Generally easy walking with few ascents / descents, but perhaps the occasional long day.
The season for this holiday is:
01 September 2020 - 31 October 2020
01 April 2021 - 25 July 2021
25 August 2021 - 31 October 2021
| 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 |
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
4 nights: 01 September 2020 - 31 October 2020, 01 April 2021 - 25 July 2021 & 25 August 2021 - 31 October 2021
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 30 Sep 2020 | £585 | £335 |
| 1 - 27 Oct 2020 | £565 | £325 |
| 1 - 30 Apr 2021 | £545 | £320 |
| 1 - 21 May 2021 | £565 | £325 |
| 22 May - 21 Jul 2021 | £585 | £335 |
| 25 Aug - 30 Sep 2021 | £585 | £335 |
| 1 - 27 Oct 2021 | £565 | £325 |
| 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 Sep - 30 Sep 2020 | £40 | £65 |
| 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2020 | £35 | £65 |
| 01 Apr - 25 Jul 2021 | £40 | £65 |
| 25 Aug - 30 Sep 2021 | £40 | £65 |
| 01 Oct - 31 Oct 2021 | £35 | £65 |
| Paço de Calheiros, Calheiros (with dinner) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2020 | £115 | £180 |
| 01 Apr - 25 Jul 2021 | £115 | £180 |
| 25 Aug - 31 Oct 2021 | £115 | £180 |
Travelling from the UK
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Liverpool - Porto | Ryanair |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Gatwick - Porto | British Airways, easyJet, TAP Air Portugal |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Heathrow - Porto | TAP Air Portugal |
| 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 |
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. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service (£60 for India and Nepal). 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.
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 >
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Another great walking and holiday experience with Inntravel.
A perfect short break, with a mix of gentle walking and sight seeing. A local restaurant in the village of Bertiandos, before following the route along the river Lima was superb, dish of the day, dessert, water, wine and coffee for 5 euros each, what is not to like!
Both houses were very comfortable and welcoming. We loved the estate of Calheiros, were charmed by the count and delighted by the fact that we were welcome to wander all around the beautiful house and grounds and meet his friendly staff. We got to know a few other interesting Inntravellers and had some lovely walks past vineyards and fruit trees. We also enjoyed exploring the town of Ponte de Lima and looking round the Garden Festival.
You can certainly eat well in Ponte de Lima and we would both recommend the prawns in pasta at Recanto Da Vila. The red wine is delicious too and so inexpensive. The town has quite a buzz about it.
This was a fantastic holiday. It wasn't long, but we felt we really got out into the countryside and saw a beautiful part of Portugal. The people couldn't have been nicer and the inns were lovely. The walks provided a lot of variety of terrain and being there in June was a bonus. We were surrounded by wild flowers, babbling brooks, sweet bird song and of course, the warmth of the locals.
Overall it was a good holiday and we really enjoyed it, you might want to suggest to vegan /vegetarian clients that they (I assume) would prefer the Soap Merchants house in Ponte de Lima - the amount of boar tusks and animal heads at Casa do Pinheiro might be a bit unnerving.
Paco de Calheiros was an excellent if slightly surreal experience; drinks & dinner with the Count, and 17 Columbian equestrian pilgrims is an experience that will stay with us for years to come. The count was charming and very welcoming its just a pity that the weather wasn't a little better.
The Minho is a lovely region and whilst I'd be tempted to suggest more people should know about it that would spoil it for the rest of us.
Our sixth walking holiday with Inntravel, in four different countries, all of which we've enjoyed. The roadside flowers in portugal were memorable. We particularly recommend visiting the riverside "World of Discoveries" Museum in Porto, where one travels in real boats along a waterway with life-like, atmospheric mock-ups of the different countries visited by early Portuguese explorers.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Minho short walking holiday with a stay in Porto.
Highlights - almost everything! A fabulous holiday, and joining the two short breaks together worked very well. Paço de Calheiros and Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros are both fabulous places to stay. (All the accommodation was good though).
This was, for us, a four day interlude in a much longer trip to northern Iberia. However, it offered a wonderful intimate experience of this beautiful area in Portugal and to meet some charming and welcoming people.