A walking holiday in the Minho

The manor houses of the Minho was a very good way to find out about northern Portagual. We had no idea what a beautiful, verdent part of the country it is. The villages you walk through are well populated but truly rural and the valleys support mixed small scale farming which creates the perfect environment for wildlife. This is where all the house sparrows have gone! We are not really bird watchers but we also saw hoopoe twice, heron and also swifts in Ponte de Lima. Often you are walking along the Caminho de Santiago following in the footsteps of hundreds of years of pilgrims. You really can step away from the busy life we all lead and relax. 

We enjoyed staying in the manor houses and meeting the owners who made us very welcome and mostly spoke good English so that you could really learn about the region. This is less impersonal than staying in a hotel but also a bit different. For instance there is no bar if you want a drink before dinner, but we asked for a glass of the local white wine and it was willingly provided. So really the best of both worlds.

In Ponte de Lima - which is absolutely charming - we hired bikes and rode to Ponte da Barca where we had the most delicious lunch in a restaurant called Via a Fava. We  would highly recommend the trip if you have time. Duarte at InMountain bikes speaks very good English and they do offer electric bikes if you want to make the trip easier. In Ponte de Lima we would particularly recommend the Taberna Cadeia Velha where we had a delicious meal one evening with a beautiful view of the river too.

Although we have suggested to Inntravel some extensions to the walks - which are mostly not quite as challenging as those we have completed on other holidays (2/3 star), we still enjoyed this holiday very much. The Portuguese are very welcoming and will definitely return to the area again. I was slightly concerned from other reviews that the food would disappoint, but actually we ate some delicious dishes and especially fish - both the traditonal salt cod and also plenty of fresh fish. If we had wanted to eat meat or vegetarian the options were usually there too. We extended for two days in Porto which was a good contrast.

Tips: Sakurana (restaurant) in Ponte de Lima for delicious sushi (freshly prepared on the spot) also very tasty noodles and prawns. Best walk - around Calheiros (Day 6).

An excellent holiday, in a marvellous part of the world. So much nicer than the Algarve. The villages we walked through could not have been more beautiful, the food was wonderful and the people we met were genuinely friendly.

This was our second trip to Portugal with Inntravel and it won't be our last. The Portugal we have experienced is still unspoilt and has a distinct character. The people are warm and welcoming and language is not a problem - smiles, a mixture of bad Spanish and English work well. Ponte de Lima was charming and Porto did not dissapoint either, fantastic for just people watching. It was easy to see why the Ribeira is deemed a UNESCO site. The food on the whole was good and plentiful, if not the most exciting and the wine, again although not spectacular, was very quaffable and relatively cheap. To be recommended.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers added on a two night stay in Porto after our Manor Houses of the Minho walking holiday.

The combination of the well-prepared walking notes and the excellent detailed maps ensured that we did not get lost, while still presenting us with the challenge of finding our way through unknown territory. For part of our route we coincided with walkers on the Caminho de Santiago and were grateful for the relative slowness of our walk which allowed us the better to enjoy the surroundings. The four houses differed in scale and degree of grandeur, but in each we were warmly welcomed and treated as if our presence mattered. The chance to dine with others on most evenings added an unexpected dimension and interest to our holiday, not least dining with the Count and his guests at his Paco de Calheiros. Walking round the vineyard in the evening sunlight, among the orange and lemon groves, was unforgettable.

A very pleasant walking trip, not difficult but nonetheless rewarding as you tour this beautiful part of Portugal. The walking directions were excellent. Our hosts along the way were generally delightful and attentive, and the accommodation in Ponte de Lima was especially good at Mercearia da Vila. Our fellow walkers that we met for meals were delightful, and a good time was had by all. 

This was much enjoyed, highlights being the Quinta de Malta packed lunch bag, the view out of the room in Calheiros, the wine (oh and the port tasting - we did the add on and the Graham's tasting was very good - might be useful to give an expectation as to how long they take 90 mins+ we had to rush the port having booked a meal at a restaurant in Porto.) Very hospitable accommodation!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer enjoyed our Manor Houses of the Minho self-guided walking holiday followed by our Porto City add-on.

Highlights for me:

The profusion and variety of wildflowers everywhere (in late May),

Arriving at Paco de Calheiros and discovering we could see the Roman bridge at Ponte da Lima from the terrace outside our room!

Sitting on a shady terrace at Quiinta da Malta on a hot afternoon with a bottle of the (unlabelled) Vinho Verde

Difficult to pick out individual highlights from the walks, all were enjoyable and interesting. The final walk, aroung the hill behing the Paco de Calheiros, had the most splendid views.

