# Peneda-Gerês Portugal's only national park, right next to Ourense: granite mountains, waterfalls, reservoirs and granary villages. It needs a car and at least two nights. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/northern-portugal/peneda-geres · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## Where do you enter? The park is large and mountainous, and the roads are slow: organise it by areas and sleep in two places if you can. There are three main entrances. Gerês and the Serra do Gerês, in the south, in the municipality of Terras de Bouro. The spa town of Gerês is the base with the most accommodation and is about 45 minutes from Braga. From here the routes leave for the Mata da Albergaria and the Geira, and you go up to the viewpoints of Junceda and Pedra Bela. Soajo and Lindoso, in the west, in the Lima valley. They are the two best-known granite granary villages in the park and can be seen in a morning. Peneda, in the north, in Arcos de Valdevez and Melgaço, with the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Peneda at the foot of a sheer rock wall and the quietest road in the park. ## What to see in the Gerês? The Mata da Albergaria is an ancient woodland of oak, holly and strawberry tree, the heart of the park. The Geira, the Roman road that linked Braga with Astorga, crosses it and still keeps milestones in the forest. From the Portela do Homem, on the border with Galicia, follow the Geira on foot to the Ponte Feia, above a waterfall on the River Homem, and return by the São Miguel waterfall. For the views, climb to the Junceda viewpoint, at 915 m, above the village of Gerês and the Caniçada reservoir, and to Pedra Bela, on the way to the Arado waterfall. In the village, the spa park and the fountains are a reminder that the Romans already used its waters. In the Vilarinho da Furna reservoir a communal village lies submerged: the Vilarinho da Furna museum, in Campo do Gerês, tells its story, and the Geira museum, that of the Roman road. On the Caniçada reservoir there are pleasure boats from Rio Caldo. ## What to see in Soajo and Lindoso? In Soajo, 24 espigueiros, the granite granaries of the Minho, are grouped on a threshing floor over a great slab of rock, beside a 16th-century pillory of very unusual shape. In Lindoso, on the banks of the Lima and less than 5 km from the border, there are 64 espigueiros built between the 18th and 20th centuries around the communal threshing floor, at the foot of a castle from about 1250, from the time of Afonso III, later extended by Dinis. The two villages are about three quarters of an hour by car from the village of Gerês. If you are travelling with children, Porta do Mezio, in Arcos de Valdevez, is one of the park's gateways with a biological park, an adventure park, stargazing and a pool that opens in summer until mid-September. ## How do you get there from Spain? From Galicia it is the nearest foreign national park. From Ourense it is about 90 km to the village of Gerês, an hour and a half by car, crossing via Lobios and the Portela do Homem; from Vigo, about 140 km, a little under two hours, by motorway to Braga. From Porto it is about 95 km. To get around the park you need a car: the villages, viewpoints and waterfalls are far apart and the roads are slow. ## What should you know? The park protects a living mountain, with villages and animals loose on the roads. Drive slowly, especially at dusk. Wild camping is not allowed: sleep in the campsites and accommodation in the villages. If you stay in Terras de Bouro, the council's Gerês.Card gives you free entry to the Vilarinho da Furna and Geira museums and 50% off the Rio Caldo boat from 15 July to 15 September. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Guimarães (a 32.9 km), Ourense (a 72.3 km · Spain), Porto and the Douro (a 74.9 km), Cíes Islands (a 82.4 km · Spain) ## Qué hacer - **The Geira and the Mata da Albergaria from the Portela do Homem** (2 h 30 · Families with children who walk; shoes with good grip · Self-guided · free): The Geira, the Roman road that linked Braga with Astorga, crosses the Mata da Albergaria, the oak wood that the Terras de Bouro council calls the heart of the park and which is a European Biogenetic Reserve. Leave the car at the Portela do Homem, on the border with Lobios, and go down the road between milestones to the Ponte Feia, above a waterfall on the Homem river; return by the São Miguel waterfall. Bring water and food: there are no services in the forest. - **Pedra Bela and Junceda viewpoints, over the Caniçada** (1 h · Everyone; reached by car · Free): From Pedra Bela you see the Caniçada reservoir and the Gerês and Cávado rivers winding through the mountains; Junceda, at 915 m, looks out right above the spa village. You reach both by car along the track that climbs from the Gerês towards the Arado