Featured holiday Portugal’s Atlantic Coast route walking holiday Portugal

You reach your first overnight stop today with your own travel arrangements to Porto and then there is a private car transfer for the 40-minute journey north to Povoa de Varzim. Allow time to check your kit, pack your rucksack and study your guides and maps. Povoa de Varzim is a thriving resort on the Atlantic Coast with about 12 km of beaches for swimming and surfing, but was historically a fishing port and centre for ship-building. There is plenty of historic interest to see including the Castelo da Povoa, the Praca Velha (Old Square) and the House of Antonio Cardia. The town was, and still is, a centre of theatre and orchestral music and also has a bull-fighting arena. Your hotel is in the centre of the town, right opposite the beach and within easy reach of many places to eat.

This morning leave, the resort of Povoa de Varzim after breakfast and start your walk along the sandy beaches northwards. After about 8kms you veer away from the coast slightly to walk through market gardens and a small patch of woodland on the approach to the seaside village of Apulia with its colourful fishing boats and beach huts. A very distinctive feature of Apulia are the old windmills, now without sails, set into the sandy dunes at the northern end of the beach. Much of the day is spent on wooden boardwalks along the coast with some sections of pavements, cobbled or tarmac roads. There is very little shade but there are several beach cafes along the way, with plenty to choose from for dinner in Apulia.
Distance: About 14 kms
Time: About 4 hours

You leave the village of Apulia with its distinctive fishing boats and beach huts and continue north on a mixture of wooden boardwalks, cobbled roads and pavements. You pass through the outskirts of the village of Fao before walking alongside and across the Cavado Estuary. Here is a long 3km beach backed by sand dunes and a nature reserve. At low tied an interesting rock formation is exposed offshore, the Cavalos de Fao. The tidal marshes are rich in wildlife. The walking route follows the river and the nature reserve before reaching the quietly provincial town of Esposende. This small town on the Cavado River is a fishing port but has a history dating back to the Bronze Age, with many archaeological sites to be found in the surrounding area. The most impressive is the fortified village of Castro de Sao Lourenco, which is about 5 kms away. In Esposende itself you’ll find a wide, palm-fringed boulevard, marinas and the Maritime Museum. Your hotel is right on the riverfront and within easy reach of restaurants.
Distance: About 8 kms
Time: About 2.5 hours

Today’s walk offers a variety of scenery as you pass through small villages and smallholdings, some surrounded by stone walls and some open stretches of land, as well as a stretch of pebble beach before crossing the River Neiva and heading inland to reach the village of Castelo do Neiva. Tonight you stay on a country estate, a quinta, and its 16th century manor house, amidst walled gardens and walnut, olive and pine trees. There is a swimming pool and tennis court. The village of Castelo do Neiva has a sandy beach, a fishing port and a Roman hill fort. There are restaurants nearby.
Distance: About 13 kms
Time: About 4 hrs

Today you walk along tracks passing low-lying villas and their gardens before reaching Amorosa on the coast. There are boardwalks and a section through pine forest before heading inland behind the famous Cabedelo beach to cross the long Eiffel bridge over the River Lima to reach the historic town of Viana do Castelo, with its tradition of ship building. This town has a compact, historic centre with its white-washed and stone houses, often displaying iron balconies, narrow shopping streets, and café-lined squares. The town is dominated by the Santuario de Santa Luiza offering panoramic views of the region from its vantage point on a tree-covered hill. Make sure you visit the Praca da Republica with its elegant fountain and open-air cafes. There is also the Gil Eannes hospital ship and museum as well as a regional museum, the Museu do Traje. Viana do Castelo is also renowned for its custard doughnuts (bolos de Berlim).
Distance: About 14 kms
Time: About 4 hours

Today begins with a stroll through the historic centre of Viana do Castelo and then continues along the coastline from Praia do Norte northwards. Here the coast is punctuated by stone windmills. The trail takes you slightly inland now and then before returning to the shore. The scenery is varied: sometimes rock and sandy beach, patches of forest, country lanes, fields and raised boardwalks over low-lying scrub. Vila Praia de Ancora is a pleasant, low-key seaside town with a beautiful beach where the Ancora River flows from the surrounding D’Arga mountains and across the sand. Local fishermen ensure a regular supply of fresh fish and seafood. You stay at a family-run 4 star hotel in Vila Praia de Ancora tonight.
Distance: About 14.5 kms
Time: About 4.5 hrs

Here you are feel the traditions of the Costa Verde and the beautiful coastline of greenery, traditions and unspoilt sandy beaches where fishing communities still work the Atlantic Ocean and the rivers that flow into it. In the distance the mountains form a backdrop and in the nearby countryside you’ll find aristocratic manor houses and attractive Baroque churches and chapels. Traditional festivals and feast days are highlights in the calendar in this region, and local traditions are practised with handicrafts such as gold filigree jewellery and handkerchiefs of love. Today’s walk is a relatively short and enjoyable one from the fishing and seaside town of Vila Praia de Ancora to Moledo beach along the coast utilising the pedestrian and cycle path. There is time to relax on Moledo beach, a wide, long, sandy beach in an area of great natural beauty, and known for its good windsurfing. From here it’s through a pine forest to the mouth of the River Minho and Caminha’s more sheltered river beach. Walk along the river and bobbing fishing boats to the historical centre of Caminha, whilst appreciating views of the Spanish and Portuguese mountains behind.  In Camhinha visit the Praca Conselheiro Silva Torres, an attractive square surrounded by low, white-washed buildings with stone-edge windows and terracotta roofs. In the centre of the square, surrounded by open-air café seating, is a 16th century fountain.  Just across the River Minho from here is Spain, so you have reached the northern point of Portugal’s Atlantic Coast.
Distance: About 9.5 kms
Time: About 3 hours

The return journey from Caminha by train to Porto takes about two hours. Take note of the beautiful tiles in the train station before you leave. You should book your train to coincide with your onward flight, or ask us to book a stay in Porto for you at the end of the holiday.