Portugal

A Karen Brown Recommended Itinerary

Romantic River Routes

Recommended Itinerary Length:

Highlights:

Summary: This itinerary takes you through the extreme northwest corner of Portugal, the verdant area near the River Minho known as the "Verde Minho." It is indeed an apt description: Its intensely cultivated fields and heavily forested mountain slopes envelop the visitor in green. Culturally, the area shares a great deal with its Spanish neighbor to the north, Galicia. This is the most densely populated section of the country and also the coolest and the rainiest. The economy is primarily agricultural; the majority of the small family farms are still cultivated and harvested in much the same way as they have been for generations. Once off the beaten path, you slip back in time, occasionally even passing families in wooden carts drawn by a team of oxen.