Flavors of Portugal & Spain: Featuring Douro & Rioja Wine Regions

Lisbon
Spread across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tejo, Lisbon offers all the delights you’d expect of Portugal’s star attraction, yet with half the fuss of other European capitals. Gothic cathedrals, majestic monasteries and quaint museums are all part of the colorful cityscape, but the real delights of discovery lie in wandering the narrow lanes of Lisbon’s lovely backstreets. The Lisbon experience encompasses so many things, from enjoying a fresh pastry and bica (espresso) on a petite leafy plaza to window-shopping in elegant Chiado. It’s mingling with Lisboêtas at a neighborhood festival or watching the sunset from the old Moorish castle.

Porto
Porto, known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and is located in northern Portugal. The city dates back to the 4th century. Porto’s city center is one of the oldest city centers in Europe. One of Portugal’s well known exports, port wine, is named for Porto since the metropolitan and surrounding area was responsible for the production and export of the fortified wine.

Port Wine Tastings
Northern Portugal is known for its port wine – enjoy opportunities to taste this local favorite at more than one tasting. The city Porto is known for this wine – which is alluded to in the wine’s name. The Douro River Valley is also famous for its green hills and port wine grapes.

Braga
Braga is the home to the revered Bom Jesus, a towering cathedral sitting on top of a hill. Its gray-and-white zigzagging staircase invites visitors to climb to the top. At the peak, stand in awe before views of the town below that are worth the twisting ascent.

Douro River Valley
Home to seemingly endless rows of flourishing grapes, the Douro River Valley is a prominent wine region in Portugal. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has been producing wine for an estimated 2,000 years. However, it wasn’t until the 18th century that the region started creating its famous port wine. Traditionally, the barrels of wine were transported down the river by means of a wooden rabelo boat. These flat-bottomed boats would carry wine from the vineyards into the surrounding regions.

Douro River Cruise
Marvel at the rows of twisting vines, lush trees, and colorful houses from a different perspective on a Douro River Cruise. Navigate along the most picturesque landscapes of the Douro River on a traditional wooden rabelo boat. These boats were used to transport port wine down the river.

Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in northwestern Spain, and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca. It sits 120 miles west of Madrid and 50 miles east of the Portuguese border. Salamanca is one of the most important university cities in Spain and attracts many international students. The university, the University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, along with tourism are the primary sources of income in Salamanca.

La Rioja
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province in Spain, located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is known for the Rioja Destination of Origin wines. This area of Spain has over 500 wineries and is internationally known for the quality of its wine. This region of Spain also offers a range of activities in and around the vineyards, such as horseback riding, hot air ballooning and more.

Pamplona
Pamplona is the historical capital city of Navarre, in Spain. Pamplona is located in the center of Navarre, in a rounded valley, that links the mountainous North with the Erbo valley. It is 37 miles from Bilbao and 253 miles from Madrid. The historic city center is on the left bank of the Arga River. Pamplona is most famous for the running of the bulls during the San Fermin festival, which is held every year from July 6th to 14th.

San Sebastián
San Sebastian is a coastal city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 12 miles from the French border. The main economic activities here are commerce and tourism, and it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Spain partly because of its picturesque shoreline. San Sebastian will be chosen as the European Capital of Culture for the year 2016.

Bilbao
Bilbao is a borough and the capital of the province of Biscay in northern Spain. Bilbao is situated in north central Spain 8.7 miles south of the Bay of Biscay. The borough of Bilbao was founded in the 14th century. Bilbao as a city was not an emerging tourist destination until the late 1990s with the inauguration of the Guggenheim Museum. Bilbao is also a popular destination for business tourism with its new conference and exhibition centers.

Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art located in Bilbao, Spain. The museum is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao. The museum Is one of several belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and features permanent and visiting exhibitions of works by Spanish and international artists. The museum was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The museum was inaugurated on October 18th, 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who was the king of Spain at the time.

Flavors of Portugal & Spain: Featuring Douro & Rioja Wine Regions

Turim Boulevard Hotel
Av. Da Liberdade 159, Lisbon, Portugal


Turim Porto Hotel
Praca da Trindade, 115, Porto, Portugal


The Wine House Hotel - Quinta da Pacheca
Rua do Relógio do Sol, 261, Douro River Valley, Portugal


NH Collection Palacio de Castellanos
c/San Pablo 58, Salamanca, Spain


Eurostars Fuerte Ruavieja
C. Ruavieja, 22-28, La Rioja, Spain


NH Collection Aranzazu
Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1, San Sebastian, Spain