CROSS THE RIVER RUN TOUR - 15K
Starting and ending at Porto City Hall, this tour explores the pleasant and unique places of Cidade Velha, as well as crossing the river to Gaia.
Runner on the ground - FRANCISCO
10 years of running
If you don’t know anything about Porto this is the tour for you. We guarantee that at the end of this tour you will be an expert! Like Porto itself, this is a racing circuit with some ups and downs, but it’s worth it for the fantastic views it offers. We will walk through downtown to reach the Torre dos Clérigos (www.torredosclerigos.pt), a church in the city center, recently restored (2014), and its tower with more than 200 steps, where Nicholas Nasoni, its builder, is buried.
Quickly head to Palácio de Cristal, known for its gardens, where we find peacocks and have a view of the Douro River, followed by a descent to the Ribeira River. Ribeira is the oldest town in Porto, where the city was born next to the Douro River. It was used in the past to transport our famous wine from the vineyards to the cellars. In Ribeira we can admire the old bridge built in 1888 by Gustave Eiffel (yes – the tower guy in Paris), which is still in use today.
We take a deep breath now as we have a lot of stairs to climb! The running tour then crosses the bridge to Gaia, with magnificent views of the city from this side of the river, making the climb up the stairs worthwhile. We admire Porto through the streets surrounded by the Port wine cellars, which gives an idea of the size of the Port Wine industry. We return to Porto by the cathedral and for a relaxing end we stop at São Bento Station, our beautiful train station.
The running tour then continues through the bustling city center and ends where we started, at City Hall.
Catriona Mckenzie –
Very enjoyable run with Francisco who was a knowledgeable guide and took me to parts of the city I would not have seen. Highly recommended.
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Jose Martinez –
We really enjoyed the tour! We covered all the major sites. Francisco is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to. Highly recommended!
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Daniel Muller –
Loved every about this. Francisco showed me parts of the city I wouldn’t have come across on my own as well as some of the main attractions. Lots of historical info and stories of some of the street art. Legs are tired, heart is happy!
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Rouzbeh –
Francisco was awesome and knowledgeable! We really enjoyed our time running with him.
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Bradley Conley –
We had a blast spending the morning running around Porto. We would absolutely recommend it. Great guide, course and a ton of fun!
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Liesbeth & Waldo –
What an experience, a great mix of culture and sports. Very customer oriented: adapted pace, right on time, tips about running earlier in the morning because of the sun and the traffic. You see things that you don’t see in the tourist guides, you get to know Porto from the inside.
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Michael –
What a great way to see this stunning city. Francisco was an excellent guide and an absolute pleasure to talk to. I cannot recommend doing this tour while you are in town. You won’t regret it.
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