Date: 10th August 2019
Travelled: 58 kms from Guimarães in the Province of Minho to Amarante in the Province of Douro
Visited: Amarante
Stayed: River-side car-park, free + B. N41.27333, W08.07358
Budget: 62 days @ €80 per day
After servicing the Hymer, we roll out of Guimarães relatively early, the GPS set for Amarante. We take the freeway to save some time and to hopefully arrive early enough to secure a parking spot. Amarante makes the Lonely Planet ‘Highlights of the Douro’ and being Saturday, I imagine it will be busy.
Map of Amarante, the icon on our parking spot
It takes some 20 minutes to travel 500m as drivers argue and fight over parking spots. We feel we have no chance, but we turn down just past the market to a lovely shaded car-park big enough for perhaps 20 cars and to our surprise it’s empty. Apparently the Portuguese don’t like walking up 20m to the market. We pick the plum spot, have a coffee before walking up into town.
We thought this statue was interesting purely on the fact it is not one of the Alfonzos. 
Another view of the Ponte de São Gonçalo, circa 1790.
Looking along the Rio Tâmega to the east. 
Then to the west, a luxury hotel beyond.
Amarante’s Igreja de Sân Gonçalo, circa 1543. Famous for it’s Italian renaissance portal. 
You can zoom in and read about the church here.
So that’s it we’ve done Amarante. We both agree its a buzzy town with lots of character. I chat to our French neighbour and cook salmon for dinner. Pam is back into the Mateus once again, telling me it tastes better in Portugal than at home.
Michael and Pam
