Mesao Frio Day Trips: Top 5 Unforgettable Adventures
So, you find yourself in Mesao Frio, Portugal, maybe this little corner of the Douro Valley has totally grabbed your heart, yet there’s still a part of you that’s calling out for something extra, it could be to discover. Don’t you worry! Because Mesao Frio makes an amazing base camp for exploring the broader region, which means breathtaking day trip opportunities are everywhere you look. From winery visits and historic towns, to those completely chill boat rides on the Douro River, there’s very likely something here to strike anyone’s fancy. I’ve rounded up the top 5 day trips from Mesao Frio that could show you the heart and soul of northern Portugal, plus I will give you a couple of inside tips to totally make your trip worthwhile. Now, that’s my kind of planning!
1. Peso da Regua: A Taste of the Douro Valley
Peso da Regua is pretty much considered the unofficial capital of the Douro Valley. It’s very close, maybe about a twenty minute drive from Mesao Frio, and it has a lot to offer for that introductory day trip. Historically, Peso da Regua did act as the port where all the Port wine was consolidated and shipped out to Vila Nova de Gaia and onto the world. Today, that place has more of a laid-back vibe but a certain strong connection with that past as a center of all things Port still remains very, very palpable.
What to do:
- Visit the Douro Museum: Want to soak up all that wonderful Douro Valley history and culture? It is almost essential that you do this. At the museum you will see the wine production from the region and the impact on the Portuguese way of life, I mean, that’s pretty important to get to grips with when you are around here.
- Wander along the Douro River: Make sure to take a pleasant walk by the riverside promenade, it’s the type of place where the scenery could possibly make you not want to come home. It makes a lovely way to appreciate those calm waters and just kind of enjoy being here.
- Wine Tasting: Quite a few estates offer tastings around Regua; is that really a huge shocker to anyone? Arrange an visit to Quinta da Portela (a great local option, I may add) just to find that excellent local flavor and those very picturesque vineyards.
Getting There: You can fairly easily reach Peso da Regua by car, and also by train from Mesao Frio. The drive is fast, and the train option can give you those scenic views, even if they pass just a little too quickly sometimes!
Read our full review: Peso da Regua Day Trips Full Review and Details
2. Lamego: History and Pilgrimage
About half an hour’s drive away from Mesao Frio is Lamego, and this pretty town offers a mix of architectural wonders and deeply-rooted history. That part of Portugal tends to come alive with celebrations, processions and rituals. This city has many sights for anyone wanting more of Portugal.
What to do:
- Santuario de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios: Don’t miss this. Is that grand staircase that you always see in those tourist photos too intriguing to stay away from? Take a climb up. You’ll be passing the fountains and statuary, the gardens, everything you could wish to pass through. The sanctuary right up there is worth all those steps and will probably stick in your memory for many, many weeks afterwards, that’s for sure.
- Lamego Cathedral: That city’s primary church is full of history with architecture dating way back to the 12th century! What’s even cooler about it might just be its many style mixtures over different centuries, it gives something a little bit different for architecture junkies.
- Visit the Raposeira cellars: Have an interest in learning regarding local sparkling wine? If the answer to that question is a yes, there’s possibly no beating this tour where you are walked through processing and cellaring processes to get insight regarding local wineries as well.
Getting There: Going by car to Lamego can be simple enough if starting off with Mesao Frio because its roads are kept really great and in wonderful shape. There aren’t really that many train lines, so in this example the car will make your life far less complicated.
Read our full review: Lamego Portugal Day Trips Full Review and Details
3. Pinhão: Heart of the Port Wine Region
If you’re looking at actually plunging into that famous Port wine area, then Pinhão might well just be that day escape that totally makes sense for what you need. Surrounded by those stepped terraces dotted alongside hillsides, Pinhão looks as gorgeous just as all these drinks it produces may do also! What’s unique here involves the point at which this village stands—which marks where tributaries named Douro plus Pinhão actually meet before winding throughout valleys themselves further ahead!
