Povoa de Varzim Things To Do

There’s a healthy music scene, with DJs competing to attract crowds to rival beachfront clubs, the biggest casino in the north of Portugal and a choice of excellent seafood restaurants – as you would expect from an old fishing village – so anyone looking for a good time is unlikely to be disappointed.

Holidays in Póvoa de Varzim will find beaches that stretch for over 7 miles and that are ideal for family holidays, with water-slides, cafes, and facilities for water sports and tennis. Further away from the town there area surfing beaches, including Salgueira and Aguçadoura, and the Rio Alto Beach which is quieter and where naturists often go to soak up the sun amongst the dunes.

 

Neighbouring Vila do Conde is a peaceful place renowned for its lace – there is a lace-making school and museum - and its sweet cakes, pasteis de Santa Clara. The town of Rates has the splendid 12th-century church of São Pedro. Guimarães was Portugal’s first capital and is a World Heritage Site. It features a very well preserved medieval quarter as well as fine Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architecture. Less than 20 miles inland lies Braga, the ‘Portuguese Rome’, famed for its magnificent Italianate churches, grand 18th century houses, beautifully landscaped gardens and spectacular torchlit processions during Easter Holy Week.

 

No holiday in Portugal would be complete without a visit to Oporto, home of the famous port wine, a magnificent Romanesque cathedral, and the Ribeira. This ancient heart of the city is a UNESCO Heritage site with narrow cobbled streets and colourful traditional houses, and it also has a wide choice of lively bars and restaurants. Oporto may be explored on foot, viewed from a boat on the Douro or seen from the electrico, the tram which runs along the coast. The Dom Luis Bridge offers unbeatable panoramas, with the Ribeira on one bank and the Vila Nova de Gaia on the other. The Vila Nova is where the famous port cellars are to be found – tours of which are recommended.

 

Another UNESCO Heritage Site. The valley, with its stunning backdrop of centuries-old terraced vineyards and pretty towns, can be explored by road, steam train, hiking trail or from the River Douro itself. All kinds of boats make trip up the valley, from hotel boats to mini yachts, with prices reflecting the comfort, food and length of the journey.