The old manor houses were lovely, although they could get cold at night and the plumbing sometimes left a bit to be desired.

The holiday was excellent and everything we had hoped for. A beautiful unspoilt area and the accommodation in the manor houses really special and very welcoming. The walking was easy and interesting which was what we wanted, and the walking notes very accurate - as usual with other Inntravel holidays we've been on. Ponte de Lima is a really lovely town.

The perfect Spring weather made the whole experience very enjoyable. Meandering through the dappled light provided by chestnut, olive, orange and eucalyptus trees, along rivers, over stone bridges and through vineyards was at times quite magical. The valley filled with arum lilies was another highlight and the scent of wildflowers and gardens was everywhere. Having walked extensively in the Alps, Pyrenees, all over France and England, the Minho had something very special as it is so unspoilt. One of the best walks ever?   

We were overall quite disappointed with this holiday. The accommodation and food in the manor houses was very good, but the walks between were not very exciting with a lot of road walking. The best walk was the final day around Calhieros. The accommodation in Ponte de Lima was exceptionally good. The owners could not have been more hospitable.

The highlight of the holiday was the two nights at Paco de Calheiros. We arrived fairly early and sat in the sun until a car drove into the grounds. This was the Count who immediately sorted out our room, found our cases and explained the arrangements for the evening. Apertifs in the old kitchen, dinner in a grand Banqueting Room plus we had a quick tour of the house with the Count during the time we were taking the apertifs. The following night we smaller numbers we were entertained by the Countess and had our apertifs in their lounge followed by dinner in a smaller dining room. They were both very friendly and made all of us feel special. A wonderful spot to stay.

Overall this was a lovely holiday with easy walking and lovely Manor houses to stay in. One of our highlights happened when we found a little cafe/bar and with some difficulty and plenty of hand signals we ordered our drinks. We were just getting the money to pay when we were told that the little elderly lady near us had already paid for the four of us. She was smiling and wished us a good onward journey! We couldn’t decide who had the greatest pleasure from this meeting! The little shop at Calheiros is well worth a visit with its amazing range of stock in the tiny interior and its cafe at the back! We added an extra day in Porto and enjoyed exploring the steep cobbled streets as well as seeing the beautiful railway station. Walking across the Douro on the train bridge high over Porto was quite an experience too and is highly to be recommended.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: customers combined our walk Manor Houses of the Minho with our Porto City add-on

The chestnut harvest was underway at Quinta do Casal do Condado and it was a real treat watching the way everyone joined in and seeing how the pickers worked. Everyone was really friendly throughout the walk. The time we spent at Paco de Calheiros was very special, it is such a beautiful place and we really felt that we could make ourselves at home. Francisco had arranged some local folk music and dancing and everyone had fun taking part.

We enjoyed the walking routes and the camaraderie of meeting other people on the Caminho.

We learned alot about the agriculture of the area, especially the chestnuts at Quinta do Sobreiro.

The Quintas were all a bit different which added to the interest.

We had to find our own accommodation in Ponte de Lima as the Inntravel places were booked. We found somewhere very suitable just outside the town.

We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. As the area is remote we would advise using the taxi transfers. 

Having done a number of Inn Travel holidays, would consider this a level 1 walk. The accommodation was historical and interesting whilst still being comfortable and the pools were great after walking. Our hosts were all extremely friendly and obliging and the two nights with the Count were highly entertaining. In general the food was not particularly good and we had duck rice three times. We got lost on the first day’s walk through the woods as did other Inn Travellers we met so perhaps those notes need some revision. The walks were generally attractive, interesting and not difficult and we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. The only minor disappointment was some of the food, but nevertheless we would highly recommend the holiday.

We most enjoyed our stay in the delightful garret in Ponte de Lima and our conversations with the owner who told us all about growing up in the shop with his parents. It was also a pleasure to end our holiday as guests of the Count at Calheiros. Inntravel couldn't have been more helpful in booking a tour round Graham's Port Lodge back at Porto at late notice. Also we had expected to be walking alone but found ourselves in the company of two other couples doing the same route at the same time. We formed a wonderful team of six - an unexpected pleasure. 

Overall really enjoyed this walk. It is correctly graded as '1'.   The longest day is a lot longer particularly if you stay at Quinta do Sobreiro but relatively easy and the extra walk from there is pleasant.  We only had minor difficulties as it was very hot (30+) on all the days.   I would say to everyone make sure you take plenty of water as there are few if any places along the way to fill up (especially out of season, we did this trip at the end of September and many cafes/kiosks were closed).   

