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A Meander through the Minho

Verdant northern Portugal
 
Starting in Portugal’s oldest town and finishing at the family estate of the Count of Calheiros, a very special place to stay, this self-guided hotel-to-hotel walking break, which includes luggage transfers, introduces you to Portugal’s greenest corner, the home of delicious vinho verde.
A Meander through the Minho. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
A Meander through the Minho. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A walking break in the Minho

The Minho is considered by many Portuguese to be the most beautiful part of their country, and, along with traditional manor houses, green is what it does best.

As well as being home to the lightly sparkling vinho verde (‘green – or more accurately ‘young’ – wine), this region is where you will find the verdant Lima Valley. Here, nestling immediately below Spain’s north-westernmost corner, are fertile meadows adorned by vineyards, chestnut orchards and swaggering ears of corn; ancient towns and villages (some of the oldest in Portugal) with their cobbled streets and elegant stone façades; and the Caminho de Santiago, meandering northwards towards Spain. 
As you walk and explore, you might cross paths with the occasional pilgrim, and will be welcomed by generous hosts whose charming guesthouses and elegant manor houses make truly exceptional places to stay.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 12 13 15 18 20 23 26 26 24 20 15 13
    mm 166 157 119 104 90 48 16 23 66 132 161 170
  • Arrival in Ponte de Lima
    Night 1: at Mercearia da Vila or Hotel Império do Norte (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of exploration.
  • Day in & around Ponte de Lima
    Picturesque Ponte de Lima is Portugal’s oldest town and is named in part after its iconic Roman bridge (ponte means ‘bridge’). There are various options as to how to spend your day here. 

    Lakes and Gardens (starting by taxi): 9.5km, 3.5hrs; ascent 50m/descent 60m
    Take a short taxi ride (pay locally) to Lagoas de Bertiandos, where wooden walkways lead across the wetlands. Look for some of the many species of birds which shelter here, before returning to Ponte de Lima along the right bank of the river.

    Visit Ponte de Barca
    Catch the morning bus to neighbouring Ponte de Barca with its equally splendid bridge spanning the Lima and its compact old quarter. The ecovia is particularly picturesque at this point and you might like to stroll some of its length before taking the bus back to Ponte de Lima in time for lunch. Another option is to hire bikes (pay locally - no cycling notes provided) and cycle along the ecovia to Ponte de Barca and back again, a lovely way to enjoy both Ponte de Barca and the prettiest stretches of the ecovia (34km round trip).

    Explore Ponte de Lima
    Whatever you decide to do, you’ll want to leave ample time for visiting Ponte de Lima’s delightful gardens (the Annual Garden Festival runs from the end of May to the end October) and for strolling along its charming river front. There’s also a museum devoted to vinho verde, as well as a military museum housed in the 15th-century Paço de Marquês.
    Lagoas de Bertiandos to Ponte de Lima (starting by taxi): 9.5km
    Path through corn fields on the route from Lagoas to Ponte de Lima
  • Ponte de Lima to Calheiros: 8km, 3hrs; ascent 235m/descent 50m
    Setting out across the graceful Roman bridge, you rejoin the Caminho de Santiago for a short walk which gradually ascends through cultivated terraces and vineyards to reach the hamlet of Calheiros and the Paço de Calheiros, where you stay for two nights.
    Ponte de Lima to Calheiros: 8km
    You may meet pilgrims on the Caminho de Santiago
  • Circular route from Calheiros: 9km, 3.5hrs; ascent/descent 380m
    Our suggested circular walk ascends through woods where wild horses run free, to reach a saddle high above the valley and a hillside path from where you can gaze down over the River Lima. Descending through tiny villages, some of whose residents have known the Count of Calheiros since he was a boy, you enjoy panoramic views over the estate before returning to relish its opulent surroundings.
    Circular route from Calheiros: 9km
    Wild horses around Calheiros
 

Accommodation

Your two bases offer two very different experiences. The Paço de Calheiros is a traditional mansion where you are welcomed and treated as part of the family, with meals often taken together around one table.

In some places, we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.

Wherever you stay in Ponte de Lima, we recommend adding extra nights as there is plenty to see and do in and around the town.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
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  • 4 nights: 01 April 2023 - 14 July 2023, 25 August 2023 - 31 October 2023, 01 April 2024 - 14 July 2024 & 25 August 2024 - 31 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 30 Apr 2023 £665 £385
    1 - 21 May 2023 £690 £395
    22 May - 7 Jul 2023 £715 £415
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2023 £735 £425
    1 - 27 Oct 2023 £690 £400
    1 - 30 Apr 2024 £730 £425
    1 - 21 May 2024 £760 £440
    22 May - 7 Jul 2024 £785 £455
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2024 £805 £465
    1 - 27 Oct 2024 £760 £440
    3rd & 4th person discount -£15 to -£17
    Single traveller supplement £0

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Price includes: return taxi from Porto airport (1h each way)

