Getting there
Fly directly to Oporto / Porto and hire a car – the best options are:
Discover North Portugal PO2
Round Tour of Northern Portugal
Based on 10 nights self-drive independent tour in Portugal
A longer tour taking in all the highlights of North Portugal yet without too much driving. Start in style in historic Porto and the Douro valley which marks the southern limit of the region, then head north to Guimaraes and Braga, the Lima Valley, and on towards the border with Spain to discover the windswept Costa Verde, Minho Valley fortress towns and Peneda-Geres, Portugal’s only National Park.
Vineyards and nature, delicious local food and world-class wine. From start to finish you’ll find stunning landscapes, wonderful walking, great cities and lovely, well preserved towns to investigate.
The full route takes ten days but you can do as little, or as much, as you like.
- Tour Highlights:
- World class Port wines Douro and Vinho Verde
- Historic Porto and its charming old quarter
- World Heritage Arquitecture, Art and Culture
- Breathtaking valleys, Douro, Lima and Minho
- The Camino Portugues – St James’ Way – steeped in history
- Boulder-strewn mountains of Peneda-Geres
£1100 p/p
* Indicative mid-season prices for 10 nights (including car hire – flights not included) in our suggested hotels.
Full details (PDF)
Accommodation options
Accommodation options
Accommodation options
Accommodation options
Accommodation options
More about Portugal
Day 1 & 2 – Porto
- Ribeira, Porto’s fascinating historic centre, a World Heritage site
- Cross the impressive Dom Luis I iron bridge to the Port Wine Lodges
- Art for all from finest museums to simple galleries
- Walk the lanes, sail the river, live and breathe Porto
- Ferry to Afurada and the golden beach of Estrela
Day 3 & 4 – Douro Valley
- Fabulous Douro scenery – take an unforgettable boat trip
- World Heritage Douro vineyards, the World’s oldest!
- Romantic Amarante on the River Tamega
- Lamego – famous stairs of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios
- Superb gastronomy in the atmospheric “adegas” taverns
Days 5 & 6 – Braga / Guimaraes (Inner Minho)
- Stunning Guimaraes – World Heritage Site, full of culture and art
- Historic Braga with Portugal’s oldest Cathedral
- Bom Jesus del Monte with its famous baroque staircase
- Lively Barcelos – oldest market in the north, a must!
- Celtic Citania de Briteiros, 2500 years of history
Day 7 & 8 – Peneda Geres National Park
- National Park Peneda – Geres: boulder strewn granite peaks, forests and waterfalls
- Hiking, biking, horse riding, routes and water sports
- Spa town of Geres at the heart of the park
- Swim in turquoise rivers; marvel at the waterfalls in the Arado valley
- Visit the “espigueiros” grain stores in striking Soajo
Day 9 & 10 – Minho Coast
- Delightful Caminha and the fortress towns of Valença, Monção and Melgaço, dotted along the river Minho
- Historic step in the Portuguese Santiago pilgrim way
- Imposing Viana do Castelo with its long surfy windswept Atlantic coastline
- Graceful Ponte de Lima with its Roman bridge
- Sample the Vinho Verde wine and hearty local fare
The itinerary includes the following:
- Accommodation in our listed hotels – 2 sharing 1 std. double ensuite, B&B
- Economy 4dr car hire
- Regional guide book
- Personal Travel App including highlights, weather forecast and restaurant suggestions for all areas en-route
- Instructions to find all accommodation & regional road map
Not included:
- Flights – but we are able to advise
- One-way car hire charges, where applicable (see your quote email)
- The following car hire extras – these can be added at pick-up point
- extra driver
- Portuguese toll device (we highly recommend to take this service)
- child seats
- GPS
- Garage parking where applicable (mostly city stops) – please ask us about parking charges
- From London Gatwick: TAP Portugal or Easyjet
- From London Stansted: Ryanair
- From Liverpool: Ryanair
- From Manchester: Easyjet, TAP or Easyjet
- From Birmingham: Ryanair
- From Luton: Easyjet
- From Bristol: Easyjet
- From Dublin: Ryanair and TAP
Alternative airport
Santiago de Compostela in Spain is a good entry point for northern Portugal tours
PLEASE NOTE some flights are seasonal.
NB: Flights are not included
Alternatively you could fly to Lisbon (3 hours drive) or Santiago de Compostela in Spain (2hrs 30mins drive).
Getting around
As part of your package we will include a hire car. Normally we include a 4 door economy class car but please let us know if you would like something different.
AITO reviews
A good holiday seeing many different sights of north Portugal.
The holiday was well planned with 5 very different but equally good hotels and accommodations. They were in different areas of northern Portugal but only a couple of hours away from each other which gave us a good overview of the area without too much driving. The Vamoos app was particularly helpful.
Excellent. Touring north Portugal with Caminos from Casa Cantabricas
We stayed in 5 varied and excellent hotels seeing a wide variety of sights in north Portugal. The holiday was very well organised, the app made it very easy, directions etc were all very accurate. We would highly recommend Casa Cantabricas.
Caminando North Portugal
Highlights of Northern Portugal. From Porto to the Douro Valley, Peneda -Geres mountains and the Atlantic coast
