# Costa Verde in Portugal. Ever heard of it?



## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

Costa Verde is not promoted abroad like other regions such as the Algarve, Madeira, or Lisbon.

Understand


> The Costa Verde (literally "green coast") is a stretch of Northern Portugal coastline.
> 
> The Costa Verde stretches for over 50 km from the city of Porto to the Spanish border in the North. Always with continuous and large golden sand beaches in several small bays or coves.
> 
> Virtually unknown to the foreign eye, Costa Verde is very known in Portugal, and with Porto is the fastest growing tourist region in Portugal, but still not crowded at all. Some say, Costa verde is Portugal's secret, so no promotion abroad, let's end that.


Climate


> The climate is Mediterranean, very similar to that of California.


Water


> The Costa Verde is on the Atlantic, and the average water temperature reaches 18ºC in the summer.
> like the land, water is green, due to algae. Algae is both of economical value to farmers and used by people for beach therapy (in order to prolong your tan and skin treatment), just swimming is enough as the iodine is in the water. You can't get this in the Algarve or in Costa del Sol in Spain.



Get In


> airport station
> 
> 
> 
> ...


wines


> The region is famous for its wines. Vinho verde (Green wine) and Vinho Alvarinho (a highly-rated variety of Vinho verde). Don't forget to try it, very fresh and with seafood! that's the taste of Costa verde. there's a Vinho verde route.
> 
> the website in English - route is inland or near the Minho river.
> http://rota.vinhoverde.pt/Default.asp?iID=0&clienteID=RSGH2M10SQTK8MGH674Q1VTWRX9V60A7&lang=EN


Golf courses:
*Ponte de Lima (20 km inland)
*Estela (Póvoa de Varzim) - by the beach. 









Marinas:
*Viana do Castelo
*Póvoa de Varzim

Natural parks:
*Coastal Park of Esposende (natural beaches!)
*Coastal Park of Vila do Conde (natural beaches!)
*National Park of Gerês (the most important in Portugal) the only one, really - inland.
here's Gerês:

























Now, the coastal cities of Costa verde!

*Vila Nova de Cerveira*


> Founded in the 14th century by Dom Dinis, on the condition that one hundred residents would be brought together to form the community, the town took the name of Cerveira due to the colony of deer (cervos) that were to be found in the region.
> 
> Situated close to the border with Spain on the banks of the River Minho, where there is a ferryboat linking the town to Goyan in Galicia, Vila Nova de Cerveira has a wide variety of monuments, testifying to its rich past.
> 
> Since 1978, Vila Nova de Cerveira has been famous for its biennial exhibition of visual arts, an important national event whose fame has now spread to other countries and has begun to attract many international artists.





















*Caminha*


> A fortified border town situated at the mouth of the River Minho, where several battles were fought between Portugal and Spain, Caminha now enjoys much more friendly relations with its neighbour and there is a daily ferry-boat linking the two banks of the river.
> 
> Standing on a tiny island in the middle of the estuary are the ruins of the fort of Ínsua, built to defend the entrance to the river in the fifteenth century.
> 
> But this region lives from much more than just its past. Vilar de Mouros, a picturesque spot in the most beautiful countryside, roughly 6 km to the north of Caminha, is the setting for a highly popular festival of modern music, held every August and the first of its kind ever to be organised in Portugal.






























*Viana do Castelo*


> Situated close to the mouth of the river Lima, Viana do Castelo was founded in the thirteenth century by D. Afonso III, the king of Portugal, under the name of Viana da Foz do Lima.
> 
> The sea was always the main reason for the city's existence: at one time it had 70 merchant ships and, in the period of the Discoveries (in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries), carracks and caravels set sail from the shipyards of Viana to follow the sea routes to India and North and South America, returning laden with sugar, ebony, ivory and other exotic goods. A native-born son of Viana, João Álvares Fagundes, pioneered the navigation route to Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. Without knowing it, he was to pave the way for the beginning of the cult of the many different ways of cooking cod in Portugal.
> 
> ...






























*Esposende*


> At the time of the Portuguese Maritime Discoveries, Esposende was an important fishing and sea port. These activities have continued into the present day, although it is also a very popular seaside resort. In the nearby village of Apúlia, besides fishing, one of the most typical activities is the gathering of seaweed at low tide.
> 
> The coastal strip stretching from Esposende to Ofir and Fão has been classified as a protected landscape area and is considered to be one of the most beautiful stretches of Portugal´s northern coastline.
> 
> Roughly 6 km to the north, São Bartolomeu do Mar is famous for its religious festival of 24 August, which includes the "Banho Santo", a ritual of bathing in the sea that according to tradition cures illnesses and makes children strong and healthy.






























a castro village, you can find several in the region, including castro cities, these have more than 2,000 yrs old









Apúlia:









the traditional dress of Apulia, unchanged since the Roman empire










*Póvoa de Varzim*


> This ancient settlement was given a charter in the fourteenth century, although it was not until the eighteenth century that it began to be known as an important fishing port, when a large number of fishermen settled here and soon formed a tight-knit community.
> 
> The excellent beach, which is a most popular attraction in the summer season, was the main driving force behind the town`s development and it is now a busy resort offering visitors a full range of hotels, a golf course, a casino and excellent facilities for all kinds of sports.
> 
> In the surrounding region, the town of São Pedro de Rates, which was once the municipal seat, is well worth a special visit, particularly its Romanesque church built from the eleventh to the thirteenth century, as well as the eighteenth-century former town hall and pillory.


