Highlighted Self-guided Walking Holidays in Portugal for 2019
As a specialist local tour operator, Portugal Green Walks prides itself on its continuous tour development and our team’s dedication to providing excellent customer service and care. Thanks to our commitment and passion, our satisfied clients come back to us time after time for new and improved walking routes and experiences in Northern Portugal.
As ever, we have been busy testing new trails and adjusting existing ones to make them the best they can be and keep up to date with changes on the ground.
Read on to discover our key self-guided tours for 2019.
Camino de Santiago in Country Inns
The ancient pilgrim trail from Porto to Santiago is one of our most important self-guided routes. While most people are happy to stay in clean, comfortable hotels, you can make your Camino experience even more special with our Camino in country inns programme.
We’ve chosen gorgeous rural properties where you can relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside at the beginning and end of each walking day. Your welcoming hosts will provide traditional home-cooked Portuguese dishes for you so you don’t even need to find a nearby restaurant.
Your Camino, also known as the Portuguese Way, starts in the beautiful historical city of Porto and takes you through the verdant Minho and Galician countryside to the ancient and impressive cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, you’ll experience traditional villages and small-scale agricultural practices as well as history-filled towns and cities with wonderful architecture and attractive squares.
Find out more about the CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
Portuguese Camino de Santiago
Flavours of the Camino and Costa Verde
If you want to experience the very best of the Minho region and have a taste of the Camino de Santiago as well as beautiful coastline, this is the tour for you.
The Alto Minho tour begins in the attractive city of Viana do Castelo, at the mouth of the Lima River. Cycle your way along the river to Ponte de Lima, the oldest, and possibly the prettiest town in Portugal. From here, your journey continues on foot, following the Camino trail north as far as the fortress town of Valença.
From here it’s time to head west by following the River Minho, a natural border with Spain, to its mouth at Caminha, an unspoilt town at the very tip of Portugal. Then follow the Green Coast back down to Viana do Castelo.
Discover the Flavours of the Camino and Costa Verde
Alto Minho
Heart and Soul of the Douro Valley
This wonderfully scenic walking holiday takes you into the very heart of the Douro Valley, possibly the most picturesque wine region in the world. Explore the ever-changing landscapes of the surrounding hills, valleys, villages and wineries over the course of a week to get a true sense of what makes this area worthy of its UNESCO World Heritage status.
The steep, terraced slopes common to many of the Douro vineyards mean that much of the work involved in producing and harvesting grapes is still performed manually. Depending on the time of year, you will encounter estate workers and villagers tending to their vines. You’ll also see traditional villages where age old agricultural practices are still in use.
This is the region where the world-famous port wine originates from but its unique microclimate makes it ideal for flavourful red and white wines and another fortified wine made from muscatel grapes, giving you plenty of varieties to try.
Learn more about the HEART AND SOUL OF THE DOURO VALLEY
Walking in Douro Valley
Explore Peneda-Gerês National Park
Those who revel in rugged mountainous landscapes and remote villages should enjoy our self-guided walking holiday in the Peneda-Gerês, Portugal’s only national park.
For this week-long experience, we focus on the areas around the Peneda, Soajo and Amarela Mountains, which offers a variety of settings and topographies. Discover stone shelters built by shepherds in the highlands, wild Garrano horses, curly-horned Cachena cows, an ancient wolf trap, clusters of stone grain stores, a mountain sanctuary and isolated communities and villages.
Our route takes you up into the boulder-strewn mountains, through forests and valleys and alongside rivers, streams and a reservoir.
Stay in quaint stone cottages and make the most of the pure air and nourishing local produce.
Portugal’s National Park
Discover all our walking holidays in Portugal.
