4 Best Sights in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto

Steps from the Douro, a network of former cellars have been repurposed as a new cultural district showcasing Porto's importance to the global wine industry. With several museums, numerous places to eat and drink, art galleries, shops, and a wine school, you could easily spend several days exploring everything that World of Wine has to offer. Highlights include a chocolate factory (think Willy Wonka, but with more advice on pairing chocolate with Port wine), and the Pink Palace: an Instagram-ready museum dedicated to rosé wines. Here, visitors can jump into pink ball pools, visit an Old West saloon bar, and climb inside a vintage pink Cadillac. 

With a prime location on the banks of the river in downtown Vila Nova de Gaia, Mercado Beira-Rio is a modern food hall that opened as part of the area’s riverside revitalization. It features numerous stands selling everything from pizza and steaks to wine and fresh fruit salads. There are terrace tables and communal seating indoors, ideal for sheltering from Porto’s infamous rain. 

Sandeman's distinctive logo can be seen from across the river, and the image of cable cars soaring over the black, cloaked silhouetted figure is an unforgettable one. Scotsman George Sandeman founded the brand in London in 1790, and the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia have been in use since 1811. A museum here re-creates 19th-century London through photographs and other artifacts, and visitors can also explore the cellars and sample the famous drink.

If your feet are tired, skip climbing up Vila Nova de Gaia's steep hills on foot and hop on the cable car, which offers sweeping views of the Douro River and the Ribeira.