Amarante

Understand

Amarante (uh-muh-RUHN-t(ih), /ɐ.mɐ.ˈɾɐ̃.tɨ/) has a city population of over 11,000 (2011), with over 56,000 residents in the entire municipality. Since 2017, it has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for music.

Getting there

By plane The most convenient airports for Amarante are (in order of distance):

Aerodrome of Vila Real (VRL IATA) - The small airfield in the neighbouring city of Vila Real receives some domestic flights. Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport - Porto - Porto is served by Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO IATA) (☏ +351 229 432 400) - which receives frequent flights from major European cities, including London, Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels, as well as some destinations within the country, such as Lisbon and Madeira/Funchal. TAP also has a daily direct flight from São Paulo and another one from Rio de Janeiro. Portela Airport - Lisbon, the largest Portuguese airport, has air connections with the main cities in Europe and some in North and South America, Africa and Asia.

By train There is no train.

By bus

The bus station is about 3 minutes from the city centre. There are buses arriving from various destinations across the country and departing for as many. Twice a day, every week, Rodo-norte (☏ +351 259 340 710) operates a bus service between Lisbon and Amarante, one at 11:00 and the other at 18:00, for the price of €18. In addition to these buses, Rodonorte also has buses from Porto (5 times a day; at 07:00; 14:30; 16:30; 18:00 and 21:20; price: €6.40) and Viana do Castelo (Monday to Friday; at 08:30); price €10.80), among other destinations. See the website for more information.

By car The best way to drive to Amarante is using the A4 motorway if you are coming from Porto or the IP4 Expressway if you are coming from the north or Spain. Just take any exit towards Amarante and you will be 5 min from the city centre. The city is about 1 hour from Porto and 5 hours from Lisbon.

Getting around

On foot Amarante is a small town and you can easily see all its monuments on foot - in addition, cars cannot enter most streets in the historic centre, and you can see the city much better on foot.

By car Driving is a bad idea in Amarante. At some times of the year, Amarante is invaded by visitors, who fill the streets, creating an impossible traffic, and occupy the car parks, of which there are only a few. Nor is it necessary to take the car, as the city is so small that it can be covered entirely on foot.

See

1 Mosteiro de São Gonçalo, Praça da República. Before the monastery existed, here was a chapel, erected by São Gonçalo de Amarante. In 1540, it was transformed into a large monastery with the construction of a Dominican convent in honor of São Gonçalo, with authorization and help from D. João III and his wife, Rainha Dª Catarina. The construction of the Church and the Convent ended in the time of Philip I, before 1600. The construction of the portico and the Balcony of the Kings began on October 12, 1683. In the church, the tomb of São Gonçalo stands out, a magnet for several pilgrims. 2 Ponte de São Gonçalo, Praça da República. True symbol of the city, it connects two Largo de Amarante, including Praça da República, where you can find the monastery, another symbol. Before this bridge, a national monument, there was another one, dating from the 13th century and which was destroyed by a flood of the Tâmega River. In the middle of the bridge there was a cruise, taken an hour before the tragic event, which can still be seen in one of the windows of the Monastery of São Gonçalo. The current one was built in the 17th century. In 1809 it was the stage for the heroic Defence of the Amarante Bridge, an episode resulting from the French Invasions. In memory of this event, there is a commemorative plaque on the north side of the bridge. 3 Casa da Cerca (Biblioteca Municipal Albano Sardoeira; Albano Sardoeira Municipal Library), Alameda Teixeira de Pascoaes, ☏ +351 255 420 236. The Municipal Library is the result of the former Santa Clara Convent, perhaps built in the 13th century. The most likely date, however, will be 1383, when D. João I granted the letter of protection for religious women. It was set on fire in April 1809 during the French Invasions. It was later transformed into the building that today is seen by an emigrant from Brazil - not without prolonged archaeological research, which exposed many artefacts. Nowadays it is the Municipal Archive and Library of Amar

Do

Parque Aquático de Amarante, Rua do Tâmega, nº 2245 4600-909 Fregim (if coming from A4 or IP4 towards Amarante; take the Amarante Oeste exit; go through the roundabout; going straight; and from there follow the signs). Jun-Sep: 10:30-19:00. Glide on one of the many slides or other diversions in the only water park in the north of the country! An adult ticket costs €10 on weekends and €8 on other days. Football: Amarante FC were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in Liga 2, the second tier. They play at Estádio Municipal, capacity 5000. Dê uma tacada no Amarante Golf Club, Quinta da Deveza, Fregim. Tu-F 09:00-19:00, Sa Su 08:00-19:00. A magnificent mountain course with 18 holes and a course, located on the outskirts of the city. From its position, 600 m above sea level, there is a magnificent view of the Serra do Marão and the Tâmega River. The weekend price for the 18 holes is around €75. A beautiful view of the city. Cross the bridge to the south side (for reference; the monastery is on the north side) and go to the river bank. From here you have a great view of the bridge, the monastery and the houses that are on the river bank. If you prefer a more "aerial" view, go up the stairs to the Church of São Domingos, from where you enjoy a beautiful view of the monastery, the river and the opposite bank, and go along Rua Frei José Amarante until the Santa Clara square, from where he enjoys the best view of Amarante, seeing the south bank of the river, a good part of the north bank, and the entire monastery, including the cloisters, where the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum is installed. Pedal boats: On the river bank (go down Alameda Teixeira de Pascoaes until you reach some pedestrian walks; go down until you reach a strange looking building; the market; go to the back of the market and go to the river bank) you can see a series of pedal boats that you can rent, and that offer a great view of the river and the bridge. It doesn't have a good view of the city, but yo

Buy

There are no shopping centres in Amarante. These are your options.

The historic centre of Amarante is full of shops, mainly in the area around the monastery. Throughout the centre you can find shops and traditional drugstores that are quickly disappearing in big cities. Market Every Wednesday and Saturday. Here you can find a little bit of everything, mainly clothes, but also fabrics, food and all kinds of trinkets, depending on the day you go. Rua do Capitão Augusto Casimiro. A beautiful modernist building, surrounded by tre