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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.
 

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What we’re doing so you can book and travel with confidence >
Our flexible booking policies >
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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 (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
    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
    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
    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.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 4 nights: 01 April 2022 - 14 July 2022 & 25 August 2022 - 31 October 2022

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

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 30 Apr 2022 £575 £340
    1 - 21 May 2022 £595 £345
    22 May - 10 Jul 2022 £615 £355
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2022 £615 £355
    1 - 27 Oct 2022 £595 £345
    3rd & 4th person discount -£10
    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 2022 £42 £70
    25 Aug - 30 Sep 2022 £42 £70
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2022 £36 £70
    Paço de Calheiros, Calheiros (with dinner) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 14 Jul 2022 £120 £190
    25 Aug - 31 Oct 2022 £120 £190
  • 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 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Porto Ryanair 
    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 
    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 except those operated by Ryanair. 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 4 reviews
  • Vivian, Somerset
    30 August 2019

    Although the Pacos was truly memorable it was the accommodation in Ponte de Lima that appealed for its authenticity and the sense of being in the  centre of things. We loved it. 

  • Mrs G Mabin
    New Zealand
    07 August 2019

    Our trip to Ponte de Lima and the Minho was lovely...I would recommend including as an option catching a bus from Ponte de Lima to Ponte de Barca and walking the Ecovia trail back. It is extremely scenic, mostly flat and largely easy walking, and at 17k makes for an excellent day’s walk. An option of buying a packed lunch to do this trip would be excellent...we had lunch in Ponte de Barca before setting out but a picnic along the way would have been nice.

  • Jennifer D
    18 July 2019

    Very enjoyable short break. As we travelled in July we realised that it would be very hot for walking so we chose this for its flexible walk options. With hindsight we would have liked to have spent 3 nights in Ponte de Lima to explore the area further. Had the 7-day option been available, we would not have taken this given the comments by other reviewers about the amount of road walking. The recommended restaurants in Ponte de Lima were very good and Petiscas especially was excellent. We particularly enjoyed the circular walk at Calheiros and made good use of the 2 cafes in the village and the swimming pool at the manor after our walks. The manor was a lovely place to chill out in the heat of the afternoon and read after an enjoyable morning's walk. Other clients might like to note that the bus to and from Ponte da Barca left about 5 minutes earlier than scheduled. At Ponte de Lima you don't need to walk all the way to the bus station as there is a bus stop much closer to the Mercearia.

  • Mrs S Melling
    Newbury
    28 May 2019

    This part of Portugal is a gem of a find. Ponte de Lima is such a clean and friendly town. In fact everyone we encountered on our holiday could not have been more welcoming. We were on more than one occasion given complimentary port/cake. We loved the contrast between the characterful Mercearia with all the shop memorabilia and the opulence and serenity of Paco de Calheiros. The outdoor pool was very welcome after both our very hot and tiring walks. It was a magical place and we were serenaded at night by the resident frog in the pond directly outside our bedroom door. A big bonus is how reasonably priced eating out is in this area. We especially enjoyed our meal at Petiscas in Ponte de Lima. We tried another restaurant on our second night, but wished we'd returned to Petiscas for the local dishes and excellent value for money. We are definitely planning to return to the Minho. Thank you Inntravel for introducing us to this area.
 

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.
  • If your holiday plans go awry because of Coronavirus, rest assured that we’ll do right by you. Since the start of the pandemic, our flexible booking policy and prompt issuing of refunds to customers who prefer not to defer their holiday have earned us high praise in the national press.
  • We sincerely hope that your holiday experience will be as enjoyable as it would have been before the pandemic – walking holidays are ideal in these times of social distancing, and we’re not operating holidays if the key highlights can no longer be delivered – but, naturally, there will be some changes to ensure your and other people’s safety, not least proving your vaccination status or taking a test in order to travel.
    Your holiday experience: what to expect >
    Safety measures being taken by hoteliers & others >
    Entry requirements for non-UK destinations & for re-entering the UK >
  • 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 (but not, currently, with Ryanair). 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 cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to take out a policy with our recommended provider (if you live outside the UK you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK residents), 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.

    We'll ask you for the details of your policy (insurer, policy number and medical emergency phone number) so that we can help out if the worst happens while you are on holiday. It's up to you, though, to check that your policy covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs; we don't check alternative policies.
  • 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. 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.

    At Inntravel we work in close partnership with our hoteliers, taxi drivers and other local suppliers to provide our self-guided holidays directly to you. We are entirely confident that you will continue to receive the usual warm welcome from them, regardless of what is happening in the European political sphere.
  • 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.
Last fetch time is : 5/24/2022 9:53:30 AM