Often when we talk about the North of Portugal, we easily think of the Douro Valley Region and places like Peso da Régua or Pinhão. But, right next to it, we have a beautiful hidden treasure still not known by many – Vale do Tua Nature Park. So, keep reading to find out why you should visit Vale do Tua Nature Park.

Many know the Tua Train Railway that connected Foz Tua to Bragança until the construction of the Tua dam, which submerged part of the railway line.

Nowadays, the region has become more popular, especially after the construction of some of Portugal’s most beautiful viewpoints there. And it was really these beautiful landscapes that I saw in photos that made me want to visit Vale do Tua Nature Park.

However, while I was there, I realized that the region has much more to offer us beyond the beautiful (and trendy) viewpoints. And that’s exactly what I want to show you in this 2 days itinerary through the Vale do Tua Nature Park 😊 A hidden gem that you should add to your list of places to visit in Northern Portugal.

There is a local expression that I think best describes the weather in this region: “9 months of winter and 3 of hell”. If the winters are harsh, the summer is excessively hot. Therefore, the best time to visit the region is in spring or at the beginning or end of summer.

I recommend at least 2 full days to visit Vale do Tua Nature Park, as there are still some points of interest. Anyway, it is always possible to add a few days to your itinerary if you want to know a few more places in the proximity of the park.

• Day 1: Tralhariz – Olhos do Tua – São Lourenço Viewpoint – Carrazeda de Ansiães – Vila Flor – Freixiel Gallow – Vilarinho das Azenhas –  Zedes Dolmen – Tralhariz
• Day 2: Tralhariz – Foz Tua – São Mamede de Ribatua – Ujo Viewpoint – Alijó – Favaios – Casal de Loivos – Provesende

We didn’t have much time to explore the region, so we opted for accommodation in the middle of the Park, so that one day we could explore the right side and the other day the left side, already on our way home. This way, we chose to stay overnight in a fantastic rural tourism in Tralhariz village, located 20 minutes by car from Foz Tua or Carrazeda de Ansiães.

Casal de Tralhariz accommodation has several cottages available, and it offers all you need. The houses are simple but very cosy. The outdoor space is quite large, with many beautiful areas and an old olive oil mill. The accommodation also has a swimming pool for the hottest days and a common barbecue area. The service was superb … always making sure that we were satisfied.

However, there are other places with excellent accommodation offers, namely Alijó, Carrazeda Ansiães, Vila Flor and Mirandela. I leave here some suggestions that, even though I haven’t tried them, were in my favourites’ selection when I was looking for accommodation in the region:

• Hotel Casa do Tua
• Casa da Chã!
• Quinta do Palame
• Casa Dona Urraca
• Casa de Campo das Sécias
• Casa da Trigueira

We left the Tralhariz village towards Castanheiro do Norte village. After a 6-minute drive, the day started at the first of several viewpoints we would visit during the 2 days – Olhos do Tua viewpoint.

The viewpoint has a kind of balcony with views to what could well be the Portuguese Horseshoe Bend. In fact, this viewpoint represents the keel of a boat, alluding to the navigability of this part of the river.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Even though it was a short drive, on the way to Olhos do Tua Viewpoint, we made a short stop at the Senhor da Boa Morte viewpoint! Although the view is not as spectacular as other viewpoints I visited during the weekend, it is worth a stop here.

We continued our journey towards the São Lourenço viewpoint. Again, here we are offered another phenomenal view over the Tua river. However, this balcony has a quite interesting detail… the silhouette of São Lourenço. It is hard to resist, don’t you think?!

💡 EXTRA TIP: Because I am a sucker for beautiful landscapes, of course, I had to stop at another viewpoint on the way to my next destination. This time, it was time to visit the Parambos Viewpoint, located right next to the roadside of the N214.

Carrazeda de Ansiães was a bit deserted, a bit abandoned, but I still enjoyed the visit. The town is quite small but clearly worth a visit. We started the tour by appreciating the beautiful flowering trees in the garden of the Dom Lopo Vaz de Sampaio square.

After passing by the Church of Santa Águeda, we continued towards the village’s Pelourinho, where you can also visit the Mermaids’ Fountain or the Municipal Library.

We finally climbed up to the village’s windmill, from where it is possible to observe most of the village. However, it seems that the mill has not been in operation for more than 100 years. In fact, the mill was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was only in operation for 10 years.

Finally, we ended our visit with a stop by the statue in honour of the women of Ansiães by Hélder de Carvalho.

Nevertheless, although we headed towards the next stop on our road trip, we came back at the end of the day to visit Ansiães Castle. The sun was already setting, and we had the castle all to ourselves. It was a totally magical experience 😊 No need for words, right?

The castle is clearly one of the places you cannot miss on a visit to Carrazeda de Ansiães. The former seat of the council was in the Ansiães village, and it was so until the 18th century. Since then, the castle has been abandoned, and it is currently possible to visit the ruins of what was once the county seat. 

During this visit, you can also observe two churches: São João Baptista Church (right at the Castle entrance) and São Salvador de Ansiães Church.