We stayed an extra night in Ponte de Lima and had a few nights in Porto both of which I would recommend.  In Ponte de Lima we did the recommended walk from Bertiandos a very pleasant easy walk, didn't see a lot of wildlife (a few herons and a large green lizard) but I guess that varies with the time of year.  We also did the day trip to Ponte de Barca,  I took the bus (was too hot for me to cycle) worked fine (was €3 each way and you pay on the bus) I got around 2 hours to look around.  My husband cycled which he thoroughly recommends, he thought it was the best section of the Ecovia. 

Ponte de Lima itself is a lovely town, we ate at all 3 recommended restaurants.  All good but our favourite of these was Taberna Cadeia Velha..lovely well presented food and wine... particularly recommend the rabbit with chesnut puree! 

I think that the accommodation is as much a part of this trip as the walking they really aren't hotels in all the right ways!  They are lovely places to just relax and enjoy your surroundings.  Our favourite walks were the first and the last days.   Best food at accommodation was Quinta de Malta,  best room Casa do Pinheiro,  Best welcome and best pool with a view Quinta do Sobreiro,   Best house, setting and dinner companion! Paco de Calheiros.  If you like bridges this walk is for you everything from small ancient stone ones to the Ponte Luis 1 by Eiffel (if you stay in Porto).

The holiday lived up to all my expectations although the weather was very hot and we needed far more changes of clothing than I had envisaged. The countryside was a delight full of vineyards corn fields and rivers etc.

All the Manor Houses we were fortunate to stay at were superb. Each one unique in its own way. The two nights in Ponte de Lima choosing our own restaurants added a change to the routine. In the other 3 Manor Houses I particularly enjoyed eating meals with other guests at a large table and hearing about their day's adventures.

Paço de Calheiros was fabulous and the passion with which the Count upholds his family traditions is great to see. He was an excellent host and his guided tours of the house and wine cellars were appreciated. 

This could arguably be the best Inntravel walking holiday we have been on. A perfect combination of activity and relaxation. Paco de Calheiros is a stunning conclusion to the holiday - find that vine sheltered terrace just below the Tower for uninterupted views down the valley all the way to Ponte de Lima and beyond. 

This area of Portugal is absolutely beautiful and the local people are extremely welcoming. It was a delight to walk through the countryside and feel that we were getting a true taste of the area and its people and traditions. The manor houses are a delight and provide an insight into the local history of the area. The communal meals facilitated a relaxed exchange of tales of experiences with other Inntravelers too, especially when the local wine flowed so freely!

We met with some great InnTravellers along the way to share our experiences with and a large number of Americans 'walking' the route to Santiago with the help of a fleet of buses. The Count joined us for dinner and breakfast at Calhieros and we were made very welcome. Brush up on your England / Portugal history before you go.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Ponte de Lima - the accommodation was wonderful. The town was characterful with loads to do for such a small place.

we really enjoyed Quinta de Casal do Condado - a stylish and quirky contemporary restoration of an ancient building and a very friendly host.

An unspoilt part of Portugal which is becoming more touristy due to the popularity of the camino. Varied and interesting accommodation. The walks weren't as interesting as expected and the route notes not as easy to follow as on other trips. It was disappointing that Inntravel didn't forewarn us about the festival in Ponte de Lima and tell us that all the museums and places of interest would be closed on our one day here! We only found that out on the day. One of the restaurants mentioned by Inntravel in Ponte De Lima was very disappointing and we would not recommend anyone to go there. The other restaurant, across the bridge, was excellent. 

Our highlights were the welcome and good food at the Quinta de Malta; the scenery in the later walks, especially the view from Paco de Calheiros; the charming town of Ponte de Lima, with a good meal at Resturant Pesticas and a very warm welcome at Mercearia da Vila, which was a nice contrast from the manor houses. Our stay coincided with the start of the music festival and we enjoyed the lights and the opening night fireworks - although were glad to be staying further away the next evening when we could hear the drums still at 3am!

Overall the walks were a little short on the whole and the longer Ecovia walk less intertesting than it sounded in the notes, but as it was very hot the chance to swim and read in the afternoons was welcome. Accomodation was varied and interesting - we felt the welcome wasn't as warm at Quinta do Casel Do Condado - so one night here is definitely enough.

Portugal is welcoming and beautiful. We loved the accommodations and our slow travel experience. Inntravel was professional and reliable. We loved our trip.

The highlights are the beautiful restored Quintas, bustling Porte da Lima and the pleasant countryside walks.  

