Minho: Did You Know Portugal Had a Place Like This?

Here’s a travel quiz: What part of Portugal is celebrated for its lush green landscapes, renowned for Vinho Verde wine and caldo verde soup, has lots in common with the neighboring Galicia region of Spain, and traces its origins to Celtic tribes who ruled the area more than 2,000 years ago?

If you answered Minho, then you’ve probably already visited Portugal’s northernmost coastal area. If you didn’t know the answer, then it’s high time that Minho got added to your travel bucket list.

The city of Braga — Minho’s cultural and economic capital — is less than an hour’s drive from Porto whether you take the scenic coast road (Highway A28) or the more direct inland route (Highway A3).

Even though Minho is considered Portugal’s green garden, visitors are always surprised by the region’s vast palette of hues.

It starts with the aquamarine that paints the Atlantic coastline, mottled here and there by the mint-green of serpentine algae. Farther inland are vegetable gardens sheltered by jade-colored vineyards, forests lined with the purest emerald-green and hills laden with moss-green granite cliffs.

The sky above the lakes, granite mountains and archeological sites of Peneda-Gerês (Portugal’s only national park) is almost always deep blue. While the streets of Barcelos, Ponte de Lima and Viana do Castelo coil around the towns like golden chains.

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