Vila Real city

Vila Real is located in the heart of the Douro Valley, in the province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. It is bordered by the majestic mountains of Alvão and Marão and, to the south, by the Serra de Montemuro, through which the rivers Corgo and Cabril flow.

For more information about the city, please click below: https://www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/porto-e-norte/73739.

https://www.cm-vilareal.pt/index.php/areas-e-servicos/turismo

UTAD

181 ESGI-2024 will take place at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Complexo Laboratorial, Auditório B0.02. This institution houses teaching and research facilities on a sprawling 120-hectare eco-campus. Within this campus you’ll find the UTAD Botanical Garden, one of the largest in Europe, with a collection of around 1000 plant species.

GPS: Latitude – 41.285276 °N  / Longitude – 7.740674°W

Parking

The preferred parking lot for visitors external to UTAD is Parque da Quinta de N. Sr.ª de Lourdes (41.287047, -7.737183) located less than 2 minutes from the Laboratory Blocks, the event location (free parking with 156 spaces available).

How to reach Vila Real?

By express bus:

The main bus companies to/from Vila Real are Rede Expressos and FlixBus. In Porto, the Rede Expressos terminal is located in the Terminal Intermodal of Campanhã (TIC). Flixbus departs from the Airport or the TIC.

From Lisbon take the Rede Expressos bus from Gare Oriente Terminal or Terminal Rodoviário de Sete Rios

By plane:

The nearest international airport is in Oporto. You can also fly into Lisbon airport.

• To Lisbon International Airport, more information here.
• To Oporto International Airport (Francisco Sá Carneiro airport), moreinformation here.
• Domestic flights: To Vila Real airport (domestic flights from Bragança, Cascais and Portimão). More information at https://flysevenair.com/en.

By car:

To get to Vila Real by road, you have several options depending on your starting point:

From Viseu: Take the A24 highway towards Vila Real/Sabrosa. Upon exiting the highway, follow the EN 313 road directly to the university.

From Porto: Take the A4 highway, being cautious not to exit onto IP4, especially after passing Amarante. Before reaching Vila Real, you’ll encounter the longest road tunnel in Portugal, the 5.6 km long Túnel do Marão, followed by a long bridge. Shortly after, you’ll see an exit for Vila Real (and Sabrosa). Once in Vila Real, go through two roundabouts. At the third roundabout, take the second exit to UTAD and enter through the second gate. Continue to the fourth roundabout and you’ll find an exit leading to the main entrance of UTAD (take the third exit).

From Bragança or Braga: Take the A4 and A7 motorways and follow the signs to Vila Real.

How to move in Vila Real? 

You can get around Vila Real by public transport. Bus lines and timetables can be found at https://www.urbanosvilareal.pt/en/. UTAD can be reached by bus # 1, 3, 4 and 12.

ACCOMMODATION

Please find hotels and other types of accommodation below.

https://molecules4life-2023.events.chemistry.pt/accommodation

Hotel Miracorgo (address: Av. 1º de Maio, 76, 5000-651 Vila Real) is located in the city centre of Vila Real (50 meters from city hall).

Distance: on foot 34 min.; by car 9 min. Buses 3 and 4 go directly between the University and the hotel, departing every 20 minutes. 

• Quinta do Paço Hotel (Distance: by car 11 min; on foot: 52 min.)
• Novabila Guesthouse (Distance: on foot 44 min.; by car 13 min.)
• Quinta da Corujeira (1.2Km from the City Center , Distance: by car 16 min; on foot 90 min)
• Residencial Encontro( In the City Center, Distance: on foot 35 min.; by car 13 min.)
• Residencial Clássico (1.4Km from the City Center, Distance: by car 16 min; on foot 60 min);
• Residencial Montanhês (0,7Km from the City Center)
• Residencial Real (Distance: on foot 35 min.; by car 14 min.)
• Douro Village Hostel: https://www.dourovillage.pt

For other accommodations, you can visit here:

https://vivervilareal.goodbarber.app/onde-ficar/c/0