Walking tour of Portugal – 05N/06Days

Arrival in  Durrães

Night 1: at Quinta de Malta (spend your first two nights here).
As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.

Circular route via Ponte das Tábuas: 8.5km, 3hrs approx

A gentle circuit through forest and farmland leads you, via a chocolate factory which has been in business for over a century, to the Roman bridge of Ponte das Tábuas, crisscrossing the River Neiva along the way. There’s ample time to call in at the chocolatier’s if you so wish.

Durrães to Facha: 12km, 4.5hrs approx

After a short transfer to the pilgrim’s church of Nossa Senhora da Aparecida in nearby Balugães, you join the Portuguese Caminho de Santiago as it leads through the bucolic heart of the valley alongside fields of corn, vines, and olive trees. Ambling beneath arbors heavy with grapes while tractors plow and harvest the fields that flank your way, enjoy the tranquillity and camaraderie of the pilgrims’ path, following it all the way to the Quinta do Sobreiro in Facha, where you stay overnight.

Facha to Ponte de Lima: 10.5km, 3.5hrs approx

Today’s path follows quiet country lanes to reach the banks of the River Lima, where you join the ecovia (a traffic-free riverside walking and cycling track) which traces the course of the river all the way into picturesque Ponte de Lima. This is Portugal’s oldest town, named in part after its iconic Roman bridge (Ponte means ‘bridge’). You spend two nights here at the Mercearia da Vila.

Day in & around Ponte de Lima

Walk & explore
There are various options as to how to spend your day in Ponte de Lima. 

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

Visit Ponte de Barca
Catch the morning bus to neighboring 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 lengths before taking the bus back to Ponte de Lima in time for lunch. For a change from walking, you could 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, don’t miss out on visiting Ponte de Lima’s delightful gardens (the Annual Garden Festival runs from the end of May to the end of October) and strolling along its charming riverfront. There’s also a museum devoted to Vinho Verde and a military museum housed in the 15th-century Paço de Marquês.

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Ponte de Lima to Calheiros: 8km, 3hrs approx

Setting out across the graceful Roman bridge, you rejoin the Caminho de Santiago for a short walk which gradually ascends through cultivated terraces and more vineyards to reach the hamlet of Calheiros and the Paço de Calheiros, where you stay for two nights.

Circular route from Calheiros: 9km, 3.5hrs approx

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, tracing your week-long progress through the valley. 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.