Porto de Rei offers different ways to enjoy a stay on the Douro: at Parque Fluvial, activities by the water take centre stage, while hiking trails lead through cherry orchards and offer views of the river. There are also routes with different starting and finishing points. When planning your trip, it is worth considering these options separately rather than combining them into a single outing, and deciding whether you would like to focus on time by the water, a circular hike or a longer route.
Riverside beach, swimming pool and boat boarding point
Parque Fluvial de Porto de Rei has a riverside beach, a floating swimming pool and a pier where visitors can board tourist boats. This gives you a choice of different activities by the water: spending time at the beach, swimming in the pool or boarding a tourist boat. The riverside beach and swimming pool may operate seasonally. If these facilities are important to your stay, take this into account when planning your trip. The pier serves a different purpose from the bathing areas and offers a separate point of interest for visitors interested in tourist boat trips.
Circular hike through cherry orchards with views of the Douro
The Rota dos Cerejais is a 5.7-kilometre hiking trail laid out as a circular route. It starts at the headquarters of the São João de Fontoura parish council. Along the route, visitors can see the cherry orchards of the municipality of Resende; the landscape changes with the seasons, and the visibility of the blossom varies from year to year. The route also offers views of the Douro, depending on conditions. In this way, the trail brings together two distinct landscape features: the cherry orchards and views of the river. The historic Solar de Porto de Rei is another point of interest along the route.
Longer routes with different starting and finishing points
Another route is 80 kilometres long. It starts in Nespereira (Cinfães) and ends at Parque Fluvial de Porto de Rei (Resende). Its length and destination clearly distinguish it from the 5.7-kilometre circular hike. Porto de Rei is also an important waymark on the GR47.2 – GR Montemuro, Resende Variant, along the banks of the Douro. These route details describe the different roles the location plays: the river park is the endpoint of the 80-kilometre route and is also on an important waymark of the GR47.2. Conditions on the hiking trails can change; take this into account when planning your routes.
Plan your stay around what you want to do
The route lengths and types of trail provide a practical guide when choosing activities: the Rota dos Cerejais is a marked 5.7-kilometre circular hike, while the 80-kilometre route is longer and follows a separate course between Nespereira and the river park. The GR47.2, in turn, is characterised by its role as a waymark in Porto de Rei. Those primarily looking to visit the river park will find a beach, swimming pool and pier for tourist boats there; those looking to hike can choose between the routes described. This lets you plan around your preferred focus without treating the routes as a single itinerary.
When searching for hotels in Porto De Rei, you can first decide which of these activities is most important to your stay. The circular hike starts at the headquarters of the São João de Fontoura parish council; the long route ends at Parque Fluvial.
More destinations
Discover more destinations: Mesão Frio, Cidadelhe.
Back to the main travel overview: Mesão Frio.
