Portugal's Norte Region from the Sky

Contributor TravelPenguin created this awesome 4k drone video of the great Portuguese city of Porto. Porto is the country's second city (after Lisbon) and is the center of the main urban concentration of the northern part of the country. It sits on the estuary of the Douro River, a few km/mi inland from its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean.  The video features footage of the Porto historical city center (which is a UNESCO World Heritage site), the famous Dom Luís I Bridge over the Douro River, and more. This video was a DVOW finalist in August, 2019.

It's not often we see videos like this one which show two countries in the same footage.  Contributor Flybyzion used a DJI Phantom 4 drone to give us a bird's eye look at a spot in the extreme northern part of Portugal.  Vila Nova de Cerveira is a small city in Portugal's Norte region on the Minho River, which serves as the border between Portugal and its northern neighbor Spain.  The territory you see on the far (northern) side of the river is actually Spain, specifically its Galicia region.  

In this short video by contributor Flyingbydaniel, you'll get a great look at the Portuguese city of Porto, the capital of its Norte region and the second largest city in the country after Lisbon.  The video shows the Douro river as it makes its way through the city to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean.  You'll get a great view of the old city center, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 by virtue of its historical importance to the history of the Portuguese nation and particularly its Age of Exploration.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist TravelPenguin brings us this excellent drone video of the historic city of Amarante, Portugal.  The city is located on the banks of the Tâmega River (an important tributary of the Douro River), about an hour's drive northeast of the city of Porto in the country's Norte Region.  Inhabited since the Bronze Age, the city became an important regional trade center during the Middle Ages.  With a population of a bit over 10k, Amarante is well-known for its Romanesque style churches and monasteries.  

In this video, SajidShah gives us a look at the northernmost city of Portugal.  Viana do Castelo is a medium-sized port city in Portugal's Norte region, and the administrative center of a district of the same name.  It is situated at the mouth of the Limia River, towards the northern end of the country's Atlantic coastline.  The next river up the coast is the Minho, which serves as the border between Portugal and the Galicia region of northwestern Spain to the north.

The Atlantic coastline of Portugal's Norte region is dominated by Porto and cities which have become part of its metropolitan area.  One of these cities is Leça da Palmeira, a city which is situated just a short ways up the coast from Porto.  It has a long history as an important port city and more recently as an oil refining center.  Contributor Hpascoal created this beautiful drone video of the lighthouse of Leça da Palmeira, with other parts of the coastal city visible in the background.

Contributor and drone pilot Jamespvz used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone to create this aerial view of Póvoa de Varzim, a beach town in Portugal's Norte region.  Considered part of Greater Porto, the town lies about halfway between the great city and the Spanish border to the north.  It is considered to be the best beach spot in northern Portugal.  Póvoa de Varzim was once a fishing town, with many fish processing plants and the largest fishing fleet of any port in the country.

The Douro River is one of the most important rivers on the Iberian Peninsula.  It rises in northern Spain and flows in a generally westward direction, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at the Portuguese city of Porto.  In this drone video by contributor Psantos02, you'll get a look at the waterway as it begins its journey across Portugal.  The video was shot in the area of Foz Côa, which is part of the Guarda district of northeastern Portugal.  The Guardal District is part of the country's Norte region.

Check out these drone views of Portugal's Douro River Valley, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Timearth.  The Douro River is one of the major waterways on the Iberian Peninsula, third in length after the Ebro and Tagus Rivers.  The Douro rises in northern Spain before crossing into Portugal, running a course of around 550 mi. (about 900 km) to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Porto.  The video was filmed over the valley of the river in the interior of northern Portugal.  

Espinho is one of the towns along the northern coast of Portugal.  It is situated in the Aveiro District, in the Norte region which covers the northern part of the country.  Once considered a separate city, it's now regarded as part of the Porto metropolitan area; essentially, it's now a suburb of the country's second largest city.  Contributor Miguel_40 used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this aerial video of Espinho, which is one of the smallest municipalities in the country by population.

Contributor Miguel_40 used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this beautiful aerial video of some areas around Porto, Portugal.  Porto is Portugal's second city (after Lisbon) and the largest urban area in the northern part of the country.  It lies at the mouth of the Douro River, which originates in northern Spain and is one of the most important waterways of the Iberian Peninsula.  Porto is one of the great cultural centers of Portugal, and at one time was the country's largest city.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor and pilot jcpaula brings us this excellent drone video of the Foz do Douro district of Porto, Portugal.  Foz do Douro is situated just west of Porto's historic city center, near the mouth of the Douro River.  The district is known as one of the most upscale in Porto, Portugal's second-largest city and the largest in its Norte region.  Among other attractions, Foz do Douro is home to a chapel commissioned by Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal.  

Contributor SajidShah created this beautiful aerial video of the northernmost of Portugal's many beaches.  Afife Beach is in the northern part of the country's Norte region, just a few km from the border with Spain.  As you'll see from the video, it's stunning beach is backed by the mountains which cover most of the northern part of this country on the Iberian Peninsula.  For those interested in adding a cultural component to a beach trip, the great city of Porto is just a short drive to the south.  

