10 day itinerary

££

Day Itinerary: 

• Flight to Porto airport from London Gatwick/Heathrow.
• Rent air-conditioned car from the airport and drive to Viana Do Castelo. It is worth doing as much of the car rental admin on line before you arrive at the airport to avoid lengthy waiting times.
• Get unpacked in your hotel and go for food. Lots of restaurants are closed on Sunday and Monday so make sure you work out where you want to go and book ahead. 

Accommodation: Casa Melo Alvim is an excellent hotel in a fantastic location. Good value too.

Day Itinerary:

• Spend the morning exploring the old town in Viana Do Castelo.
• Then head north to Afife taking lunch at the excellent Restaurante Mariana. The dishes are simple but the fresh fish on offer is outstanding.
• After an early lunch head to the beach at Afife. The coast line is stunning and you will not have to compete with others for space. We strongly recommend that you take a wind breaker with you (you can purchase home made ones from the shops near the car park). 
• Head back to Viana in the early evening. For good gin and tonics in a tranquil part of town, we recommend Cafe Girassol. For dinner make your way to Tasquinha da Praca.

Accommodation: Casa Melo Alvim

Day Itinerary:

• Grab breakfast in Viana Do Castelo and then drive north again to Caminha.
• The best (free) parking for the beach is near the Foz do Minho restaurant. Walk around the headland to the uncrowded side of the beach with incredible views of the sea fort. If you set up your wind breaker there you will be unlucky not to have the beach to yourself! If you want to go swimming you will need to head to one of the two cordoned of areas that are policed by lifeguards
• For lunch head back to Foz de Minho for some excellent fresh fish or lobster. Book ahead to get a table by the window over looking the bay.
• After spending the rest of the day on the beach we strongly recommend you try Tasquinha da Linda located in the harbour of Viana Do Castelo. We tried the shellfish platter and fish of the day, both of which were incredible. The staff are very knowledgable and can recommend a good local wine to suit your meal.

Accommodation: Casa Melo Alvim

Day Itinerary:

• After breakfast, walk to the train station, take the bridge over the tracks and head towards the funicular for Santuario de Santa Luzia. If you're feeling strong, climb the stairs to the summit or alternatively take the more "laid-back" option and use the funicular.
• Once you get to the Santuario, we advise climbing the tower for spectacular views over the town and coastline. If you don't like confined spaces this might be one you want to sit out as the stairwell to the top is fairly narrow.
• In the afternoon, we suggest heading back to either Afife or Caminha for another afternoon on the beach. 

Accommodation: Casa Melo Alvim