The Details
From tranquil countryside to bustling urban beauty, there’s no better way to appreciate Portugal’s charming Minho region than by train. Flying into the northern capital Porto, you’ll begin your holiday with a three-night stay in the city’s bustling historic quarter – crossing the revered Ponta Luis I into Vila Nova da Gaia: Porto’s twin city and the spiritual home of port wine.
The Sao Bento train station, another of Porto’s treasured landmarks, is your departure point – you’ll leave the city, heading north on the Minho line to the pretty riverfront town of Barcelos. You’ll be more familiar with this peaceful rural idyll than you perhaps realise – the town’s emblem, the O Galo de Barcelos, is one of the iconic symbols of Portugal.
Back on the train, you’ll head to the far northwestern corner of the country for three-nights in the port town of Viana do Castelo. It’s a pleasure getting lost amongst central Viana’s 18th century architecture – you’ll be staying high on the Monte de Santa Luzia: the high promontory which overlooks Viana, home to the impressive Santuario do Sagrado Coracao de Jesus.
A final train journey brings you south once again – following the Atlantic Coast down into Porto, for a final evening on the banks of the grand Douro River.
