Porta do Mezio Restaurant
What to order: the caldo verde with broa and the house roasts, after visiting the biological park.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 41.72° N · 8.16° W
A Sunday in Soajo and Lindoso: granite granaries and a park for the children.
The 64 granaries of Lindoso at the foot of its castle, those of Soajo on a slab of granite and, in the afternoon, the Porta do Mezio biological park and tree-climbing course. An hour and a half from Ourense.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Oporto fromAsturias 1 hBilbao 1 h 15Madrid 1 h 15Sevilla 1 h 15Granada 1 h 30Málaga 1 h 30Alicante 1 h 45Barcelona 1 h 45Valencia 1 h 45Tenerife Sur 2 h 45
Part of Peneda-Gerês
Add to my trip
Total time9 h 30
By car1 h 30 each way
VisitsTwo villages, 2 h
DifficultyEasy
Spend€25–45 pp
Best timeApril – October
With childrenYes, any age
With a dogYes, in the villages
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Ourense 1 h 30 by car
via Celanova, Bande, Lobios and Entrimo to the Lindoso border; in Portugal it is an hour earlier
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1
Lindoso Castle and granaries
Portuguese time; the espigueiros, free; 1 h
- 15 min by car10,3 km
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2
The Soajo granaries, on their slab of granite
15 min by car; 45 min
- 8 min by car7 km
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3
Porta do Mezio Restaurant
Porta do Mezio restaurant · Alto Minho cooking · €€ · call ahead
Estrada Nacional 202, Mezio, 4970-092 Arcos de Valdevez · +351 258 510 100
Restaurant €€Book - 1 min on foot
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4
Porta do Mezio, biological park and tree-top adventure in Arcos de Valdevez
biological park, €3; tree climbing extra; 2 h
+351 258 510 100
Activity company With Porta do MezioBook -
Back home
In Ourense around 19:30, Spanish time
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Lindoso Castle and granaries
Lindoso and Soajo are the two best-known granary villages in the Peneda-Gerês National Park, in the Lima valley, an hour and a half from Ourense. In Portugal they call them espigueiros: granite granaries on stone legs, grouped on communal threshing floors that still belong to the village. You see both in one morning, have lunch in a former forest house at the Porta do Mezio and spend the afternoon in its biological park, with a tree-climbing course for the children. It is the easiest plan in the park.
The day, hour by hour
8:45 · Departure. From Ourense, via Celanova, Bande and Lobios to Entrimo and the Lindoso border crossing. When you cross, put your watch back an hour: the rest of the plan runs on Portuguese time.
9:30 · Lindoso. Less than five kilometres from the border and on the banks of the Lima, 64 espigueiros built between the 18th and 20th centuries surround the communal threshing floor. Above them stands the castle, from around 1250, from the time of Afonso III, later extended with bastions. Seeing the espigueiros is free.
11:00 · Soajo. A quarter of an hour away by car. Here there are 24 espigueiros on a large slab of granite, next to a 16th-century pelourinho of a very unusual shape. The threshing floor is uneven: with a pushchair it is hard going.
12:30 · Lunch at the Porta do Mezio. The restaurant occupies a restored former forest house at the Porta do Mezio, one of the park's entrances, in Arcos de Valdevez. Alto Minho cooking with local produce. It does not publish opening hours on its website: call ahead to book a table.
14:30 · Biological park and tree climbing. The Porta do Mezio has a biological park, tree-climbing circuits with a zip line of about 100 metres, stargazing and a swimming pool in summer. Entry costs €3 and is free up to age 2. For the tree climbing, the beginners' circuit requires a height of 1.20 m.
17:00 · Heading back. The same way, arriving in Ourense around 19:30, Spanish time.
What to order at the Porta do Mezio
The caldo verde with broa, the maize bread of the Minho, and the house roasts. It is mountain cooking, in big portions. As the restaurant opens with the park, which closes on Mondays from mid-September to mid-June, Sunday is a good day; even so, confirm by phone.
Without children or if you want to walk
Without children, swap the afternoon for the Pedra Bela and Junceda viewpoints, above the Caniçada reservoir, on the other side of the park: allow three quarters of an hour by car from Soajo. If you prefer to walk, the Roman Geira from the Portela do Homem is a flat two-and-a-half-hour stroll through the Mata da Albergaria; on that day, enter and leave through Lobios. With a dog, Soajo and Lindoso are easy to walk round, as long as the animal is on a lead.
Time1 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Cerdeira Restaurant
What to order: the Pedaço do Gerês, its version of bife à minhota; and order the kid or the bersame if you are a group.
O Abocanhado
What to order: the roast meat of the mountains and the view, by day: ask for a table by the picture window.
Closed for holidays from 9 to 20 November 2026; reopens on Saturday the 21st.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Peneda-Gerês
Any Sunday of the year: the villages never close and the Porta do Mezio only closes on Mondays outside summer. From spring to autumn, the tree climbing and the biological park are more enjoyable; in summer the swimming pool opens too.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Change the time when you cross
In Portugal it is an hour earlier. Lunch and park times are Portuguese.
- 2Lindoso first
First thing, the light falls on the espigueiros and the groups have not yet arrived.
- 3Wear comfortable shoes
The threshing floors are uneven granite and get slippery in the rain.
We'd skip it
A Monday between September and June: the Porta do Mezio and its restaurant are closed.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Ourense?
An hour and a half by car to Lindoso, via Celanova and Entrimo. In Portugal the clock is an hour behind.
Does it cost anything to see the granaries?
No. The threshing floors of Lindoso and Soajo are public spaces in the villages.
What age do you need to be for tree climbing?
Height is what counts: 1.20 m on the beginners' circuit and 1.60 m on the highest one, with harness, helmet and instructors.
Can you go with a dog?
To the villages, yes, on a lead. In the biological park and the restaurant, ask first.
What is an espigueiro?
The Minho granary: a granite store raised on stone legs to keep the maize away from damp and mice. In Lindoso and Soajo they are grouped on communal threshing floors.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/portugal/northern-portugal/peneda-geres/itineraries/granite-granaries-and-lindoso
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.