one day...

Getting to know Porto in the rain

We left there in the rain and parked the car in the parking lot in front of the Stock Exchange Palace, in Porto. Our idea was to visit the Palace, but when we arrived at the ticket office the tickets for the day were already sold out. We started walking towards Clérigos Tower and Church, but the rain started to get heavier and we went under the rain. Patrick was so excited that he was wearing his galoshes and could step and jump in all the puddles along the way that he didn't even feel his legs getting tired from all the stairs and hills we climbed. Holy galoshes!

Church of the Clerics

We entered the church, which was built in the 18th century with baroque inspirations and it is beautiful! We didn't climb the 225 steps of the famous tower because the rain was torrential, we were exhausted and we still had 2 children to carry...lol. They say the view of the city is spectacular, so here's a tip. 😉

Then we crossed Praça de Lisboa through the really cool open-air shopping mall there and tried to visit the Lello Bookstore, but poof… there was a HUGE line even with the rain that wouldn’t stop. Of course we didn’t stay in line, right… We’ll have to wait for the next one too.

We kept walking and went to the Carmo Church, which has a 1912 side panel with tiles painted by Silvestre Silvestri. It's beautiful inside and out!

We left there and went to rest in Costa Coffee Inside the mall. When we left, it was already dark and we even thought about walking to the Palácio da Bolsa parking lot, but we realized that there was no electricity in the area, so it was pitch black. In addition, a man came to offer us marijuana, so we thought it would be wiser to take a taxi to our car. We spent the whole time in the car listening to the taxi driver complain about the rental prices, among other things, and it was actually a relief when we got out of the taxi... lol. What a tough conversation! We were quickly back at the apartment eating our pasta with ready-made Bolognese sauce that we brought from home.

Day 3 – Monday (11/01/2021)

We woke up to fog, but then the sun came out while we ate our breakfast brought in the picnic basket. Joy, joy!

Getting to know Porto in the sun

We set off on foot excitedly and took advantage of the fact that our apartment was already at the top of Vila Nova de Gaia and headed towards Serra de Pilar Monastery. We passed by Hill Garden and in front of the Gaia Cable Car, and we arrived at Ribeira Viewpoint, which has a spectacular view.

Louis I Bridge

We crossed the famous Louis I Bridge on the left side and Patrick loved seeing the subway train passing so close to the pedestrians. It was built between 1881 and 1886, is 45 meters high and 392 meters long and its engineer was a disciple of Gustave Eiffel (Yes, the man responsible for the famous Tower). See more information here.

Porto Cathedral

We left the bridge and first went to visit the See, Porto Cathedral. We walked around Terreiro da Sé, paid 3 euros to visit the Cloisters and then went into the Cathedral to take a quick look at it, as there was a mass taking place there. The building was built as a church-fortress in the 12th and 13th centuries, but was modified several times until the 18th century. This was the place where Prince Henry the Navigator was baptized and where King John I married Philippa of Lancaster in 1397.

Sao Bento Station

We then went to see the famous Sao Bento Station, which is considered one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. Completed in 1903, it looks like it was imported from 19th century Paris. Its beautiful and enormous blue panels with 20 thousand tiles were created in 1930 by Jorge Colaço and show important battles and also a bit of the history of transportation.

We continued walking through the pleasant Flower Street, which is pedestrian only and has really cute houses. We stopped at the store Castelbel, because I wanted to buy some things, then we went to Stock Exchange Palace buy tickets for a later visit, and we head to the Riverside, a super pleasant area of the city that is right next to the Douro.

Lunch in Porto

The day was lovely and all the restaurants with outdoor seating were full, but we managed to get a table in the heart of Ribeira at the hotel restaurant. Pestana Vintage Porto. We paid more than we would have liked, of course, but it was worth it. All the dishes were delicious and we were able to relax and enjoy the area, which is very lively and lively. We stayed there until close to the time of our visit and then went straight to the Palácio da Bolsa.

