Porto and the North

For us this is the most scenically spectacular of all of Portugal’s five official Regions on the mainland. Bordering the Spanish regions of Galicia to the north and Castilla y León to the east, and with the Atlantic to the west, this is essentially a mountainous region that encompasses two important river systems: the Minho in the north-west forming part of the border with Spain, and further south the Douro running roughly east-west and reaching the Atlantic at the city of Porto. With a mild climate – winter temperatures average 13/14ºC, rising to 26ºC in July and August – this is a region to visit at any time of the year.

Porto is the principal city of the region – it’s Portugal’s second city and gave the country its name. Only an hour and a half or so from the UK by air, Porto is rapidly becoming one of the most popular ‘city break’ destinations for visitors from this country, and for good reason. Most of the historic quarter can comfortably be explored on foot, and a spectacular view of the city and of Vila Nova de Gaia (Gaia for short) on the other side of the Douro can be seen from the splendid Romanesque-Gothic cathedral in the old quarter. Another, more leisurely, way of seeing both Porto and Gaia is by taking a trip on one of the river boats that run between the eastern edge of the city and the point at which the Douro enters the Atlantic.

No mention of Porto is complete without a reference to the most famous product of this region, port wine. Most of the major producers have their cellars across the river in Gaia: here the wine, produced on the estates up-river in and around the Douro Valley, is aged before being shipped to markets throughout the world, and a visit to one of these cellars followed by a tasting of a few varieties is absolutely recommended. Moored in Gaia are the original ‘Rabelo’ boats which were used to transport the wine down from the estates. Nowadays, modern cruise vessels carry passengers up into the Douro Valley, and beyond as far as Spain, for trips of one day to a week.

North of Porto is the ‘Costa Verde’, running up to the River Minho and the Spanish border. The principal town on this coast is the elegant resort of Viana do Castelo, famous throughout Portugal for its ‘Fiesta of Fiestas’ on the third weekend of August, while further north and a few miles inland, on the banks of the Minho and with glorious views across the river to Spain, is the little town of Valenca do Minho.

Other notable towns in the region are Braga, founded by the Celts in 300 BC and an important Roman administrative centre, and Guimarães, a medieval town known as the birthplace of the Portuguese nation and with a magnificently well-preserved historic centre. And in the mountainous ‘Tras-os-Montes’ in the north-west, the historic towns of Chaves and Bragança stand out.

But a major attraction of this beautiful region of Portugal has to be its outstanding scenery. To appreciate this to the full you really need a car and a touring holiday of a week or so, starting and finishing in Porto and staying at several Pousadas en route, will provide a perfect introduction to the region. We would certainly suggest staying a night or two in Porto itself and an ideal route would include the highly-recommended Pousadas at Vila Nova de Cerveira, Amares (near the exceptionally beautiful Peneda-Gerês National Park), Guimarães, Alijó and/or Mesão Frio in the Douro Valley area, the latter with quite magnificent views of the river valley itself, then back to Porto.</p>

Gastronomy

The cuisine of the region naturally includes fish of the highest quality along the coastal stretch (including lampreys, a speciality of Vilanova de Cerveira) and inevitably ‘bacalhau’ (codfish), for which there are either 365 or 1,001 methods of preparation – whoever you believe – throughout Portugal. A very popular local speciality is ‘caldo verde’, a green cabbage and spicy sausage soup; rich meaty stews in the mountainous north-west, and everywhere a profusion of sweet desserts, many of them almond based, cakes and pastries. This is ‘vinho verde’ territory so this light, white wine is found throughout the region, while several excellent red wines are produced in the area of the Douro.