Contributor guydrory created this stunning aerial view of Porto, the principal city of northern Portugal.  The video shows the beautiful area of the city core along the Douro River, from which Portugal's (and thus Europe's) Age of Discovery began with Henry the Navigator's expedition to North Africa in 1415.  The video also has epic footage of the Dom Luís I Bridge, which spans the great river from Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia and which was the world's longest metal arch bridge when completed in 1881.  

Here's a beautiful drone video of an iconic spot in northern Portugal, compliments of contributor Aguerra1979.  It's a small lonely chapel atop a rock on the ocean called Lord of the Rock (Senhor da Pedra), which is located in the seaside village of Miramar.  It's part of a district called Vila Nova de Gaia, which sits just south of the River Douro from Porto, the main city of Portugal's Northern (Norte) Region.  The area is home to many other cultural attractions, especially its porto wine cellars.  

AirVuz contributor belogaev_art brings us this beautiful drone video from northern Portugal.  The video was filmed over the Atlantic Ocean coastline near the town of Afife, which is located in the Viana do Castelo District, about an hour's drive north of Porto (Portugal's second-largest city), and only a few mi./km south of the border with Spain.  You'll also see the low-slung mountains which are set back a short distance from the coastline.  The video was filmed in September of 2022 with a DJI Air 2S drone.  

Check out this drone video from a beautiful spot in northern Portugal, compliments of Jamespvz.  It's a town called Póvoa de Varzim, and it's situated about 30 km (aroun d18 mi.) north of the city of Porto, the principal city of Portugal's Norte region.  Originally an independent town, it's become one of the leading outlying cities of Porto, the country's second largest city by population.  The town dates to hundreds of years BC and played an important role in the region when it was Portugal's center of gravity.  

Porto, Portugal is a river town; it's situated near the mouth of the Douro River.  With six bridges over the waterway, Porto is sometimes called the City of Bridges.  In this drone video by miguel_40, you'll get bird's eye views of two of the spans.  The first is the most famous: the  Dom Luis I Bridge, which opened in 1886 and was, for a time, the longest of its type in the world.  The second is the city's newest bridge: the  Infante D. Henrique Bridge, which is located just upstream from the Dom Luis and opened in 2002.  

Check out this excellent drone video of a historic town in northern Portugal, compliments of AirVuz contributor EL Gomez.   The town of Chaves lies just a few mi./km south of Portugal's northern border with Spain.  Settled since Paleothic times, Chaves came to occupy a position of regional prominence during Roman times due to its location relative to three important roads.  It subsequently played a significant role in the bloody struggles between Christianity and Islam and later between the nation-states of Spain and Portugal.   

Contributor Psantos created this beautiful drone video of the Douro River Valley in a mountainous region of northern Portugal.  Rising in Spain, the Douro is arguably Portugal's most important waterway; if not, it's a close second to the Tagus River which terminates in Lisbon. In this video you'll see the Douro's Côa tributary, which joins it around the town of Vila Nova de Foz Côa in the Guarda district, as well as the Pocinho Dam, a gravity dam on the Douro just a bit downstream from the town.  

Check out this drone video of Portugal's famous Lindoso Castle.  The landmark is located in its namesake town in the municipality of Ponte da Barca, near Portugal's northern border with Spain.  It's generally believed that the castle dates to the 13th century as a fortress built by King Alphonso III.  The castle came to occupy an important strategic location following the 17th century Portuguese Restoration War, in which Portugal won its independence from Spain following the 80 year Iberian Union period.  

Contributor and drone pilot Francisco Rodriguez created this beautiful aerial video of the great Portuguese city of Porto.  Once a Roman outpost, this city on the Douro River is steeped in history: it was the shipbuilders of Porto who helped launch Europe on its great Age of Exploration.  Famously, Porto Harbor was the launching point for Prince Henry the Navigator's exploratory trip to Africa in 1415, a voyage which was at least as consequential as that of Chrisopher Columbus later in the century.  

Check out this drone video of a well-known medieval bridge in northern Portugal, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Timearth.  The bridge crosses the River Lima at the town of Ponte de Lima, which is believed to be the first town to be given a municipal charter in 1125. The town is part of Viana do Castelo, the northernmost district of the country.  The main bridge structure dates to the mid-14th century.  However, it was built on the ruins of an earlier bridge which dated to Roman times.  

The Douro River is one of the major waterways on the Iberian Peninsula; it's the third-longest after the Ebro and the Tagus.  The Douro rises in northern Spain and runs a course of just under 900 km (around 550 mi.), emptying into the Atlantic in the Portuguese city of Porto.  For about a fifth of its run it forms the national boundary between Portugal and Spain.  With 15 dams, it's also a significant source of hydropower.  In this drone video, you'll see a stretch of the river as it runs through Portugal's wine country.