NORTE

The north of Portugal deserves special attention. It is completely different from the south of the country and its central regions. In the mountains, during the winter season, you can find snow at the very moment when the Algarve is enjoying sunshine and palm trees. Despite the country being relatively small, it somehow contains an extraordinary variety of landscapes, climates, and atmospheres.

I traveled through the north, passing many villages and places that I will definitely return to. Here I’m sharing my route with detailed road trip maps — a journey that truly requires more time to experience properly. For that reason, I’ve divided it into three parts (#1 BLUE, #2 BROWN, #3 ORANGE), so you can choose what fits your schedule or what feels most interesting to you. All of these roads avoid the major cities and are not part of typical travel guides. That is precisely what makes this route unique.

I.  15-20 days road trip (no coast):
NORTH BLUE-BROWN-ORANGE-INCL. LISBON LINK
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II. Click to the GoogleMap LINK here.

1. Guimarães  🛖
2. Braga
3. Arcos de Valdevez ☕
4. Sistelo
5. Gave
6. Castro Laboreiro 🛖
7. Soajo  🛖
This route can take around 3–4 days with my recommended stops, but in reality, that is the absolute minimum. I traveled it in October and discovered places with crystal-clear water where you can actually swim (like Poço Negro near Soajo), as well as ancient ruins, free-roaming cows, dramatic viewpoints, and long, quiet sunsets. The food along the way is simple but deeply satisfying, and often tied to very local traditions.

To do this route properly, you need time — not just to move between places, but to actually stay still in them. The atmosphere changes constantly: from historic towns like Guimarães to remote mountain villages where life feels almost unchanged.

There is also a strong sense of isolation in the higher areas of Castro Laboreiro and Soajo — not in a negative way, but in a grounding, almost cleansing one. Water, stone, wind, and silence dominate the landscape.

This is not a route to “cover.” It is a route to experience slowly. Four days is the bare minimum. Ideally, 7–8 days allow the rhythm of the north to fully settle in, and give space for detours, pauses, and unexpected discoveries along the way.

1. Tourém (near Spain) ☕ 🥾
2. Ponteira / Pedra Bolideira 🛖
3. Moscoso  🛖 / Boulder House

This route (I called it #2 BROWN) is only a fragment of a larger northern journey in the Peneda-Gerês National Park area, but I’ve separated it for easier planning and navigation.

From Tourém to Moscoso, the route gradually unfolds through more secluded places that feel almost invisible to the outside world.

From there, the road splits. One option (I called it #1 BLUE) is to head west toward Castro Laboreiro, gradually descending through Guimarães and Braga. This is a more “cultural” route, where nature blends with history and architecture, and the feeling of old Portugal becomes more present.

Another option (I called it #3 ORANGE) is to head south, passing through Vila Real toward the Douro Valley and further on to Lamego and Monsanto.

Plan for 3 days minimum; however, 1 week would be ideal.

This route (#3 ORANGE) is one of the most powerful and underrated in central Portugal. The first time I found myself here, I could hardly believe I was still in the same country. Everything felt so mountainous, so raw, so completely different.

The journey runs through Serra da Estrela Natural Park, the largest protected mountain region in Portugal, where the landscapes feel worlds away from the country’s more familiar postcard scenes.

The road connects ancient stone villages with stretches of almost untouched nature: from the university city of Coimbra to schist villages like Talasnal and Janeiro de Cima, and then to the dramatically hidden mountain village of Piódão.

Deeper into the mountains, the route climbs toward Covão dos Conchos. Here you’ll find one of the most unusual and visually hypnotic structures in the country: a circular spillway that looks like a portal to another dimension. It’s purely man-made, yet it feels strangely unreal.

Further along, the road leads to historic villages like Sortelha and the granite-built Monsanto, where houses are literally wedged between massive boulders. This is a different Portugal—harsher, more rugged, almost fortress-like.

But the real highlight of this route isn’t the destinations—it’s the road itself. Along the way, you’ll come across icy mountain springs, stone carvings etched into the cliffs, and narrow winding roads where every turn reveals a new scale, a new light.

My recommendation is to set aside at least a week (ideally 10 days) for this Orange Route from Coimbra to Monsanto. However, if you must make it shorter, cut off Almeida and Guarda.

This isn’t a route to rush, so take your time. The real value is in the slow travel, stopping often, staying overnight in small villages, and letting the landscape unfold at its own pace.

The best time to do it is late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–October), when the temperatures are comfortable, the light is softer, and the mountains of Serra da Estrela Natural Park feel especially atmospheric.

Summer can be beautiful too, but it tends to be hotter and harsher, while winter brings a completely different mood—with possible snow in the higher elevations, which can be stunning but less predictable for driving.

1. Coimbra
2. Talasnal 🛖
3. Janeiro de Cima  🛖
4. Piódão  🛖
5. Covão dos Conchos  🥾
6. Sortelha
7. Guarda
8. Almeida
9. Monsanto  🛖🛖🛖