Stage Grijó to Oporto

The stage that leads to Oporto is the culmination of a long journey from Lisboa. It is a short day, eminently urban in character, which serves to take the pilgrim into the second largest city in Portugal. The way crosses the southern outskirts, passing through Vila Nova de Gaia, the city on the opposite bank of the Duero and famous for its Oporto wine lodges. The final approach is spectacular. The pilgrim crosses the river on the upper level of the iconic Puente Don Luis I, a nineteenth-century ironwork attributed to a disciple of Eiffel. The views from the bridge are among the most famous in the world: on one side, the labyrinth of rooftops of the Ribeira of Oporto; on the other, the wine lodges of Gaia. Arriving at the Sé (Cathedral) of Oporto, an imposing Romanesque fortress-church, marks the end of the stage. Oporto, whose historic centre is a World Heritage Site, is a city in which to get lost: the Ribeira, the Torre de los Clérigos, the Librería Lello... A monumental and vibrant end to the stage.