Vila Flor was our next stop, and this was one of the most pleasant surprises of the trip. Again, it is a small town, but no less interesting.

We parked the car near República square and quickly started to explore the town. We started by Vila Flor Matriz Church and the Pelourinho, which are right next to each other. We let ourselves get lost in the streets and alleys until we reached the Roman Fountain, from where we headed to the D. Dinis Arch.

We then arrived at the Misericórdia Church and nearby we observed some locals enjoying the day while sitting on some benches in the garden.

Finally, we took the opportunity to visit the colourful Town Hall of Vila Flor from the outside.

For splendid views over Vila Flor, it’s also worth driving up to the Nossa Senhora da Lapa sanctuary. There are plenty of benches where you can stop and enjoy the scenery. A little higher up, there is even an old viewpoint with even more direct views over the whole town.

💡 EXTRA TIP: On the way between Vila Flor and Vilarinho das Azenhas, you can make a quick side trip to visit the Old Gallows of Freixiel. In fact, only two pillars almost 3 meters high still remain side by side. However, if you are curious about this kind of things, it may make sense to enjoy this quick detour.

Vilarinho das Azenhas is one of the last places on this first day itinerary in the Vale do Tua Nature Park. The village is quite small, but it is here that one of the park’s best-known trails starts. The trail connects Vilarinho das Azenhas village with the village of Ribeirinha. The trail is 4 km long (one way) and you can walk it very smoothly. Unfortunately, time was short, we failed to find the beginning of the trail and, thus, we ended up not walking it.

For those who are interested, the trail starts near the church of Vilarinho das Azenhas and is identified as PR4 VFL. We ended up walking around the village while enjoying the small houses and the corridor of roses and other flowers that existed there.

In Vilarinho das Azenhas, it is also worth visiting Nossa Senhora dos Remédios Sanctuary. The road is not in the best condition, but it is possible to get there with a small car if driving slowly.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you appreciate megalithic monuments, you should also make a stop at Zedes Dolmen, located in Carrazeda de Ansiães.

On the second day, we had to return to Porto. Therefore, we started the day heading to the left side, towards Porto, but also towards the Douro Valley region. That’s right! We cheated a little and also took a trip to this neighbouring region 😉

Take the opportunity to visit Foz Tua railway station, where the Interpretative Centre of Vale do Tua is now located. Clearly a must-visit place for those who want to know more about the region and the history of the famous Tua railway line. And, since we are talking about the history of this place, the best thing is not to miss the dam either.

As you would expect, the dam itself is nothing special. It is the road that takes us there that is totally exciting! It will be hard not to feel like stopping the car every 2 minutes to take pictures.

After a thousand pictures of the Douro River banks, it was time to visit the village of São Mamede de Ribatua.

The village is very small, so the best way to explore it is to let yourself get lost in its streets. Don’t miss São Mamede Matriz Church, where there is another superb landscape right next to it.

Since the ex-libris of this itinerary are the superb landscapes and views over the valleys and meanders of both the Tua and Douro rivers, the next stop was another viewpoint.

The Ujo viewpoint is one of the most famous in the region, so you can expect some company when you visit it. It’s hard to find words for such beauty… and to believe I have all this in my country!

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you have some extra energy, try the Fragas Más Trail that starts and ends in São Mamede de Ribatua. On this trail, you can also take some more photos and enjoy the view from the Fragas Más viewpoint. However, I warn you not to try to reach the viewpoint by car, since the road that connects São Mamede de Ribatua to the viewpoint is in bad condition.

After a fantastic lunch at the restaurant Cêpa Torta, it was time to take a walk around Alijó. We passed by the Paços do Concelho, the Pelourinho, the Municipal Library and even the Matriz Church.

Favaios is forever famous for Favaíto, the best-known muscat in Portugal. However, Favaios has more to visit than just the Favaios Winery – you can find all the necessary information to schedule your visit here. 😉

Take the opportunity to stroll through the centre of Favaios, stopping by São Domingos Matriz Church or the old Elementary School. Afterwards, for the best views of Favaios, a must-see place to add to your itinerary is the Santa Bárbara Chapel – I promise you won’t regret it.

And after two days in Vale do Tua Nature Park, it was time for a very short trip to the Douro Valley Region. The first stop was in Casal de Loivos, where I found my favourite viewpoint of the whole weekend. If this is not heaven on Earth, then I don’t know what is.

We would then finish the weekend in the Wine Village of Provesende… and I couldn’t have chosen a better last place to visit 😊

Take the opportunity to visit the historical centre of the village and visit some places such as the Pelourinho, the parish church, the ivy-clad house or even the granite fountain.

• [Foz do Tua] Calça Curta (€€): a restaurant overlooking the Tua River and with good traditional Portuguese dishes
• [Alijó] Cêpa Torta (€€€): simply divine! We tried the pork cheeks and the stewed wild boar, and to finish off, a coconut “quindim”. The prices are a little higher, but it’s well worth it.
• [Carrazeda de Ansiães] Restaurante Convívio (€): Although not my favourite restaurant of the weekend, this restaurant offers affordable and tasty dishes.

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