Traditional rabelo boat - Ribeira - Porto

Traditional rabelo boat - Ribeira - Porto

A traditional rabelo river boat heads downstream past Porto's historic Ribeira district. These boats have carried goods and people up and down the River Douro for hundreds of years.

These days the cargo is mostly human with tourists taking in the sights of Porto - one of the most popular trips is the "Six bridges tour". The boats are best known for carrying casks of wine destined for the port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia. Apparently the casks were never completely filled as if they ended up in the river they would still float!

Porto

Porto travel guide »

Porto is considered the capital of the north and as the second largest city in Portugal, rightfully so. There are really very few similarities between Porto and Lisbon – they are both near the coast, on the banks of large rivers and...