There aren’t many cities with such dramatic natural layouts as Porto, its city streets drop steeply into the valley and the Douro River at the bottom of it. The Ponte Luís I bridge offers two layers of crossing for the courageous as well as the weak-legged, whilst the Ponte da Arrábida bridge offers guided tours of its domed supports, complete with harnesses and fixed lines. These group ascents are ideal activities for corporate summer incentive teams – little or no transfer and plenty of bang for the buck. Light, river traffic and skies are continually in flux, providing mesmerising views from the bridges crossing the Douro River.
From the water, the views are less expansive but no less impressive. Towering quaysides on the northern bank of the Douro River give a real underground metropolitan experience, whilst the soaring bridges carrying pedestrians, trains and cars seem oddly detached from the clam waters so far below. Boats travel inland to the wine regions to the east of Porto, where vineyards are terraced into the steep slopes of the river valley.
And when ocean calls, it is just a short bus or taxi ride to the Atlantic coast where ships dot the horizon and the ‘She Changes’ giant art installation floats beneath a backdrop of ever-changing coastal sky. Activities on land and water are extensive, whilst Porto is a gastronomic feast and the home of Port Wine – all good reasons to host a summer incentive in this stunning northern Portugal city.