waterfall, so they fit into the same morning. At sunset the light falls head-on across the reservoir. - **The Soajo granaries, on their slab of granite** (45 min · Everyone; the threshing floor is uneven for pushchairs · Free): In Soajo, 24 espigueiros, the granite granaries of the Minho, stand together on a great slab of rock at the entrance to the village. They served to dry maize away from damp and mice, and some are still used. Then go up to the square, where the 16th-century pelourinho has a carved face of a very unusual figure. Park at the entrance: the streets in the centre are narrow. - **Arado waterfall and its viewpoint** (1 h · Everyone to the viewpoint; the pools only with sure feet · Free): The Arado rises from the Camalhão and Teixeira streams and descends in leaps over the granite to the river of the same name. From the viewpoint you see it whole without going down; the pools below are only worth visiting in shoes with grip, because wet rock is very slippery. In July and August the car park fills by mid-morning. - **Lindoso Castle and granaries** (1 h · Everyone · The granaries, free): Less than 5 km from the border and on the banks of the Lima, Lindoso brings together 64 espigueiros built between the 18th and 20th centuries around the communal threshing floor. Above is the castle, from the time of Afonso III, around 1250, later extended with bastions. Combine it with Soajo in the same morning: they are about 15 minutes apart by car. - **Rio Caldo boat trip on the Caniçada reservoir** (All ages): The "Rio Caldo" is a pleasure boat with 54 seats that tours the 689 hectares of the Caniçada reservoir, in the heart of the Gerês valley, all year round. It leaves from the Rio Caldo Nautical Centre, on the other side of the bridge from the Gerês village. The council does not publish a timetable or fare: call the nautical centre before you go. Next to it is the Alqueirão river beach, for swimming in summer. - **Porta do Mezio, biological park and tree-top adventure in Arcos de Valdevez** (3 h · Children from 1.20 m for the tree-top course · €3 admission, free up to age 2): The Porta do Mezio is one of the five gates of the national park, on the road from Arcos de Valdevez to Soajo. The €3 admission gives access to everything: the biological park with animals and plants of the Gerês, the restaurant and, in summer until 15 September, the pool. The Adventure Park has tree-top courses ending in a zip line of about 100 m, and a 6 m climbing wall. It opens from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 from October to March, until 18:00 in spring and September, and from 9:30 to 20:00 in July and August. - **E-bike from Campo do Gerês to the Mata da Albergaria** (4 h · Adults and teenagers; child seat for small children): Parque Cerdeira, in Campo do Gerês, hires five electric bicycles with maps of two routes: the Mata da Albergaria one, through the oak wood and the Geira, and the Carvalheira and Bom Jesus das Mós one. With the motor, the Gerês slopes stop being a problem and you cover in a morning what takes a day on foot. They have a child seat for carrying a small child. Book ahead in summer: there are few. ## Dónde comer - **O Abocanhado** (Restaurant, Brufe (Terras de Bouro), €€€). Qué pedir: the roast meat of the mountains and the view, by day: ask for a table by the picture window. - **Cerdeira Restaurant** (Restaurant, Campo do Gerês, €€). Qué pedir: the Pedaço do Gerês, its version of bife à minhota; and order the kid or the bersame if you are a group. - **Porta do Mezio Restaurant** (Restaurant, Arcos de Valdevez (Mezio), €€). Qué pedir: the caldo verde with broa and the house roasts, after visiting the biological park. ## By car: The car is what makes the park possible Villages, viewpoints and waterfalls are far from one another, along narrow mountain roads: without a car the park shrinks to Gerês village. Enter from Ourense via Lobios and the Portela do Homem and sleep in two places so as not to repeat roads. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–120 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Águas do Gerês Hotel, Termas & Spa** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel in the centre of the village The Águas do Gerês is in the heart of the spa village, opposite the baths and the spa, on the main avenue. It is an old building rebuilt and renovated that keeps the air of spa hotels. It is rated three-star superior, with 53 rooms and 2 suites with air conditioning, television and free wifi, a restaurant, terrace, bar with billiards, a children's games room and a meeting room. The hotel's outdoor pools, seasonal, are about 500 m away, and the private, unattended car park about 300 m. The spa and baths are the other reason to sleep here: after a day of walks along the Geira or the viewpoints, a hot bath is welcome. Eating