Póvoa is the most modern resort of the region, so more lively and more cosmopolitan













































Police officers in the bike city



























empty? winter, of course. 


















São Pedro de Rates Village








also, Rates









*Vila do Conde*


> A quiet city that gained in importance and increased its prosperity as a ship-building yard at the time of the Maritime Discoveries.
> 
> The sea has always had a major influence on the life of the local inhabitants, inspiring the motifs used in the famous bobbin lace that has been produced here at least since the seventeenth century. Later, the techniques and knowledge of this remarkable art spread all along the rest of the northern coast of Portugal as far as Galicia itself, and some of its beautiful products can be appreciated at the local Lace Museum.
> 
> The important role played by handicraft in the life of this city is not limited to its lace-work, however, for each year in July/August, Vila do Conde plays host to the National Handicraft Fair, one of the most important events of this kind in Portugal.


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## zazo (Dec 5, 2005)

Like Galicia in Spain!!


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

zazo said:


> Like Galicia in Spain!!


In what ways it is like Galicia? Many things yes both regions are similar.

there's a tourism website for the North: http://www.visitportoenorte.com/index.php?lingua=en

just found a map of the national park:








http://www.visitportugal.com/NR/exeres/D5140C8F-F560-4908-85CA-8A6D6B67AAFC,frameless.htm


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

*Beaches*

*Caminha*
*Caminha Beach*


> Set in an area of great natural beauty by the mouth of the Minho river and surrounded by the pines making up the Mata Nacional do Camarido protected area, Caminha or Camarido Beach is located at the most north-westerly point of the Portuguese mainland.
> 
> This site enables sunbathers to choose between fine sands and the rough, open seas and the thicker sands and calm waters of the river, ideal for both children and sailing and windsurfing.


*Viana do Castelo*
*Amorosa Beach*


> In Chafe - Viana do Castelo
> A firm favourite among both surfers and bodyboarders, Amorosa Beach also draws in families from across the north of Portugal, some of whom have holiday homes in the area.
> 
> The beach is reached over a wooden walkway in order to protect the dunes in the surroundings.


*Arda Beach*


> Also known as Mariana Beach after the restaurant here, Arda or Bico Beach is one of the best in the country for surfing and bodyboarding and thus brings in a younger crowd.
> 
> The large sandy expanse of this beach is framed by a landscape of great natural beauty, surrounded by a long cordon of dunes, sporadically splashed with rich, green bursts of vegetation.


*Insúa Beach*


> Located at the northernmost end of the long length of sand making up Afife Beach, Ínsua Beach is surrounded by dunes that serve both to enrich the landscape and to protect from strong winds.
> 
> Very popular, this Beach is a particular hit with children given the small pools that form among the rocks at low tide.


*Afife Beach*


> A huge expanse of sand reached by protective wooden walkways leading through the dunes, Afife Beach is a good example of respect for the natural environmental quality.
> 
> The strong waves create good surfing conditions while the southern area of the beach is best for those with children as a small river runs into the sea, sometimes forming a small lagoon.


*Carreço Beach*


> With a fairly rocky area separating the dunes and the sands, Carreço Beach enjoys a good standard of both environmental quality and support infrastructures. The backdrop to the Beach is of great beauty with the landscape best admired from the Montedor hill, also home to the most northerly lighthouse in Portugal.
> 
> In the vicinity, pay a visit to the three Montedor windmills, which have recently been restored.


next the beaches for the group Esposende, Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, when I have time. Most of this info I took from the visit Portugal site.


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## Paulo2004 (Oct 13, 2004)

Yes, and it's a wonderful, really nice part of Portugal.


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## jbkayaker12 (Nov 8, 2004)

Nice and not crowded a+.


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## ZATUGA (May 18, 2008)

PedroGabriel said:


> *Beaches*
> 
> *Caminha*
> *Caminha Beach*
> ...


My favourite beach and where I spend most of my Holidays is Arda Beach, meeting point of most gorgeous girls of the area and one of the best sands. Cool to do jogging along the beach where you can join other beaches in the area Afife Beach and Insua Beach. Just a pity they closed the Bar they had next to the beach, but replaced it with a wooden smaller bar on the beach.


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## Lino (Oct 16, 2007)

Gerês and Terras de Basto... the region is wonderful and full of history... Braga was the capital of the roman province of Gallecia and the Sueve reign in the northwest of the region. Guimarães is the craddle of the nation!


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## MoroccanChica (Mar 20, 2007)

> Costa Verde in Portugal. Ever heard of it?


Of course! it's the region where you find Bofoa :tongue2:

Very pretty photos indeed :yes:


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## Gustavo__Almeida__ (Sep 26, 2008)

Wonderful Green (Coast) :drool:


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

Beatiful. Good thing it rains enough to keep it unspoilt.

Never heard of it though. I know the Spanish name often used to describe the whole "green" coast.


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## weird (Feb 24, 2006)

Nice landscapes. Reminds me my childhood in Galicia and my trips to northern Portugal when I was a kid


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

MoroccanChica said:


> Of course! it's the region where you find Bofoa :tongue2:
> 
> Very pretty photos indeed :yes:


pics are nothing special.
anyway bofoa's countryside








and Beach









for the city there's a thread with my pics... I'll post spring pics soon.


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## PedroGabriel (Feb 5, 2007)

Lino said:


> Gerês and Terras de Basto... the region is wonderful and full of history... Braga was the capital of the roman province of Gallecia and the Sueve reign in the northwest of the region. Guimarães is the craddle of the nation!


this is about the Coast, but yes, good reference for the cultural richness of the inland region.


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