14-Nights Flavors of Portugal & Spain featuring the Douro and Rioja Wine Regions - Explorations – Small Group

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. 

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.

Bilbao

Bilbao, the capital of Vizcaya Province, lies seven miles from the sea and has a coastline featuring rocks and steep cliffs, creeks and small estuaries; small fishing villages nestle in the inlets below green hills. The port of Bilbao is the largest in Spain and is built against the mountains. The city's fine museums include Fine Arts Museum and Guggenheim Museum. The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum is devoted to American and European art of the 20th century. The Fine Arts Museum specializes in paintings by Spanish masters. Our Lady of Begona Church is a 16th-century church on a hill with a good view of the city and valley. Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art is located in an old convent of Dominican nuns, a 16th-century, L-shaped cloister housing this fine museum with an outstanding exhibit of silversmiths' crafts that is one of the best collections in Spain. The Bullfighting Museum shows interesting bullfighting paraphernalia, such as costumes, photographs of famous toreros and a collection of posters. Visitors can try their gambling luck at Gran Casino Nervion.

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.