at the hotel The Essentia do Gerês restaurant mixes local produce with international recipes and prepares dishes for special diets if you ask. Buffet breakfast from 8:00 to 10:30, lunch from 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:00; the terrace and bar are open from 11:00 to 22:30. Getting there and what is nearby From Ourense you enter via Lobios and the Portela do Homem and go down the Mata da Albergaria road to the village; from Braga, about 45 minutes. From the door, walks leave on foot through the spa park, and in a few minutes by car are the viewpoints of Pedra Bela and Junceda and the Arado waterfall. The Rio Caldo boat leaves on the other side of the bridge. - **Parque Cerdeira** (Campsite, desde 25 € / pitch): A campsite with granite houses at Campo do Gerês Parque Cerdeira is at Campo do Gerês, in the part of the national park that looks onto the Vilarinho da Furna reservoir and the Mata da Albergaria. It combines camping pitches under the trees with roofed accommodation: bungalows of granite and wood of various capacities, from €67; family rooms for two or four people; POD-type cabins and tree tents. For motorhomes there are pitches with water and drainage, XL pitches and a service station; camping and caravanning from €25. What it has Its own restaurant (the Cerdeira Restaurant), minimarket, barbecues, laundry, wifi, electric-car charging and private family bathrooms rented separately. The pool opens from 15 June to 15 September, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00, closes on Mondays and is paid for. There is a playground, minigolf, adventure park, electric-bike hire, guided canoeing and guided walks. Hours and closures Camping check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00; bungalows and rooms, from 16:00 until 10:00. You can arrive at 22:00 at the latest. Motorhomes staying only overnight arrive from 20:00 and leave at 10:00, except in July and August. The park closes from 3 to 27 November, from 6 January to 6 February and on 24 and 25 December. - **Travanca Camping and Caravan Park** (Campsite): Sleeping at the park's west gate The Travanca campsite is very close to the Porta do Mezio, in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez, in the middle of the mountains and among pine woods. It is a good starting point for mountain routes and for the western part of the national park: Soajo is 6 km away and Arcos de Valdevez, with restaurants, bars and supermarkets, 11 km. Tents, motorhomes and bungalows There are roomy spaces for tents and areas prepared for caravans and motorhomes. The Bungalows da Travanca are T1 type, for a maximum of two people, with a kitchen, and look onto the hillside: designed for a quiet getaway. The 2026 price table is on the Porta do Mezio website; book by email (pctravanca@ardal.pt) or by phone, on 258 522 285 or 967 185 027. What is nearby A few minutes away, the Porta do Mezio, with a biological park, tree-top course, stargazing and a pool in summer, and its restaurant. By car, the Soajo granaries and, a little further, Lindoso. ### Servicios - **National Park Gate at Campo do Gerês**: National park reception centre at Campo do Gerês, with information on trails, the Geira and the Mata da Albergaria. - **Terras de Bouro tourism and the Gerês.Card**: Tourist information from Terras de Bouro council, which manages the Gerês.Card, free if you sleep in the municipality. ## By campervan: Two equipped campsites, one on each side of the park Wild camping is not allowed in the national park, so sleep at a campsite. Parque Cerdeira has the best facilities for motorhomes; Travanca is the base for the west side, for Soajo and Lindoso. The mountain roads are narrow: avoid tracks and unpaved side roads. Presupuesto orientativo: 35–60 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in a campervan - **Parque Cerdeira** (Campsite, desde 25 € / pitch): A campsite with granite houses at Campo do Gerês Parque Cerdeira is at Campo do Gerês, in the part of the national park that looks onto the Vilarinho da Furna reservoir and the Mata da Albergaria. It combines camping pitches under the trees with roofed accommodation: bungalows of granite and wood of various capacities, from €67; family rooms for two or four people; POD-type cabins and tree tents. For motorhomes there are pitches with water and drainage, XL pitches and a service station; camping and caravanning from €25. What it has Its own restaurant (the Cerdeira Restaurant), minimarket, barbecues, laundry, wifi, electric-car charging and private family bathrooms rented separately. The pool opens from 15 June to 15 September, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00, closes on Mondays and is paid for. There is a playground, minigolf, adventure park, electric-bike hire, guided canoeing and guided walks. Hours and closures Camping check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00; bungalows and rooms, from 16:00 until 10:00. You can arrive at 22:00 at the latest. Motorhomes staying only overnight arrive from 20:00 and leave at 10:00, except in July and August. The park closes from 3 to 27 November, from 6 January to 6 February and on 24 and 25 December. - **Travanca Camping and Caravan Park** (Campsite): Sleeping at the park's west gate The Travanca campsite is very close to the Porta do Mezio, in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez, in the middle of the mountains and among pine woods. It is a good starting point for mountain routes and for the western part of the national park: Soajo is 6 km away and Arcos de Valdevez, with restaurants, bars and supermarkets, 11 km. Tents, motorhomes and bungalows There are roomy spaces for tents and areas prepared for caravans and motorhomes. The Bungalows da Travanca are T1 type, for a maximum of two people, with a kitchen, and look onto the hillside: designed for a quiet getaway. The 2026 price table is on the Porta do Mezio website; book by email (pctravanca@ardal.pt) or by phone, on 258 522 285 or 967 185 027. What is nearby A few minutes away, the Porta do Mezio, with a biological park, tree-top course, stargazing and a pool in summer, and its restaurant. By car, the Soajo granaries and, a little further, Lindoso. ### Servicios - **National Park Gate at Campo do Gerês**: National park reception centre at Campo do Gerês, with information on trails, the Geira and the Mata da Albergaria. - **Terras de Bouro tourism and the Gerês.Card**: Tourist information from Terras de Bouro council, which manages the Gerês.Card, free if you sleep in the municipality. ## Camping: A tent under the oaks, no wild camping Wild camping is not permitted in the national park, but the campsites are part of the trip: pitches under the trees, a pool in summer and routes that set out on foot. Presupuesto orientativo: 30–55 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're camping - **Parque Cerdeira** (Campsite, desde 25 € / pitch): A campsite with granite houses at Campo do Gerês Parque Cerdeira is at Campo do Gerês, in the part of the national park that looks onto the Vilarinho da Furna reservoir and the Mata da Albergaria. It combines camping pitches under the trees with roofed accommodation: bungalows of granite and wood of various capacities, from €67; family rooms for two or four people; POD-type cabins and tree tents. For motorhomes there are pitches with water and drainage, XL pitches and a service station; camping and caravanning from €25. What it has Its own restaurant (the Cerdeira Restaurant), minimarket, barbecues, laundry, wifi, electric-car charging and private family bathrooms rented separately. The pool opens from 15 June to 15 September, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00, closes on Mondays and is paid for. There is a playground, minigolf, adventure park, electric-bike hire, guided canoeing and guided walks. Hours and closures Camping check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00; bungalows and rooms, from 16:00 until 10:00. You can arrive at 22:00 at the latest. Motorhomes staying only overnight arrive from 20:00 and leave at 10:00, except in July and August. The park closes from 3 to 27 November, from 6 January to 6 February and on 24 and 25 December. - **Travanca Camping and Caravan Park** (Campsite): Sleeping at the park's west gate The Travanca campsite is very close to the Porta do Mezio, in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez, in the middle of the mountains and among pine woods. It is a good starting point for mountain routes and for the western part of the national park: Soajo is 6 km away and Arcos de Valdevez, with restaurants, bars and supermarkets, 11 km. Tents, motorhomes and bungalows There are roomy spaces for tents and areas prepared for caravans and motorhomes. The Bungalows da Travanca are T1 type, for a maximum of two people, with a kitchen, and look onto the hillside: designed for a quiet getaway. The 2026 price table is on the Porta do Mezio website; book by email (pctravanca@ardal.pt) or by phone, on 258 522 285 or 967 185 027. What is nearby A few minutes away, the Porta do Mezio, with a biological park, tree-top course, stargazing and a pool in summer, and its restaurant. By car, the Soajo granaries and, a little further, Lindoso. ### Servicios - **National Park Gate at Campo do Gerês**: National park reception centre at Campo do Gerês, with information on trails, the Geira and the Mata da Albergaria. - **Terras de Bouro tourism and the Gerês.Card**: Tourist information from Terras de Bouro council, which manages the Gerês.Card, free if you sleep in the municipality. ## As a family: Granite, granaries and water for all ages The Gerês works for