Today we will have a relaxing day to explore our home for these seven days, Viana do Castelo. We begin the day by travelling on the Santa Luzia Funicular to the top of the hill that overlooks Viana. You will also find a basilica modelled on the Sacré Coeur in Paris which has a tower you can climb (lift available) for an even more stunning view over the town and the sea. We also include a visit to the “Citânia Santa Luzia”, a historic 17^th century settlement. Our Welcome Lunch will be in the magnificent Pousada.

After lunch we have free time, but David will show you the main places of interest in the town. The many lavish mansions, in Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque styles, were built from the wealth brought by trade with Europe and Brazil. Also worth visiting is the Gil Eanes Naval Museum, a floating naval hospital constructed in 1952 and operational until 1973. It is now open to the public as a museum, housing the original equipment. The ship has operation theatres, communications equipment, refrigeration chambers and a reinforced hull. It was restored by a group of locals and then adapted to become a youth hostel and is one of the town’s biggest attractions.

Staying in the Minho region today, we first catch a train south to Lousado where we visit the railway museum dedicated to the metre gauge lines that once served northern Portugal. As well as steam locomotives, including the oldest surviving metre gauge loco, the collection includes carriages, railcars and other railway equipment. We then continue by train to the UNESCO listed historic centre in Guimarães.

After time for lunch and to explore the centre, we travel to the Bom Jesus funicular in Braga. We ride up the hill on this water-powered funicular and enjoy the views from the top of the hill. At the end of the afternoon our coach takes us to Braga station for our journey back to Viana. We hope to be able arrange a visit to the museum collection at Nine station, normally closed to the public. We will have our farewell dinner tonight.

A train free day today, but we still manage to take in some railway history! A line from Viana do Castelo to Ponte de Lima was planned and some of the bridges were built. However, the idea was abandoned, and the track bed turned into a road (Rua da Linha do Vale de Lima – The Lima Valley Line Road) and we shall drive along part of it.

One of the oldest towns in Portugal (founded on 4 March 1125), Ponte de Lima (literally Bridge over the Lima) was historically significant as a Roman settlement on the road from Braga to Santiago de Compostela and Lugo, and the first place in Portugal to receive a municipal charter. It is named after the part Roman, part Medieval bridge that spans the river. The Minho in general is famous for its vinho verde (green wine), but Ponte de Lima is especially known for its red vinho verde. An acquired taste, but definitely worth trying! This is a bustling town on a Sunday and in the morning you will have time to look around before we meet up for lunch where you will have the chance to acquire the taste for this red vinho verde! Return to Viana later in the afternoon.

Today we take a train north to the fortified border town of Valença. Valença’s fortress is a piece of gothic and baroque military architecture. The first walls were built in the 13th century. It was upgraded during the 17th and 18th century forming the present bulwarked system. It is located on the tops of two small hills and is formed of two polygons. It is one of the biggest and best-preserved military structures in Europe, a piece of gothic and baroque military architecture. The first walls were built in the 13th century, and it was upgraded during the 17th and 18th centuries, forming the present bulwarked system. Valença itself dates back to Roman times, and indeed there is a Roman milestone inside the walled village, on the former road from Braga to Tui. Lunch in a local restaurant is included today.

We venture a little bit beyond the Minho today, catching the international train from Viana to the Galician city of Vigo. Here we will be met by our local guide who will lead us on a walking tour around Quiñones de León Palace and Gardens. Lunch in an excellent local restaurant is included, before we have some free time. At the end of the afternoon we catch the train back to Viana

Another excellent lunch on the cards today as we go to Quinta de Aveleda. We begin by catching an inter-regional train, formed of a restored class 2600 electric locomotive and Spanish “Arco” carriages south to the junction station of Ermesinde. Here we change to a Douro Line train  to Penafiel. Our coach will be waiting to take us the short distance to the vineyards at Quinta da Aveleda, one of the region’s top vinho verde estates with its fine gardens.

After a guided walk through their gardens, we enjoy our farewell lunch in the quinta accompanied by their very own vinho verde. After lunch our coach will take us to Ermesinde for our inter-regional train back to Viana.

This morning we return to Porto Airport for our flights home.

This tour does have a fair bit of walking, including hills and steps, and you should be able to keep up with the main group (or of course you can opt out of sections).