268 Port anD the Douro
The remote town of Vila Nova da Foz Côa in the Douro Superior boasts a richly
decorated parish church. Foz Côa has also become the centre for visiting the extraordinary
Côa Valley archaeological park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Between 1992 and
1995, a whole series of Palaeolithic engravings were discovered, etched into the rock
along a 20-kilometre stretch of the River Côa. A number of engravings in the lower
reaches of the Côa Valley undoubtedly disappeared under the waters of the Douro when
it was dammed in the 1970s, and for a time in the early 1990s it seemed as though
the remainder might vanish under a new dam to be built near Vila Nova da Foz Côa.
Fortunately the dam was shelved and a number of archaeological sites in the Côa Valley
have been opened up to visitors. A museum is being built above the half-completed
dam and the engravings, mostly depicting wild animals, can be visited by four-wheel
drive vehicles from visitor centres at Castelo Melhor and Muxagata. The existence of
the engravings had been common knowledge among local shepherds long before the
archaeologists ‘discovered’ the site. At one place on the Côa, a local wit has added to the
prehistoric graffiti, etching a charming picture of the old Douro paciência (steam train)
into the schist!
where to stay in oPorto anD vila
nova De gaia
Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia are well served by hotels although, until recently, there were
not many with any real character. The Yeatman Hotel () in Vila Nova de Gaia is the
most luxurious and atmospheric place to stay. Recently built by the family who own Taylor,
Fonseca and Croft, The Yeatman is a wine-themed hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant
and bedrooms that look out over a swimming pool, the river and the city beyond. On the
opposite side of the river, the Hotel Infante de Sagres () in Oporto city centre was
built in the 1930s and has a spacious interior and an elegant dining room. The Pestana
Porto (**) is probably the best place to stay to soak up the atmosphere of the city. It
occupies a terrace of restored houses on the waterfront and overlooks the Port lodges on
the opposite side of the Douro. It can, however, be noisy, especially during São João. The
nearby Hotel da Bolsa (**) is convenient for visiting both the Port lodges and city centre
whereas Hotel Boa Vista at Foz () is quieter, outside the city overlooking the mouth of
the Douro.
where to stay in the Douro
When I first went to the Douro in 1979, it was very much a place for travellers rather than
tourists. Hardy souls would return from the region bristling with tales of privation and
discomfort. Hotel accommodation was non-existent and a visitor to the Douro would easily
recognise Henry Vizetelly’s description from a century earlier: