Águas do Gerês Hotel, Termas & Spa
Why we like it: A hotel with 53 rooms and 2 suites in the centre of the Gerês spa village, opposite the baths and spa, with a restaurant and terrace.
Duration2 nights
From Ourense1 h 30 by car
Best timeMay · June · September · October
Budget€150–240 pp
TimeAn hour behind in Portugal
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to enter on Friday through the Portela do Homem, sleep two nights in the village of Gerês or in Campo do Gerês and return on Sunday via Lindoso. The times are Portuguese, an hour behind Spain.
Friday
- 118:00Entering by the Portela do Homem
An hour and a half from Ourense via Celanova, Bande and Lobios. When you cross, put your watch back. Go down through the Albergaria to the spa village of Gerês and ask for the Gerês.Card at your accommodation: it is free and gives discounts at museums and on the boat.
Saturday
- 109:00The Geira and the Mata da Albergaria
Return to the Portela do Homem and walk down the Braga – Astorga Roman road, past milestones, to the Ponte Feia, above a waterfall on the Homem river. Return by the São Miguel waterfall. Two and a half hours with no climb.
- 212:30Lunch in Campo do Gerês
Restaurante Cerdeira, inside Parque Cerdeira, serves lunch from 12:00 to 15:00: the Pedaço do Gerês or salt cod with broa.
- 315:30Boat on the Caniçada
The Terras de Bouro council's tourist boat sails all year round from the Rio Caldo Nautical Centre. Ask about departures and price by phone; with the Gerês.Card, from 15 July to 15 September, half price.
- 418:00Pedra Bela, Junceda and the Arado waterfall
Go up the track from the village. At sunset the light falls straight onto the reservoir.
Sunday
- 110:00Soajo and Lindoso
Three quarters of an hour to Soajo: 24 espigueiros on a slab of granite and a 16th-century pelourinho. A quarter of an hour further, Lindoso: 64 espigueiros at the foot of a castle from around 1250.
- 213:00Lunch at the Porta do Mezio and the return
Alto Minho cooking in a former forest house; call ahead. With children, the biological park and the tree-climbing course, €3 entry. Return to Ourense via Lindoso and Entrimo.
Peneda-Gerês is Portugal's only national park and the foreign national park closest to Galicia: from Ourense, the Portela do Homem border is an hour and a half away, and on the other side the Mata da Albergaria begins. A weekend has room for both faces of the park. On Saturday, the Gerês mountains: the Roman road among oaks, the viewpoints over the Caniçada reservoir and the Arado waterfall. On Sunday, the Lima valley: the granary villages of Soajo and Lindoso.
When to go and how to get around?
From May to June the waterfalls are full and the hills are green; in September and October there are fewer people and mild light. In July and August the pools and the Portela do Homem road fill up. In winter it rains a lot and the high ranges can see snow. You need a car: the villages, viewpoints and waterfalls are far apart and the roads are slow, with animals loose on them. Wild camping is not permitted.
| Area | What to see | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Gerês mountains | Geira, Albergaria, Pedra Bela, Arado | Gerês village or Campo do Gerês |
| Lima valley | Soajo, Lindoso, Porta do Mezio | Travanca campsite, at the Mezio |
Where to sleep?
In the village of Gerês, the Águas do Gerês Hotel, Termas & Spa has 53 rooms and 2 suites facing the hot springs, with a restaurant. In Campo do Gerês, inside the park, Parque Cerdeira has granite bungalows, family rooms, cabins and pitches from €25; it is closed from 3 to 27 November and from 6 January to 6 February. If you prefer to sleep on the Lima side, the Travanca campsite, among pines next to the Porta do Mezio, has pitches and bungalows for two.
A lunch with a view
If you fancy a special lunch on Sunday, O Abocanhado is in Brufe, a village in the Serra Amarela at about 800 metres, with its granite-and-wood dining room hanging over the Homem river valley. Lunch from 12:30 to 15:30. It does not publish a closing day and in 2026 is closed on holiday from 9 to 20 November: call ahead. The access roads are narrow: allow time.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Peneda-Gerês, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Peneda-Gerês
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
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.