Staying in these manor houses is like staying with a dotty maiden aunt. There is not a lot of service and you have to take whatever food or leftovers she has in the fridge. She goes to bed early and the house then closes up. Although you've paid for your holiday, it's her house and she calls all the shots, so it feels rude to complain or ask for anything after supper.  So bring a travel kettle, your own tea bags, and your own pre- and post-prandial drinks. Also family games like scrabble if you don' t want to sit in front of Portuguese tv. 

This walk is very easy and mainly on roads and paths. You walk the Portuguese part of the pilgrims way, the Caminon de Santiago, where the yellow arrows are very easy to follow. The accommodation is either on converted farms (quinta) or wonderfully old and rather quaint manor houses. Each time you stay with the family and actual owners who cook delicious meals for you and provide complimentary wine. Ponte de Lima is a wonderful medieval town where one could stay an additional night because there is so much to explore and the shops are lovely and individual for those who like a bit of civilised shopping. There are plenty of restaurants in the old quarters and some good bars with late night Jazz. 

We think this holiday will be a winner.  Northern Portugal is so pleasant, very peaceful and friendly.  Ponte de Lima is a delightful small town, with some excellent restaurants.  I shall always remember watching England play Sweden on an open air screen, underneath the magnificent plane trees, overlooking the river.

Another wonderful holiday. Thank you, Inntravel. This part of Portugal is beautiful. We enjoyed peaceful glorious walking, comfortable accommodation, delicious food and generous warm hospitality.

The walking was wonderful, but the manor houses themselves were the real highlights.  It was so exciting to arrive at each one in turn, and to be welcomed as guests, culminating with the simply amazing Paco do Calheiros and its exuberant and exceptionally hospitable host, the Count of Calheiros.

We loved this holiday. The area is beautiful and visiting the various manor Houses was a treat - so different to staying in a hotel. We went in the second half of June and were blessed with some wonderful weather. Our outstanding memory was our visit to Calheiros where the Count and his wife were wonderful hosts; we were sad to leave. We added a couple of nights in Porto which proved to be a great ending to the holiday. Can't wait for our next Inntravel holiday in September.

The highlighs were the walk into Ponte de Lima on the Avenida dos Platanos and the Mercearia da Vila.  We were there during a heatwave but in normal weather the walks would have been a bit short given there wasn’t a lot to do upon arrival at the Manor Houses.  The last day‘s walk was the best. Not one of our best walks with Inntravel but true to its description.

Two of the hotels/guest houses had no personality as the owners had no involvement, one had no personality because the manager clearly didn't like either the job or Inntravel and the fourth viewed us as an audience for stories about his contacts. In general they were not as good as the usual Inntravel accomodation including the food.

Liked area, people very nice, plenty of cafes. Liked Ponte de Lima.

Liked other travellers. I like communal meals.  Hotel staff nice.

Maybe hype about exclusive accommodation excessive, though settings lovely, - liked b and b just as much- if not more.

In most ways this holiday lived up to expectations. (The weather was a bit of a disappointment for early June. We'd gone prepared for showers but really should have worn heavy duty waterproofs on two of the days. We also made good use of fleeces, sweaters and padded jackets at the start.) The scenery in the Minho is attractive and we especially enjoyed the views on the Day 6 walk around Calheiros.

We were pleased with all our accommodation (Malta, Sobreiro, Pinheiro and Calheiros), which we rated good or excellent. We also appreciated the individual characteristics of these delightful properties. The hosts and local population alike were welcoming and generally eager to assist. In Ponte de Lima we ate our main meals at Restaurante Petiscas and Taberna Cadeia Velha; both to be recommended.

Inntravel - you are a marvellous organisation!! First of all, this holiday is a one-off; something different. We met the Count de Calheiros at Cheltenham on your travel fair at the Racecourse where he sold the idea of the holiday very well. The organisation was superb throughout and we certainly tested your ability to assist your customers when we suffered a flight cancellation and a train strike. We can’t thank you enough for the manner in which this was all dealt with. I would thoroughly recommend you as a travel company and this holiday, in particular, with a proviso that people are aware that they will be personal guests of each of the hosts and not just staying in an hotel.

Ponte do Lima is a lovely old town, great restaurants nice atmosphere. Although the area is agricultural it is quite densely populated and not as rural as I imagined. This area of Portugal has high rainfall and is not that warm make sure you bring appropriate clothing.

There is such a thing as red Vino Verde and its lovely!

