Many cities around Porto, such as Aveiro, Guimarães and Braga, are already on the tourism radar, but have you ever heard about the city of Amarante? This small town belongs to the Porto district and is less than an hour’s drive away or about an hour and a half by bus (with the option of using FlixBus, which offers prices below five euros, depending on the dates).

The historic center of this cosy city is mainly concentrated between 31 de Janeiro Street and the São Gonçalo Church, which was built between the 1500s and 1600s. However, there is more to explore, and we definitely recommend a full day to enjoy the cafés and restaurants by the Tâmega River, where you’ll see spectacular and peaceful views of the church and the São Gonçalo Bridge itself. In the cafés, you’ll find the famous “caralhos de São Gonçalo”, a typical local biscuit with a peculiar shape, covered in refined sugar – available in all sizes, filled or not.

For those traveling with family (or even those who haven’t lost their sense of fun), you can take paddleboat rides on the Tâmega River for just 10€ per hour, having a different perspective of the city landscape. Speaking of the Tâmega, another great attraction is Praia Fluvial Aurora (Aurora River Beach), where you can lay out your towels on the riverbanks to cool off or swim in the water on hot days. Along the river, there are also two different trails (Azenhas Trail or Castanheiros Trail) for all the adventurous ones.

If you’re an art fan, be sure to visit the Municipal Museum Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, which displays works by great artists and writers from Amarante. To finish the day, you can explore the city’s bars at night to taste some craft beers and, of course, enjoy dinners that only the northern Portuguese know how to make.

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