Stock Exchange Palace

Our 30-minute tour started on time and thankfully, our pups behaved beautifully. We were impressed by the beauty of the interior of the Palace, which was built between 1842 and 1910. Courtyard of Nations right at the entrance is where the operations took place and it left us speechless. We then took the elevator – since we had a stroller – to see the other rooms in the building, and each one has its own charm. However, the Arab Hall It's amazing. What a monumental space! Even Patrick was impressed! 🙂 Detail that there is inside 18kg of gold in the details of the ceiling, pillars, walls and floor.

Church of St. Francis

We left very excited about what we saw and went to Church of St. Francis, which is right next to the Palace. When they told us that we had to pay 7.50 euros to enter, my brother thought it was unnecessary and we kept walking. I can't wait to visit it in February, when we'll be traveling to the city again, so I'll tell you about it later here.

Dinner in Vila Nova de Gaia

We crossed the Luiz I Bridge this time from below, but because of the construction that was underway, we didn't see anything interesting. We walked along the Diogo Leite Avenue, we went back to the playground for P to have fun and when we started to get hungry, we chose the restaurant UVA by Calém for our last meal in town. We got a table outside right next to a heater and loved the service and food. Highly recommend!

We returned to the apartment feeling very tired, but very happy with the super complete day.

Day 4 – Tuesday (11/02/2021)

We had our super breakfast once again and packed our things to do the checkout.

We hit the road towards our last hotel of the trip, the Douro Royal Valley Hotel & Spa. The kids and I slept beautifully in the car while the two grown men chatted the whole trip and enjoyed the view too. We arrived at the hotel around 1pm and I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about it. I thought it was a big white elephant in the green and picturesque landscape of the region. The interior is modern and the great charm of the decor is the view of the river, which unfortunately was foggy.

Lunch at the hotel

We arrived around 1pm and were told our rooms weren't ready, but I doubt that since it was as empty as it was, there really wasn't anything available. We went to the restaurant, which is right next to the reception and also has a view of the river, and we were the only ones there to have lunch for almost an hour. Pretty sad, I thought. Some people arrived later, but we still had an empty feeling, I don't know. The food was good, the service was OK, but if I could go back in time, I would look for another place to have lunch.

Our room

We left the restaurant and finally they gave us the keys to our rooms. We left our things, got ready and went straight to the hotel's indoor pool, which is on the seventh floor, if I'm not mistaken. I made sure to get a hotel with an indoor pool so my brother could enjoy the water with his nephews, so it was perfect to spend the whole afternoon with them in a warm, clean environment that was practically just for us. If it hadn't been raining, we probably would have gone out to do some sightseeing, but we weren't that bothered by the rain in this scenario... lol. Oh, it was Jubs' first time in the pool and she loved it! 🙂

The hotel's swimming pools

In addition to the outdoor infinity pool, we saw that there are 2 heated indoor pools, one inside the SPA and the other outside. The SPA area did not accept children, so we stayed in the other one. While we were at the pool, we called to reserve a table at one of the restaurants recommended by the hotel, Seeing the Douro, and we enjoyed the relaxing moment until we had to get ready.

Dinner in Douro

We got ready, quickly stopped by their Kids Club, which is a very boring little room, and left 10 minutes before our reservation. When we arrived at the restaurant Seeing the Douro, we were served by the owner, a very friendly lady, and by a very dear waitress who was delighted with the children. The restaurant is super cozy and to our surprise, we were the only ones there, but the owner told us that until the holiday Monday they were full every night. Although some dishes were out of stock, we ate what she recommended and loved it. We returned to the hotel very satisfied.

Day 5 – Wednesday (11/03/2021)

We had a great breakfast at buffet We left the hotel and said goodbye to the wonderful view – even with the fog – from our room, wanting more. When we left the hotel, the day was already getting sunnier and we could see the difference it makes… We will definitely return to this region more calmly and I hope it is sunny! 🙂

On the way back to Cascais, we stopped at a gas station with a really cool convenience store so my Marcelos could have work meetings and I stayed with the kids to invent something to pass the time. We arrived home safely and are already planning our next trips! 🙂