70–120 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayÁguas do Gerês, in the…
- Getting aroundFrom the Portela do Homem…
- Where to eatO Abocanhado, in Brufe, with…
- ServicesPark gate at Campo do…
Where to stay
- Águas do Gerês, in the spa village, with parking 300 m away
- Parque Cerdeira, bungalows and rooms at Campo do Gerês
- Travanca Campsite, bungalows beside the Porta do Mezio, for the Soajo side
Getting around
- From the Portela do Homem to the village via the Mata da Albergaria
- Soajo and Lindoso, about 15 minutes apart
- Drive slowly: there are cows and goats loose on the road
Where to eat
- O Abocanhado, in Brufe, with views over the Homem valley
- Porta do Mezio restaurant, between Soajo and Arcos de Valdevez
Services
- Park gate at Campo do Gerês, for trails and notices
- Gerês.Card free if you sleep in Terras de Bouro
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.
35–60 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayParque Cerdeira, pitches with water…
- Getting aroundEnter by the Portela do…
- Where to eatRestaurant and minimarket at Parque…
- ServicesMotorhome service station and laundry…
Where to stay
- Parque Cerdeira, pitches with water and drainage, XL pitches and a service area; overnight stays from 20:00 except in July and August
- Travanca Campsite, motorhome area beside the Porta do Mezio
Getting around
- Enter by the Portela do Homem from Lobios
- For the Pedra Bela and Arado viewpoints, go early: the car parks are small
Where to eat
- Restaurant and minimarket at Parque Cerdeira
- Shop in Arcos de Valdevez before going up to Travanca
Services
- Motorhome service station and laundry at Parque Cerdeira
- Electric-car charging at Parque Cerdeira
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.
30–55 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayParque Cerdeira, pitches from €25…
- Getting aroundFrom Cerdeira, on foot to…
- Where to eatCerdeira Restaurant, with takeaway food
- ServicesPool from 15 June to…
Where to stay
- Parque Cerdeira, pitches from €25; closed in November and from 6 January to 6 February
- Travanca Campsite, beside the Porta do Mezio, 6 km from Soajo
Getting around
- From Cerdeira, on foot to Vilarinho da Furna and the Geira
- Electric bike hire at Parque Cerdeira
Where to eat
- Cerdeira Restaurant, with takeaway food
- Barbecues at Parque Cerdeira
Services
- Pool from 15 June to 15 September at Cerdeira, paid
- Laundry and minimarket at Cerdeira
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingin a campervanif you're camping
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
© Parque CerdeiraCampsiteParque Cerdeira
Why we like it: A campsite with granite bungalows, family rooms, cabins and motorhome pitches at Campo do Gerês, inside the national park.
From €25
View details
Travanca Camping and Caravan Park
Why we like it: A campsite among pines beside the Porta do Mezio, 6 km from Soajo, with pitches for tents and motorhomes and bungalows for two.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Peneda-Gerês
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.
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.
Porta do Mezio Restaurant
What to order: the caldo verde with broa and the house roasts, after visiting the biological park.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Put your watch back when you cross the border and plan in Portuguese time: the restaurants and the boat follow that time.
We'd skip it
August at the pools at midday. It is when there are most people at the Portela do Homem and at the Arado waterfall.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Ourense?
An hour and a half to the Portela do Homem and the village of Gerês, about 90 km. From Pontevedra, about two hours via Braga.
Do you have to pay to enter the park?
No. You pay for the activities, such as the boat, the Porta do Mezio or the bikes.
Can you go with children?
Yes. The Geira is flat, the villages can be seen in a short time and the Porta do Mezio has a biological park and tree-climbing course.
Can you go with a dog?
Along the Geira, the viewpoints and the villages, yes, on a lead. In the park there are free-roaming livestock.
What is the Gerês.Card?
A free card from the Terras de Bouro council for people staying in the municipality: free entry to the Vilarinho da Furna and Geira museums and 50% off the Rio Caldo boat from 15 July to 15 September.