14-Nights Flavors of Portugal & Spain: Featuring Douro & Rioja Wine Regions

Douro Valley

The Douro Valley in Portugal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site devoted to vineyards. Port wine production and beautiful scenery sculpted by the Douro River are highlights of the region. Enjoy the local cuisine, bike, canoe or cruise along the Douro, and drink in the unforgettable beauty of the area that has inspired many poets, writers, chefs and painters.

San Sebastian

The famous aristocratic beach resort of great reputation during last century still conserves its exclusive and cosmopolitan ambience. Its beautiful buildings and excellent beaches still today make it a privileged holiday destination.

La Rioja

An autonomous province in Spain, located north of the Iberian Peninsula, this town along with its neighboring towns produce over 500 wineries. Famous for its quality of wine, La Rioja compliments its gastronomical spectrum pairing the vibrant and fragrant wines with flavors influenced from the Middle East and the Western Europe. 

Salamanca

The ancient city of Salamanca, famous for its university founded by Alfonso IX in the early 1200s, is well preserved, with turreted palaces, faded convents, Romanesque churches, and colleges that have attracted scholars from all over Europe. Nearly all the attractions are within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor. In its day, Salamanca was ranked with Oxford, Paris, and Bologna as one of "the four leading lights of the medieval world." The intellectual life continues to this day, and a large invasion of American students brings added life to the town in summer. Still a youthful, spirited place because of the venerable Salamanca University, the city has been named a "World Heritage City" by UNESCO, one of six such cities in Spain.

Porto (Oporto)

Porto (Oporto), Portugal's second largest city, is full of interest, and the district it heads offers the visitor plenty to see. Along the coast, there are resorts like the cosmopolitan beach of Espinho, busy ports like Matosinhos, with splendid seafood, or traditional fishing towns like Póvoa de Varzim, and there is also an animated casino. Charming Amarante has 17th century mansions overlooking the river and is famous for a sweet egg pastries called "papos de anjo" (angel bellies). In Vila Nova de Gaia, there are lodges where Port wine is blended and aged and where tasting are offered, or visitors may take a river cruise along the Douro. The whole district is filled with prosperous towns, but there are also many calm roads with wonderful views over the river and a rugged and still unspoilt coastline.

Lisbon

Portugal’s capital is an 18th-century city - elegant, open to the sea and carefully planned. Most places of interest are within easy walking distance. Rossio Square, the heart of Lisbon since medieval times, is an ideal place to start exploring. Many rebuilt houses with original façades provide stores and restaurants with modern interiors. High above Baixa is Bairro Alto - with its teeming nightlife. There are many monuments and museums, such as San Jeronimos Monastery, Royal Coach Museum and Gulbenkian Museum. Two well-known landmarks are the Monument to the Discoveries and the Tower of Belem. A statue of Christ looms above Europe’s longest suspension bridge. Madragoa, Bica and Bairro Alto, Lisbon’s older sections, offer a variety of sights: the Church of Sao Roque, with its beautiful tiles; St. George Castle, which offers a splendid view from its location above the Alfama quarter; the botanical gardens, featuring an unusual, cold greenhouse; and the cathedral, stunning with its Moorish design. Renowned Gulbenkian Museum is the cultural center of Portugal.