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Douro Rambler Tour
The Douro Rambler tour is one of the most popular walking trips in Portugal, and it's easy to see why. This is a 7 day self guided hike of introductory to moderate grade.
The Douro Valley is the first demarcated wine region in the world, officially established in 1756 when the Port industry developed. Today it has the country’s highest wine classification as a ‘denominação de origem controlada’, while the viticultural zone, which covers the steep slopes along the banks of the lower reaches of the Douro River, is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. While visiting the region there are plenty of opportunities for scenic boat trips, wine tasting tours and visits to port lodges and small working wine estates.
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Madeira Island Walking Trip
Rising steeply from the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Europe and Africa, Madeira offers both a mild climate and a 1,350-mile network of ‘levadas’. The island enjoys an impressive year-round flowering season thanks to its subtropical climate and rich volcanic soil – you can even find a dedicated Orchid Garden with more than 7,500 species!
One of the highlights of the Madeira Island Walking holiday is to climb up to Pico Ruivo, the island’s highest peak; many of the ‘levadas’ can be followed on foot, which together with a network of local trails make even the most remote parts of the island accessible.
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Portuguese Road: Porto to Santiago Camino
Walk the final stage of the Portuguese Camino and enjoy the marvellous landscapes of northern Portugal and Spain as you follow the way to Santiago de Compostela.
Crossing the Spanish border and walking the last 100kms through Galicia to the holy city of Santiago ensures you qualify for the Compostela certificate upon your arrival at the cathedral.
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Portugal Palaces and Coast Walk
Set amidst pine-blanketed hills, Sintra looks as if it has been plucked straight from a fairytale book. It is Europe’s finest example of whimsical and colourful Romanticism architecture, home to flamboyant palaces, mansions and gardens. Traverse on foot the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park to the rugged and dramatic coastline – dotted with fishing villages and sandy beaches – for views of the so-called ‘Hell’s Mouth’ and Cabo da Roca, continental Europe’s westernmost point. The trip finishes at Cascais, one of the most popular holiday destinations on Lisbon’s coastline.
The Portugal Palaces and Coast Walk is an 8 day, self guided hike of introductory to moderate grading. Add it to the list!
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Rota Vicentina: the Fishermen's Trail
Part of the Rota Vicentina long-distance footpath, the Fishermen’s Trail, in Portugal’s Alentejo region, follows the coast from the idyllic beaches of Odeceixe to the traditional village of Porto Covo, which is perched on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. During the day you will only come across a handful of other hikers, while at night you can indulge in typical Portuguese cuisine.
This coastal tour takes you from the fishing town of Porto Covo to Odeceixe over 7 days and showcases a unique side of Portugal.
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Best of the Portuguese Way Guided Tour
For many pilgrims, the Portuguese Way is more spiritually connected to the Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) than any other religious route: not only is Portugal where he was known to have first preached but his final journey to Santiago, when his bones were brought back from Jerusalem following his beheading, is also believed to have been via the country.
Extending from capital Lisbon across the border to Santiago, the 10 day Best of the Portuguese Way guided walk takes in some of the most popular and intriguing sections of The Portuguese Way. Visit the quintessentially Portuguese cities of Coimbra and Porto and enjoy local wine tastings before crossing by ferry the border with Galicia in Spain. The trip culminates with a special farewell dinner at Santiago de Compostela.
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Rota Vicentina: to the Algarve
The Rota Vicentina is a long distance footpath which opened in 2013 and represents a successful eco-tourism initiative to develop low impact tourism in a relatively untouched region of Portugal.
This section of the Rota Vicenta follows the trail south from Odeceixe to Cape St Vincent and a section of the Fishermen's trail. Experience the renowned beauty of the Algarve coastline well away from the tourist areas on this inspiring walk along enchanting sections of the Atlantic coast. As you make your way towards the south-western most point on the European continent by foot you'll pass idyllic beaches, sand dunes and dramatic steep cliffs that see surprisingly few visitors compared to the busier resort based beaches.
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Portuguese Road: Porto to Tui Camino
The Porto to Tui section of the Portuguese Camino is a pretty good walk, to put it mildly. Hear what this UTracks Traveller had to say about their experience:
"Did self-guided walk in Jan/Feb and liked the uncrowded paths and friendly hospitality at the hotels who were pleased to have guests. Very easy to navigate as entire walk is marked with yellow arrows. The cooler weather was great for walking but also mean rain gear was essential and well used...Overall very impressed with UTracks organisation once again and would do more such walks." S. Coley, Australia.
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Portuguese Road: Coastal Way to Santiago
This Camino tour follows a coastal path on the way to the holy city of Santiago in Spain. Start in Viana do Castelo, near Porto, and ramble through small hamlets and forests.
This is a 12 day self guided walk of moderate grade and highlights include the regional culinary specialties and a quieter pilgrim path.
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The Full Portuguese Camino
To cap off this list of the 10 best hiking tours in Portugal, what better experience is there than to do a tail to head walk of the country? On the Full Portuguese Camino tour, you'll journey from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela in Spain over 32 days.
This is an excellent tour for those wanting to fully immerse themselves in the culture and lifestyle of the Portuguese people.