families if it is split into short mornings: a walk, a viewpoint and a swim. What tires is the car, not the routes. ### What works best The Geira from the Portela do Homem, with Roman milestones in the forest The Soajo and Lindoso granaries, in the same morning The Porta do Mezio: animals, a tree-top course and a pool in summer, for €3 The Rio Caldo boat on the Caniçada ### Where to stay Parque Cerdeira bungalows and family rooms Águas do Gerês, with a children's games room ### Where to eat Porta do Mezio restaurant, inside the biological park Cerdeira Restaurant, with dishes to take to the bungalow ### Worth knowing The bends cause carsickness: stop every half hour Wet granite is slippery; no pools without an adult beside them ### Qué hacer as a family - The Geira and the Mata da Albergaria from the Portela do Homem - Pedra Bela and Junceda viewpoints, over the Caniçada - The Soajo granaries, on their slab of granite - Arado waterfall and its viewpoint - Lindoso Castle and granaries - Rio Caldo boat trip on the Caniçada reservoir - Porta do Mezio, biological park and tree-top adventure in Arcos de Valdevez ## With young children: With little ones, viewpoints and animals With children under six, choose plans you reach by car and that last a short time: a viewpoint, a granary threshing floor, a boat. ### What works best The Pedra Bela and Junceda viewpoints, beside the car park The Soajo threshing floor: open space and stones to climb The Porta do Mezio biological park, free up to age 2 The Rio Caldo boat, with 54 seats ### Where to stay Parque Cerdeira bungalows, with a playground and minigolf ### Where to eat Porta do Mezio restaurant, with a terrace in the park ### Worth knowing Bring a baby carrier: the Soajo threshing floor and the Geira are not for pushchairs The Porta do Mezio tree-top course requires a minimum of 1.20 m ### Qué hacer with young children - Pedra Bela and Junceda viewpoints, over the Caniçada - The Soajo granaries, on their slab of granite - Rio Caldo boat trip on the Caniçada reservoir - Porta do Mezio, biological park and tree-top adventure in Arcos de Valdevez ## With teenagers: Zip lines, e-bikes and a castle on the border The Gerês wins teenagers over with activity: ropes, wheels and water. The granaries are better as a short stop between one thing and another. ### What works best The Porta do Mezio tree-top course, with a zip line of about 100 m; the Águia Real circuit requires 1.60 m Electric bike from Parque Cerdeira to the Albergaria The Arado waterfall and the walls of Lindoso Castle The Geira, with a real stretch of Roman road ### Where to stay Parque Cerdeira, with an adventure park and a pool in summer Travanca Campsite, in a tent ### Where to eat Pedaço do Gerês or costeletão at Cerdeira Restaurant ### Worth knowing There is hardly any signal in some valleys The pools have currents: only with an adult and where local people swim ### Qué hacer with teenagers - The Geira and the Mata da Albergaria from the Portela do Homem - The Soajo granaries, on their slab of granite - Arado waterfall and its viewpoint - Lindoso Castle and granaries - Porta do Mezio, biological park and tree-top adventure in Arcos de Valdevez - E-bike from Campo do Gerês to the Mata da Albergaria ## Consejos ### Start early in summer The best-known pools and waterfalls fill up by mid-morning in July and August, and the car parks with them. ### Wear shoes that grip Wet granite beside the waterfalls is very slippery. The pools have currents and drops: swim only where you see local people. ### Ask your accommodation for the Gerês.Card It is activated by scanning a QR code at the accommodation and costs nothing. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How many days do I need? Two nights at the very least: one for the Gerês and the Albergaria, and another for Soajo, Lindoso and the Peneda. With four you can do long routes without hurry. ### Can you go without a car? It is difficult: the villages, viewpoints and waterfalls are far apart. If you don't have a car, stay in the village of Gerês and do walks from there, or book an excursion. ### Can you swim in the park? In summer many people swim in river pools and reservoirs. There are no lifeguards at the pools: go in carefully and never in the waterfalls. ### What are espigueiros? Granite granaries on pillars, for drying and storing maize away from damp and rodents. Soajo has 24 and Lindoso 64, grouped on communal threshing floors. ### Is it close to Galicia? Yes. The Portela do Homem is a border crossing with Lobios, in Ourense, and the park continues in Spain as Baixa Limia – Serra do Xurés: together they form a cross-border biosphere reserve. ### Can you go with children? Yes. The walk along the Geira to the Ponte Feia is short, they like the espigueiros and Porta do Mezio has an adventure park and a pool in summer.