Really enjoyed the walk along the Ecovia into Ponte De Lima, especially when I saw a kingfisher as an azure bullet speeding along on the opposite side of the river.  We were really lucky to see the Vaca Das Cordas - cow on the ropes - Festival on our first evening, followed by the Corpus Christi procession on our second day.  We loved the way the streets / pavements had been decorated with intricate patterns of coloured sawdust.  It is well worth visiting the Vino Verde museum in Ponte De Lima - there is a really good 15 minute film in English explaining everything - it made sense of how we had seen the vines were trained on the walks on our previous days.  You get to taste the white Vino Verde afterwards and if you pay extra, you can taste the red Vino Verde too. We learned that the Minho is one of the wettest areas of Portugal - we only had rain on 2 days of our holiday however - but now we know why it is so green.

Restuarant Petiscas was excellent, but I defy anybody to clear their plate - the portions are huge.  We enjoyed the Paco de Calheiros the most.  The view back down to Ponte De Lima is stunning.  You can clearly see the Roman Bridge. Count Franciso is a perfect host.  He joined us for dinner and also breakfast.  We had a tour of the upper floor after dinner which was great.  The walk on the final day was my favourite.  It is more remote and the views down to Paco De Calheiros were stunning.

My husband and I did 2 Inntravel walks in Portugal in June 2018 - Manor Houses of the Minho and Palaces & Pathways of Sintra. 

On both walks the accommodation, food and walking was fantastic. The luggage transfers went smoothly. I would recommend both these walks to anyone wishing to undertake a supported walk in Portugal. 

Our highlights were the garden festival in Ponted de Lima, the dinners at Quinta de Malta, the garden at Casa de Pinheiro, our stay at Paco de Calheiros, especially Count Francisco's hospitality and the last walk around Calheiros (despite the fact that we were in the clouds and had no view!)

We loved Ponte de Lima.  Hotel was good but a bit upsetting seeing all the hunting trophies.   All the places we stayed were interesting and it’s not every day you dine with a Count!  We thoroughly enjoyed the countryside, wild flowers and the people we met. 

Another excellent holiday. The highlights were Ponte de Lima and the Paco de Calheiros Manor House.

We liked the invitation to help ourselves to fruit at Quinta de Malta. Toy museum was small but worth the entrance fee! 

Delightful holiday, something a bit different as the Minho isn't overwhelmed with tourists and is naturally very beautiful. 

We had a splendid time. The breakfasts were all excellent but the included meals were slightly disappointing in comparison. The resturants that Inntravel suggested at Ponte de Lima were very good.

Great walking with excellent and very different accommodation. Taberna Cadeira Velha in Ponta da Lima an excellent place to eat - their sarrabulho should not be missed but even the small portion was enough for two!

1 It was definitely worth visiting the chocloate factory; most interesting.

2 On the walk in the lagaos reserve - restaurante Oceleiro in Bertiandos - which village you pass through on your way out of the nature reserve, gave us a superb meal, and the cost for all six of us, with as much as you could eat plus beer - all for 30 euros; incredible value. You don't get a pack lunch that day so it worked very well.

3 We did enjoy our parts of the walk that were on the Camino de Santiago, interesting to see this, but a lot of walkers on that so what we did on that was enough.

4 The Ecovia bits were also very good.

5 Paco do Calheiro; what an amazing place and the Count was everywhere.  I especially liked the way this huge house was open all the time; you could walk in to any door, nothing locked.  It had a very good atmosphere and was a fascinating place.

We chose this walk because we wanted reasonably easy walking where we had time to pause and watch the scenary and flowers. It was ideal for us. We were very pleased with the places  we stayed in. They were a glimpse of old Portugal rather than modern hotels, which we could have stayed in anywhere in the world. Very interesting and charming hosts. There was wifi in each one but it did not always work well in the rooms because the stone walls were very thick, so we had to do our web browing in the sitting rooms. This area of Portugal is very friendly and cheap. A cup of good coffee was 1.1 Euro!

A wonderful holiday. Walks were easy to follow, a good length, and level of difficulty was what we expected. Plenty of time left to relax in the afternoon. We enjoyed all the mansions and of course the delicious cuisine and wines. We liked the large, communal table for breakfast at Casa do Pinheiro, and the traditional Portuguese meals at Quinta de Malta. Our favourite restaurant in Ponte de Lima was Taberna Cadeia Velha: Great Caldo Verde soup as a starter. Last but not least, the local people were so friendly. Many thanks to Batista, Catharina, Vitor and Francisco, Count of Calheiros, to let us stay in his mansion and enjoy delicious meals during Easter.