Lamego

Lamego is a quaint Portugese town settled in the vineyard-covered hills of the Douro Valley region. The Douro Valley region is not only famous for its red and port wine production, they also produce great sparkling wine.  It is a prosperous and rich city known for its elegance and Baroque architecture and wine. From the tile covered churches and chapels, to one of the largest  sparkling wine producing cities in Portugal, there is so much to do in Lamego. 

I fell in love with Lamego. My husband and I were staying in Quinta da Pacheca about 20 minutes away from the main city and wanted to explore the city. Oh yeah, we also wanted to taste some sparkling wine! After 3 days of tasting port wine I wanted to switch it up and go taste some sparking wine,  so we did! 

How to get to Lamego?

Lamego is about an hour and a half away from Porto. If you are coming from out of town or out of the country then Porto will be the best city to start your route.

• Train- If you are coming from Porto, it will take you approximately 1 hr and 51 mins. There are different times the trains do run so I would suggest you click here for more information and tickets.
• Car- If you are coming from Porto it will take you about 1 hour and a half depending what route you take.
• Bus- There are a few buses that can take you to Lamego from Porto. It can take up to 2 hours because of the frequent stops throughout other cities.

Depending on where you are coming from I would recommend renting a car. My husband and I walked A LOT throughout the city. Most of the tourist spots are in the main plaza and all of that is walking distance. But if we wanted to visit other parts of Lamego we would have to get a taxi and it tends to get expensive.

What to do in Lamego?

There are so many things to do in Lamego! There's plenty of restaurants, pastry shops, wine tastings, museums, castles and cathedrals that you can visit. Lamego is a city with so much culture and delicious food it feels like you stepped right in to a postcard.

Lamego is famously known for the Santuario Nossa Senhora dos Remedios, a 18th century monument that has a granite staircase of 686 steps adorned with azulejo tiles. Along the way of the staircase there are statues and small chapels along the way. Once you reach to the top you will be mesmerized by the unforgettable views of Lamego, don't forget to bring your camera and wear comfortable shoes! If you go during August then you're really in for a treat because that is when the Festas de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios takes place, an annual pilgrimage to the shrine where many penitents climb the steps on their knees. The festivities include concerts, dancing parties, a fair, and a torchlight processions. You definitely don't want to miss it! For more information click here.

You can also visit Quinta da Pacheca one of the most visited wine estates in the Douro Valley Region, it has also been given the Best of Wine Tourism* award a consecutive amount of times. My husband and I stayed there and absolutely loved it! You can book a tour of the grounds and have port wine tastings and olive oil tastings. The grounds of Quinta da Pacheca are breathtaking. If you love taking instagram pictures then I would HIGHLY recommend you stop by this magical place. If you're visiting Quinta da Pacheca click here for other recommendations while you're there.

If port wine isn't your cup of tea, and you're more of a champagne gal then I would suggest visiting Caves da Raposeira for sparkling wine tastings. This was probably one of the highlights and most memorable stops in our time in Lamego. The Lamego sparkling wines date back to the 16th century and is the only sparkling wine house in Lamego, Portugal. We didn't make a reservation because silly us, we didn't think we would need to but they're very busy so making a reservation is highly encouraged. We were able to do tastings we just couldn't take a tour of the grounds which was unfortunate because I really wanted to look a the cellars. The tastings were 10 euros per person and it consisted of 5 pours for a tasting. They were very generous tours as well so you won't need more than 5 pours lol. For more information on booking a tour or visiting this beautiful estate click here.

What to eat?

There are so many restaurants to try in Lamego. You can get your typical Portugese food, Italian food, Mediterranean food, American food and other cuisines throughout the city. My husband and I tried a few Portugese restaurants and absolutely loved the food! I highly recommend Restaurante Cacho D'Oiro and Restaurante Vista do Douro for incredible cuisine and amazing views of the Douro Valley River.

After dinner don't forget to stop by Solar D Ouro Pastelaria which is down the street from Restaurante Cacho D'Oiro and Restaurante Vista do Douro. They have delicious pastries from your typical Portuguese pastry pastel de nada (an egg custard) to fruit tarts and coffee on the go.

If you would like to try other restaurants with different cuisines click here for other options!

Last minute thoughts....

I absolutely loved Lamego! I wish I had more days to explore this beautiful city. I didn't know what to expect when visiting but it literally took my breath away! The people are so sweet and the culture is very unique. I think next time I visit I will definitely stay here for at least a week to really explore the city because there was so much left to do and see. Thank you Lamego, until next time!

As always, wander + be happy! 🙂