Amarante: Culture, History and Riverside Routes

Amarante brings together historic buildings, the Tâmega River and different ways to get to know the city and its routes. When planning your trip, you can choose what to focus on: art and local history, religious heritage, waterside walks or longer routes. Regional sweets are also part of the city’s character.

Art, the Monastery and Architectural History

The Museu de Arte Moderna Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso is housed in the Dominican Monastery of São Gonçalo. Albano Sardoeira founded the museum in 1947 to collect materials on local history and commemorate artists and writers born in Amarante. The museum also organises the Prémio Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, awarded every two years. This brings local memory and recognition of modern art together under one roof.

The history of the Convento de São Gonçalo can also be read in its different phases of construction: the first cornerstone was laid in 1543, and construction took 80 years. The building features elements from the Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque and the 19th century. The Igreja de São Gonçalo stands in the city centre and has been designated a National Monument since 1910. If you are interested in architecture, you can use these different periods as a guide rather than reducing the complex to a single style.

The Ponte de São Gonçalo is 50 metres long and is associated with commemorations of the defence of Ponte d’Amarante in 1809 during the Napoleonic Invasions. Its architectural features include four semicircular balconies and two Baroque obelisks with epigraphic inscriptions at each end—four obelisks in total. The bridge thus connects a specific historical memory with clearly identifiable details of its design.

The Solar dos Magalhães was refurbished as part of a project led by Siza Vieira; it was inaugurated on 14 February 2025. The municipality offers guided tours, which can be requested using a municipal form. If you are planning a tour, check availability and the applicable booking conditions before your trip.

Walks, the River and Routes

The Tâmega flows through Amarante, offering opportunities for walks along its banks. Parque Florestal de Amarante is another place to enjoy leisure activities, sports and walks. The park covers around five hectares and has diverse flora and fauna. The Trilho dos Castanheiros starts there: this easy, linear 3.8-kilometre route runs along the left bank of the Tâmega. There are opportunities for birdwatching along the route, where you can see, among others, resident and migratory birds that stop or nest in Amarante.

If you want to compare routes by length, the Trilho dos Castanheiros is a clearly measured option at 3.8 kilometres. The Trilho Nossa Senhora do Vau is 4.5 kilometres long. Its inauguration ceremony took place on the riverbank near the “praia Aurora”. This information refers to the location of the ceremony. The Pista de Canoagem do Penedo do Açúcar is in the city centre and is approximately 150 metres long. It has a current, natural obstacles and slalom gates graded II and III. If you plan to use the course, check current access arrangements in advance.

Longer routes also have their own connection to the region. The Way of St James signposted in Amarante is 28 kilometres in total and forms part of the Itinerário de Torres. The Caminho de Torres passes through the historic Aldeia de Ovelhinha. The Ecopista do Vale do Tâmega also has a history with a specific location: its first, ten-kilometre section opened in April 2011, connecting Amarante railway station with the municipal boundary of Celorico de Basto.

Other Places and Local Traditions

In São Veríssimo, outside the city centre, you’ll find Casa da Granja. The house dates from the late 17th century and was acquired in 1855 by the maternal grandfather of the painter Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. Today, it is a cultural and museum space for exhibitions, concerts and book launches; the programme may change. One room is dedicated to the photographer Eduardo Teixeira Pinto, who was born in Amarante, although the exhibition arrangements may change.

Well-known sweets from Amarante include Papos de Anjo, Brisas do Tâmega, Toucinho do Céu, bolos de S. Gonçalo and galhofas. If you’d like to plan your trip around a traditional event, a festival in honour of São Gonçalo takes place on the first Saturday in June. Check the current programme before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Freixo De Cima, Fregim, Padronelo, Vila Meã, Lufrei, Candemil, Mancelos, Carneiro.

Return to the main travel overview: Amarante.