Vila Nova de Gaia

Vila Nova de Gaia sits on the southern side of the Douro River and stretches from the waterfront to the Atlantic coast with a series of sandy beaches. The old port wine lodges line the riverside promenade, while residential neighborhoods climb gently up the hillsides.

The settlement grew from the Roman site of Cale on the riverbank and developed through medieval times into an important trading post. Its current status as a separate municipality was set in 1834, when it was administratively divided from neighboring Porto.

The wine lodge district along the riverfront still carries the names of British merchant families from the 18th century, showing the long connection between England and the region. Many cellars offer tastings where visitors can learn about different aging stages and styles directly at the place where barrels rest.

The area is best explored on foot along the riverside walkway, with the cable car offering a quick link between waterfront and higher neighborhoods. The metro connects several stations within the municipality and makes it easier to reach different areas and beaches.

More than fifty port wine lodges store wines in their granite walls that are sometimes over a century old and continue to age in oak barrels. Some of these operations still follow the same methods passed down through generations.