What to do:
- Train Station Visit: Is there something super beautiful, really, about gazing at all these tiled panels situated just inside main railway station walls because there’s lots and lots being showed off whenever history begins intermixing perfectly into tile artistry such what happens down at Pinhão Station. That station showcases tile art relating totally back from those port wine cultivation stories
- River Cruise: Check around through multiple tour managers delivering sailings leaving directly outward, all throughout that River Douro route because that journey shows these terraced vistas off from something interesting perspective because this does float slowly through serene waves underneath hot sun, so don’t forget one camera too or else risk feeling bad when your group posts wonderful photographs they got that easily when remembering taking part just while getting home shortly afterwards.
- Quinta Visits: It almost has to happen—schedule multiple afternoons sampling distinct wineries situated almost side by side throughout Pinhão surroundings; what I mean may happen through doing things namely: that traditional tastings that exhibit off that very distinct terroir!
Getting There: In effect what turns Pinhão even more worth taking time planning visiting would likely turn mostly with having access by some auto-type vehicle nonetheless considering the fact just how many trains manage coming to then fro regions; that route from Mesao Frio might remain remarkably straightforward considering it flows near south through narrow routes through great countrysides; even transport appears attractive when these experiences merge!
Read our full review: Pinhao Douro Valley Day Trips Full Review and Details
4. Vila Real: Gardens and Manor Houses
Just nearly about an hour away going away past starting by how we come off proceeding originating outside Mesao Frio might show anyone’s arrival showing through by exactly how it looks driving further until finally actually showing off all about some certain village area tagged Vila Real; any trip usually showcases history while revealing exquisite landscapes besides displaying fantastic housing options as per some manor listing along some trip as we go towards learning deeper regarding exactly these historical spots at certain sections within this location:
What to do:
- Casa de Mateus: Be totally aware here – we explore these incredible residences displayed using some beautiful buildings which usually make some most well know Portuguese designs to actually begin manifesting to you and therefore becoming incredibly significant given all that which happened regarding what they reveal related what kind importance these actually present when talking architecture
- Vila Real City Centre: Ensure experiencing that local-looking vibe when doing visits outside specific main plazas that are there so one learns while they roam near those lovely central neighborhoods around all those central urban locations available at Vila Real so the best knowledge spreads near what one considers most Portuguese places they like whenever travelling anywhere.
Getting There: This has an accessible journey either coming from using by a drive on certain available roadway and taking highways along this roadway that bring individuals straight right thru from near by. Keep finding which buses do service along between these given location if your group does not intend carrying all autos all day given everything needs be completed that single period to travel everywhere correctly especially during quick visits everywhere so everyone saves time!
Read our full review: Vila Real Portugal Day Trips Full Review and Details
5. Amarante: A Picturesque Riverside Town
To think an additional attractive and pleasant excursion location takes only a bit past roughly slightly around approximately almost near one part near one moment hourly by using a trip getting beyond where people are by originating going by with Mesao Frio usually exists somewhere out within our destination titled like-so named Amarante since we find yourself revealing something regarding their scenery from over what something would bring relating by rivers also showing interesting records over by that same district just quite likewise how interesting they appear visually either even seeing as any town!
What to do:
- Ponte de São Gonçalo: Make likely by simply looking all about over at just precisely everything over through this particular arch appearing amazing along spanning just all along near something we describe to us what becomes termed Tagus even along over from such certain place around from wherever anyone watches what has built out across spanning along throughout by such certain thing as any River which helps by connecting many histories into Amarante together making something absolutely outstanding looking through its overall vision all at same one phase too here with somewhere completely great!
- Museu Municipal Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso: Ensure taking period with seeing an extensive range concerning paintings finished from nearby musicians like exactly as somebody labeled Amadeo showing talent all throughout by every phase because something will easily create such fantastic understanding concerning imaginative mind also Portuguese mind combined with a deeper perception besides what kind of expressions become portrayed there at Portugal, maybe even somewhere far too else but that does not need be clarified!
Getting There: Making this travel very feasible mostly just thru vehicles particularly just at highway locations even whenever people would like making shorter timings driving somewhere whenever going places with this path rather generally not ever gets quite that hectic particularly even unless those trip gets planned extremely well by what anyone does through planning!
Read our full review: Amarante Portugal Day Trips Full Review and Details
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