Introduction to Northern Portugal

Why Northern Portugal? - Step back into history!

The Minho area is said to be ”the new Tuscany”.This area has great appeal to those who remember with pleasure the delights of an unspoilt Algarve before so much of it was overdeveloped. The atmosphere of Mid and North of Portugal is about 40 years behind the Algarve, and prices of eating out are very much less. 

Here, in the province of Minho, the lush greenness of the coastal lowlands, the Costa Verde, contrasts sharply with the mountainous interior - one of Europe's last wilderness areas. While emphasising excursions in the country's only national park, the Peneda-Gerês, the book also describes more gregarious pursuits - visiting local markets, sampling vintages at the Port wine lodges, and cruising on the river Douro. Northern Portugal - or more specifically, northwestern Portugal, is arguably the most beautiful part of the country. Here, in the province of Minho, the lush greenness of the coastal area, the Costa Verde, contrasts sharply with the exciting but stark and wild interior of the Peneda-Gerês National Park.

The very name Costa Verde ('Green Coast') is evocative - conjuring up images of a verdant landscape, and it does not disappoint. The vines for the famous vinho verde grow tall by the road, in the fields, in the mountains, up trees, up trellises, over pergolas, walkways and village streets - everywhere. Their fresh green leaves bring a vibrancy and texture to the countryside, which is stunning in its effect. Highly visible as they are, the vines merely reflect the high fertility of this granitic region, and colourful meadows teeming with wild flowers vie with the grape for the visitor's attention. In total contrast, inland Minho offers scenery of a mountainous nature and harbours the country's only national park, the Peneda-Gerês. Scenically beautiful and wild, where eagles soar and where wolves and wild boar still roam, it's one of Europe's last wildernesses. Sadly, the populations of these wild animals are now so diminished, especially the wolves, that they require protection.

If you explore with us, we can set your feet wandering over the hills into breathtaking scenic beauty. History still lives here, too, written millennia ago in the permanence of granite. Our walks follow some of the delightful old trails, built from huge granite slabs, which lead high into the mountains. You can only marvel at the effort and energy invested in their building, and wonder about the people who once lived in these mountains. Many people in the Minho still live in isolated villages only recently connected to the modern road system, and some are still only accessible by foot; these villages are a delight to visit. It is like going back in time. The villagers vigorously pursue farming techniques developed four centuries ago and still largely unchanged. Long-horned oxen are central to the village economy - not just in the mountains, but also throughout the region. They are used both as beasts of burden and for food production. You may see them pulling ploughs in the field or the specially-designed carts along the road, often mingling with the traffic.