Vila Nova de Gaia

Vila Nova de Gaia  is a city the Douro Litoral region of Northern Portugal, immediately facing Porto across the Duoro river. The two cities form the core of a contiguous metropolitan area. Vila Nova was created out of the need to house the workers of Porto, and is thus much more residential in character. It has become more populous than Porto. Sometimes called "Gaia" in common parlance, the city is home of cellars of port wine, several shopping centres and some of the region's best beaches.



Understand


Vila Nova de Gaia (VEE-luh NAW-vuh d(ih) GAHY-uh, /ˈvi.ɫɐ ˈnɔ.vɐ dɨ ˈgaj.ɐ/) is actually where the history of Porto began, having been founded as a Roman settlement called Cale on the southern side of the river Douro. The town had its port on the other side of the river, referred to as Portus Cale, which originated the name not only of Porto, but also the whole country. What followed the Roman Empire were the Moorish invasions of the Iberian peninsula, with the Moors stopping right at the river and most inhabitants escaping the invasion by moving to what is now Porto on its northern bank. After the Moors were driven out, many moved back to the southern back, founding what is now known as Vila Nova de Gaia (vila nova as the town was reestablished, with Gaia being a transliteration of Cale).

By plane
Porto Francisco Sa Caneiro airport is the closest, within 20 minutes by car or slightly more by public transit.

By train
Vila Nova de Gaia is located on a railway backbone linking the North to the other regions of Portugal, so it is easy to reach from almost all major cities. In particular, high-speed Alfa Pendular trains call in the city, linking it not only to Porto, but also in. al. Lisbon, Braga, Coimbra and Faro.



See
Perhaps the most famous tourist attraction in Gaia are the Port Wine Cellars, warehouses where the famous Port wine is stored. The Cellars are placed in Ribeira de Gaia, an area of the city located in the bank of River Douro opposite Porto. Ribeira de Gaia has also some typical and international restaurants, particularly in Cais de Gaia. Even if you are not in visiting the cellars, you should visit Ribeira the Gaia in order to get some amazing views of Porto.



Port wine tours and tasting
Take a port wine tour and visit the various wine caves! This is a must as this is where port wine actually comes from. Tours vary in price but generally cost €3-6 and include a tasting. Most all have English speaking tours along with Spanish, Portuguese, and French. There are also quite a number of cellars offering free tastings. See the drink section of the main Portugal page for more information about port wine in general.

There are a couple of restaurants along the river that offer tastings of five Port wines for €5 (Feb 2024) from lesser-known wineries.

Other




Go next

 * Porto lies across the Douro River from Vila Nova de Gaia.