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Mercearia da Vila, Ponte de Lima (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 14 Jul 2023 £48 £80
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2023 £48 £80
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2023 £40 £78
    01 Apr - 14 Jul 2024 £53 £88
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2024 £53 £88
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2024 £44 £86
    Paço de Calheiros, Calheiros (with dinner) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 14 Jul 2023 £132 £210
    25 Aug - 31 Oct 2023 £132 £210
    01 Apr - 14 Jul 2024 £150 £236
    25 Aug - 31 Oct 2024 £150 £236
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Porto (latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time are both flexible)

    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Porto or Lisbon.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Aberdeen - Porto (via Paris CDG) Air France,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Porto Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Porto easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Porto Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Edinburgh - Porto (via Barcelona) Vueling 
    Edinburgh - Porto (via Geneva) easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Porto easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Porto Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Porto British Airways,  easyJet,  TAP Air Portugal 
    Gatwick - Porto (via Geneva) easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Porto British Airways,  TAP Air Portugal 
    Heathrow - Porto (via Lisbon) TAP Air Portugal 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Porto easyJet,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Porto Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Porto easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Manchester - Porto (via Brussels) Brussels Airlines 
    Manchester - Porto (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Porto (via Lisbon) TAP Air Portugal 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Porto (via Brussels) Brussels Airlines 
    Newcastle - Porto (via Paris CDG) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Porto (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Porto or Lisbon.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 2 dinners
    1 picnic
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • return transfers from Porto airport
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 6 reviews
  • Ms R Slator
    Thirsk
    23 May 2023

    We truly meandered through the Minho, with an extra night in Ponte de Lima and 2 in Calheiros. Ponte de Lima was delightful with the most fantastic avenue of plane trees to shelter under when it was hot, and a serenade in the Lagaos by turtle doves, a cuckoo and a golden oriole (among others). Paco de Calheiros was such an unusual place to stay, perfect for relaxation and enjoyment of unexpected hospitality, and there were hoopoes in the vineyards. And then on to Porto with another extra night: there is plenty to see. The Graham's tour was a highlight, and the food was an experience. We particularly liked Cozinha dos Loios. Another excellent Inntravel holiday booked at pretty short notice. Thank you.

    INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk A Meander through the Minho with a stay in Porto

  • Mrs J Stewart
    Edinburgh
    14 May 2023

    This 3-day walking trip is an excellent introduction to enjoying the pleasures of this type of holiday. The length of walks is very achievable for anyone of average ability. As two people in our 70s this was very enjoyable as the area around Ponte de Lima is very beautiful and as we experienced wonderful weather it was doubly enjoyable. The walk around Calheiros was quite challenging as it is relatively steep but the views are wonderful. Paco de Calheiros is magnificent and the staff here were lovely including the Count and Countess who are very charming. Our hotel in Ponte de Lima, Arc My Otel was  very nice and the town itself is lovely.

  • Mrs A Steene
    Bath
    10 May 2023

    Our highlights were hiring bikes and cycling along the Lima, exploring Porto and walking from Calheiros

  • Anon
    31 March 2023

    This was exactly the holiday we needed! Ponte de Lima was a real delight, the hotel was comfortable and full of character and the hosts were very friendly. We went on all the suggested walks and found them very well planned, giving us a chance to experience the beautiful countryside in all its variety. It was glorious (spring flowers, the cuckoo calling on 1st April, almost continuous sunny weather) and the directions very easy to follow. Ponte de Lima on Palm Sunday was full of processions, traditional dress and music - not to mention stalls with local seasonal food. As for Paco de Calhieros, the family was extremely welcoming and hospitable, the bedroom was very comfortable, the garden was beautiful. The enormous dog was an instant friend.

  • Mrs A Nabavi
    Mayfield
    28 August 2022

    Personal highlights were:

    Porto: a great town to explore.  We really liked Restaurant Elemento but you need to book  in advance.  I think one more night in Porto would have been good to ensure we could go down to the coast and try the fish restaurants down there.

    In the Douro we really enjoyed Quinta de la Rosa and we were vey glad we did B&B and not half board here as the restarant is really good. We were offered the opportunity to tread the grapes which we declined!! but it was great to watch.

    Early September was an excellent time to go as the harvest had started, the weather was great (28/30 degrees during the day, so nice for walking) and no rain. 

    The Minho was less interesting than we had thought but it was good to see another part of Portugal.  The Paço de Calheiros is a must but be prepared for a rather laid back approach to service.  We very much enjoyed the Count's after dinner tour of the house.  I also enjoyed the swimming pool, although it was very under used!  Weather in the Minho was variable but we had expected that so had wet weather gear with us. 

    Inntravel
    response

    River of Gold followed by A Meander through the Minho

  • Ms K Hillyard
    Leeds
    17 June 2022

    We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday as a family, as mentioned above we would not recommend the second guest house we stayed at.

    Inntravel
    response

    As per our direct correspondence, we are sorry you were disappointed with the provision for vegetarians, and have taken this up with the guest house to ensure there is no recurrence.
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from A to B, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Portugal, Madeira and the Azores, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is Portuguese. The currency is the Euro. Portuguese time is the same as GMT/UTC. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on the same time as BST.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
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