Trás-os-Montes: Portugal’s remote north-east

Route description

Trás-os-Montes means behind the mountains, and this is Portugal’s most remote region: high plateaus, chestnut woods, granite villages and cold winters. Start in Vila Real, a short drive north of the Douro Valley, and visit the gardens of Mateus Palace just east of town. From Vila Real the A24 runs north about 65 km to Chaves, close to the Spanish border.

Chaves was the Roman town of Aquae Flaviae. Walk across Trajan’s Bridge over the Tâmega, see the Roman baths museum, and try the thermal water and the local smoked ham. The castle keep has a small military museum. From Chaves you can take the A24 and A4, or the old N103, which winds for about 95 km east across the hills to Bragança with many bends but little traffic.

Bragança’s walled citadel on the hill contains the castle keep, a church and the Domus Municipalis, one of the oldest town halls in Portugal. Park outside the walls. North of the city lies the Montesinho Natural Park, with schist and granite villages. Rio de Onor, 25 km away, is split by the Spanish border, and villagers once shared land, ovens and flocks under communal rules.

From Bragança head south-east on the N218 to Miranda do Douro, about 85 km. The town stands on the cliffs of the Douro International Natural Park, where the river forms the border in a deep gorge. Boat trips run on the river, and the town has its own language, Mirandese, which is officially recognised. The whole route is about 300 km on quiet roads.