Viana do Castelo trip
A Viana do Castelo trip is quite a different type of experience from Portugal’s usual coastal resorts. Your usual Algarve resort tends to be an upgraded fishing village or some Victorian era settlement, but Viana do Castelo offers a bit more charm thanks to its 19th century thoroughfares filled with flowers and its narrow lanes populated with Manueline manors and Rococo palaces.
The town is located close to the Rio Lima estuary which means that some excellent beaches are only a very short distance away, and keep in mind that the city will make a great headquarters for exploring the lower Lima valley.
One of the major sights of the city is the Monte de Santa Luzia which actually has two solid reasons to visit this hill populated with eucalyptus trees. One would be the wonderful view that you can see from here down the coast and up the Lima valley, and the other is the Templo do Sagrado Coracao de Jesus.
The Praca da Republica on the other hand is located at the heart of the city’s very well-preserved area of historic mansions and monuments. The elegant Chafariz is a Renaissance era fountain built in 1554 which features Manueline motifs representing an armillary sphere and the cross of the Order of Christ.
Then you can see the old town hall – Antigos Pracos do Concelho – yet another 16th century very well-maintained building. Not to mention the Igreja de Misericordia and the former Misericordia almshouse.
Viana features a huge arcing beach called the Praia do Cabedelo, which has very little development so it maintains a lot of its charm.
These are just a few of the things that you can see and do while in Viana, make sure to employ our Viana do Castelo car hire services so as to see as much of this great place as possible.
