ENTRY GATE TO THE DOURO’S WINE REGION, IT HAS A UNIQUE SCENIC BEAUTY. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL ITS NATURAL, CULTURAL AND GASTRONOMICAL RICHNESS, WHILE LIVING AMAZING ADVENTURES.
Bernardo’s Dock
Resende’s Municipality is situated on the south bank of the Douro, just an hour away from Oporto. Being at the entry gate to the Douro’s wine region, classified as a World Heritage Site, Resende allows visitors to enjoy unforgettable panoramas. The region’s mountainous profile confers it a singular charisma, marked by the river’s course and the slope of the Montemuro Hills; its roads and ways recall to memory some of Portugal’s most charming locations.
Porto de Rei
It’s one of Portugal’s largest cherry producing regions, a fruit that has become one of the most important sources of revenue for the population, a warm people, living off the land and the produce it yields them.
To be able to enjoy Nature at its best, the municipality has made hiking trails available: the 35-mile-long Montemuro Big Route crosses the entire Montemuro Hills and includes three shorter routes, to be explored: Valley of the Cabrum Superior, Slopes of Fertile Land and D. João Lagoon.
For mountain bike enthusiasts, Resende is part of the Montemuro’s Cyclin’Portugal Centre, a network of trails covering these hills, integrated in the Natura 2000 grid; these tracks are relevant for their extensive biodiversity, a result of the well-kept maintenance of the several types of habitats that compose it.
As supporting infrastructure for the practice of nature tourism activities, Resende has a Centro de Apoio ao Turismo Ativo (Centre of Support for the Active Tourism) in Montemuro, settled in the old Elementary School of Felgueiras, which also works as an entry gate into the previously referred hiking and mountain bike trails.
Come and try the sports in this region, discover one of the least-known hills in Portugal and let yourself be taken aback by breath-taking views.
Bathed by the Douro River, the municipality has also available several areas where one can enjoy moments of pure leisure and relaxation.
The Porto de Rei Riverside Park is a well-equipped space, perfect for those looking for moments of wellness and leisure; it has an embarkment dock for tourist boarding, a swimming pool, river beach, gardens, access paths and a picnic area. It’s a great spot to practice water sports in the Douro River.
Cais do Bernardo (Bernardo’s Dock) at Barrô, it’s an infrastructure that eases access to the water, used for recreational and leisure purposes; it’s a place with a very singular scenic aspect, marked by the union of the river with the terraced slopes of the Douro’s Wine demarcated region.
A must-stop is Caldas de Aregos, with a modern and attractive dock, that allows moorage by touristic and leisure boats; it is further equipped with a swimming pool, coffeeshop terrace and all the required conditions for the safe practice of water-sports.
This is where Caldas de Aregos Thermal Spa is located, although currently under rehabilitation and requalification works, to breathe new life into Caldas de Aregos, turning it into Douro’s Thermal Spa and upholding it as a preferable destiny in the area of health and wellness, and therefore increasing the tourist attraction in the municipality. Profit from your passage by Aregos and enjoy a river cruise on-board the “Barca d’Aregos”, that also connects both banks of the Douro River.
Resende is also wealthy in cultural monuments, a fact particularly reflected in the Santa Maria de Cárquere Monastery; the Churches of S. Martinho de Mouros and Santa Maria de Barrô, as well as the Panchorra Bridge, are also all part of the Romanesque Route and very worth a visit.
Santa Maria de Cárquere Monastery
Panchorra Bridge
Resende’s rich archaeological past is also worth mentioning, specifically represented by two monuments of great historical relevance: the Mamoa I of S. Cristóvão (a Dolmen) and the S. Cristóvão Megalithic Compound, both classified as Monuments of Public Relevance.
Resende’s Municipal Museum is also a required visit; built around the 1930’s and situated near the old county jail, one finds here several ethnographic objects that depict the region’s habits and traditions, along with a large collection of archeologic artifacts.
Resende’s cuisine is a reference in Portugal, in particular the roasted lamb, the delicious cavacas pastries and its sweet cherries, one of the region’s ex-libris.
Cavacas de Resende
