The Northern Route

Valença to Fátima | 364 km | 17 days

This route covers Northern and Central Portugal. The scenery is beautiful and varied, and while the rural and urban landscape gradually changes along the way it is defined by the constant presence of the rivers and mountains that delineate this ancestral land, dotted with small villages, towns and cities.

The landscape between the Rivers Minho and Douro is verdant and a sea breeze blows across it. Between the Rivers Douro and Mondego the coastal plain strikes a contrast with the mountainous inland terrain.

To the south of the River Mondego the landscape undergoes a progressive transformation, eventually reaching the limestone mountains of Aire and Candeeiros. The walker will come to know a substantial part of the geography, history and culture of Portugal. A considerable stretch of the Northern Route coincides with the Portuguese Way of St. James.

Guide GPX KML

The Northern Route

Day [1] Trough the Alto Minho Region

Day [2] Churches and Manor Houses of the Green Lima

Day [3] Historic Pilgrim Routes

Day [4] Roman Roads and Medieval Pathways

Day [5] Recollections of the Condado Portucalense

Day [6] Cities and Towns of Greater Porto

Day [7] Crossing the River Douro

Day [8] Tradition and Innovation

Day [9] Through the Vouga Meadows

Day [10] In the Heart of the Bairrada Region

Day [11] The Mondego Plains

Day [12] Along the Carmellite Route

Day [13] Memories of the Roman Era

Day [14] Settlements of the Sicó Mountains

Day [15] In the Shadow of the Oaks

Day [16] Tradition and Biodiversity

Day [17] Evoking Oureana

Fátima

Parternships