500 metres across the Douro river from Porto sits Vila Nova de Gaia - a town that officially is not Porto, but without which no port wine would exist. This is where the oldest fortified-wine houses are based: Taylor's from 1692, Sandeman from 1790, Graham's from 1820. You walk over the famous Dom Luis I bridge and you are immediately in the cellars storing the drink England demanded when it set up barricades against French wines three centuries ago.

You do not come here only for tastings. The lodges are the heavy part of the story - but the most compelling new interest is WOW (World of Wine), a new complex that translates wine history into art rather than tourist mumbo-jumbo. The vaults that kept stock for centuries now also house a Michelin-starred restaurant, while the waterfront still carries the original rabelo boats - the same ones that used to ferry casks down the Douro.

For the walking tourist: take the Gaia cable car, walk along the wooden bridges by the river, and do not miss Serra do Pilar - a monastery garden with the most beautiful view of Porto. There are beaches at the far end too - Praia de Lavadores and Praia de Miramar - and a 17th-century chapel built on a rock, called Senhor da Pedra.

On a Balkan budget, Gaia is the more sensible option compared to Porto for accommodation - under the same bridge, but prices are about a third lower. Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia, opened in 2025, turns Portugal's oldest winery into a luxury hotel, but there are also smaller guesthouses in the neighbourhood at 60-80 euros a night. Ideal for a three-day weekend - morning coffee by the river, and a port at sunset.