Peneda-Gerês National Park is the only national park of Portugal, a granite mountain area on the border with Spain in the north of the country, created in 1971. It covers parts of the municipalities of Arcos de Valdevez, Melgaço and Ponte da Barca in the district of Viana do Castelo, and Terras de Bouro and Montalegre in the districts of Braga and Vila Real.
Together with the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés park in Galicia, it forms the Gerês-Xurés cross-border biosphere reserve recognised by UNESCO.
What to see in Peneda-Gerês
- Mountains: the ranges of Peneda, Soajo, Amarela and Gerês, with granite peaks, valleys and oak woods.
- Villages: mountain villages such as Soajo and Lindoso, with their granaries of stone, the espigueiros.
- Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Peneda: an 18th-century pilgrimage church at the foot of a granite cliff, with a stairway of chapels.
- Castles: the castle of Lindoso on the Lima and the ruined castle of Castro Laboreiro.
- Waterfalls and reservoirs: waterfalls and river pools, and the reservoirs of the Lima and Cávado rivers.
- Ecovia do Vez and Sistelo: a walking and cycling path along the Vez river, near the terraced village of Sistelo.
History of Peneda-Gerês National Park
- 1971: the Peneda-Gerês National Park is created, the first and only national park of Portugal.
- 2009: UNESCO recognises the Gerês-Xurés cross-border biosphere reserve.
Visiting Peneda-Gerês National Park
- Gateways: visitor centres, called Portas, stand at the entrances of the park, such as the Porta do Mezio in Arcos de Valdevez and the Porta do Lindoso in Ponte da Barca.
- Vila do Gerês: the spa village of Gerês, in Terras de Bouro, is the main base on the Braga side.
- Rules: parts of the park have access limits to protect wildlife, and the ICNF publishes the current rules.
