Heaven's Stairway of Lamego and Quinta da Avessada - Cruise on the Douro

Before breakfast, we passed through the first lock, of which there will be a total of six on our trip.

Later in the day, we also came to the highest single-step lock in Europe, with a drop height of 35 meters.

After lunch, we took the bus to the town of Lamego to see the “Heaven's Stairway.”

The over 600 steps are climbed by pilgrims every September to reach the 18th-century pilgrimage church.

We were driven up by bus and then walked back down - which was certainly much more relaxing.

Once at the bottom, we visited the cathedral, whose construction began in the 12th century.

Next to it, there is also a cloister with richly adorned chapels.

Since we still had some time afterwards, we decided to climb up one more time - to the castle, which is, of course, located at the top of a hill in the town.

From there, you have a beautiful view of the town and a small free exhibition informed about the history of Lamego.

Then it was back to the ship, but soon we had to set off again to Quinta da Avessada, a picturesque vineyard on a plateau.

After a small tour in the wine museum and a first tasting, we enjoyed a typical Portuguese dinner.