Peneda-Gerês National Park - A Lesser Visited Gem In Portugal

Peneda-Gerês National Park has been a place that I have wanted to visit for years. Initially I was attracted to the region because of the numerous Roman ruins that are scattered through the area. The national park is a vast reserve and whenever you step inside it, you are surrounded by silence and greenery. This summer we decided to add it to our route and we were not disappointed.

Let me backtrack a bit and start at the beginning. Peneda-Gerês National Park is located at the North-West region of Portugal. You will find that you can walk right up to the border of Spain and Portugal at many parts in this park. Another interesting part about the park is that it spans across three Portuguese districts namely Braga, Viana do Castelo and Vila Real.

Peneda-Gerês National Park is also the oldest national park in Portugal. You will notice that the trees are very old and they are trying really hard to conserve it. Wildfires due to the heatwaves that ravage the country (and arsonists!) have however made the conservation of the park very challenging and that was something that we noticed first hand.

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Where To Stay In Peneda-Gerês National Park

Since Peneda-Gerês National Park is spread over Braga, Viana Do Castelo and Vila Real, it is really hard to narrow down and say that a single location is the perfect place to be in. There are loads of places and attractions in the park so it is worth checking out what piques your interest.

There are a couple of things that you can keep in mind. For example, if you want to be one with nature and not move from spot to spot, there are a number of camping spots that you can pick from. Alternatively you could do what we did and pick one of the smaller towns that are close to the national park. That gives you a mix of nature and a more urban setup.

What To Do In Peneda-Gerês National Park

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of sites to visit in Peneda-Gerês National Park. I’m going to list of a number of things to do in Peneda-Gerês National Park that I found interesting. Please keep in mind that this the tip of the iceberg. There is so much to see and do here that a single post would not do it justice. What I will do is enumerate on the places that I have personally visited and then give you a couple of bullet points on all my bucket list locations for the future.

1. Vilarinho Da Furna

This was one of the places that I really wanted to visit and we got quite close but turned back because of the wildfires that had started up in the area. That was just one reason. Located in the Peneda-Gerês National Park, Vilarinho Da Furna is a submerged village. It appears above water only in certain seasons. The dam that was built caused the area to flood and the village to vanish. It is a cool place to visit. While this was on our agenda, the wildfires and the fact that it was submerged while we were there made us turn back.

2. Barragem De Vilarinho Das Furna

Barragem de Vilariho das Furna is a dam that was constructed and it is HUGE. It is this very same dam that resulted in the submerging of the village Vilarinho das Furna.

You can drive across the dam and head to the other side of the river but you can also park close to the dam and walk down the steps to catch a glimpse of just how impressive it is.

3. Ethnographic Museum Campo De Gerês

Inside the Ethnographic Museum Campo De Gerês

If you love museums and history, then you will find that the Ethnographic Museum is one of the best and coolest places to visit in Peneda-Gerês National Park. The museum isn’t very large but it is packed with information. It chronicles the history of the submerged village and the traditions that the village had.

It also talks about the history of the north of Portugal as a whole. In addition to this there are two sections. One which covers the biodiversity of the forest and the other music because that is such a big part of the lives of the Portuguese.

One of the things that I loved here was the way the staff interacted with young children. Both Shawn and I speak just a little Portuguese and the kids have a few conversational basics. So communicating is hard. When the kids approached the staff with questions, they tried to explain things to them so sweetly with maps and a lot of actions. I think that was what my children took away as one of the best experiences here.

4. Church Sao Bento da Porta Aberta

The Church Sao Bento da Porta Aberta was something that we stumbled onto by accident. Not because we were in the area but because we managed to somehow book a room within the premises. I call it our happy accident because we had a beautiful stay.

The Church Sao Bento da Porta Aberta is the second largest pilgrimage site in Portugal after Fatima and it draws loads of worshipers every day. It isn’t quite as well known outside the country though.

The old church itself is beautiful and the newer church located right at its side has a bigger space for the devotees to sit and listen to the eucharist. There is a small park that is located right next to it which is a great place to sit and spend some time too.

An overhead view of the waterpark on the lake

5. Water Park Gerês

The water park Gerês is located on the Cavado River. There is a small beach along the banks of the river that has been converted into a little oasis of fun.

The water park provides all kinds of water based activities including inflated floaties to swim to, kayaks that you can rent, parasols and even a restaurant that you can eat at.

Its perfect if you want a quiet day with little planning. Everything you need is located right next to you.

6. Ponte De Sao Miguel

Ponte De Sao Miguel nestled in the middle of the Peneda-Gerês National Park

Ponte de Sao Miguel is one of the cool old bridges in the park. It wasn’t really supposed to be our end point but we chose to hike in the park around the area. Close to the bridge you will find some really nice rocky pools of water that are great for swimming and cooling off on a summer day.

7. Visit The Waterfalls

There are a number of waterfalls in the park. Some of them are right at the side of the road and others are off the path and you need to trek to them.

Day Trips To Peneda-Gerês National Park From Porto

Despite the fact that Peneda-Gerês National Park is such an awesome place to be in, many people choose not to stay in the park for a variety of different reason. The most common reason is time. Most vacations are short and not everybody has the time to chill in the national park.

Luckily if you make places like Porto your base, you can easily head out on a day trip. I’ve been checking out the options and have noticed that there are many different adventure based activities that are

Here are a few of the day trips from Porto to Peneda-Gerês National Park that are worth checking out.