Self-catering holiday homes: North Portugal

Make a holiday rental house, villa in North Portugal your home away from home

North Portugal includes some of the wildest regions of Portugal. Many of the oldest, most unspoilt and beautiful areas of Portugal are hidden in the relatively un-discovered region of North Portugal. Consisting of green rolling hills, dramatic river valleys, a rugged coastline and a magnificently slow pace of life, holiday accommodation in Northern Portugal brings you as close as is possible to authentic Portuguese culture and scenery, away from the huge summer crowds which grace the more famous holiday regions of Portugal.

Places to Holiday in North Portugal

Walkers, hikers and nature lovers must rent a North Portugal holiday villa near the National Park of Geres, which incorporates mountains, abundant nature and clean waterways.

The Minho Region, the oldest in Portugal, is a great place to start your exploration of North Portugal. Holiday houses here benefit from the best of Portugal, lush countryside, historic towns, empty, golden beaches and peaceful rivers.

Things to do in North Portugal

There is an enormous wealth of things to do in Northern Portugal. Holiday houses or villa in North Portugal allow you to lounge on the often empty Atlantic beaches, walk in the endless, unspoilt countryside, fish the long stretches of rivers, lakes, reservoirs or the sea, or investigate the national monuments and towns from which the Portuguese Nation first sprung. Medieval castles, Romanesque churches and ancient cave paintings cover the area, giving a real sense of history and community.

North Portugal is a rural haven, and as such, is the perfect location for a huge range of outdoor activities. Canoeing down the Douro River, or climbing the shear gorges which it has carved from the surrounding hills are popular activities, as well as the excellent golf courses and facilities of Vidago, which keeps golf enthusiasts returning to North Portugal holiday houses each year.

If you have decided on taking a North Portugal holiday, it is almost essential you take self catering accommodation, as the wealth of local delicacies means that there is no end of magnificent places to eat and dishes to try, whether cooked by an expert, or cooked in the house, using fresh ingredients from the many local markets. North Portugal is famous for its Port too; Douro, Minho and Tras os Montes are all beautiful Port wines, which have kept the region as a special place to visit for wine connoisseurs.

Weather in North Portugal

Summer temperatures in North Portugal stay around the 28˚C mark during the hottest periods. The varied landscape means that winters can be cold, and the worst of the weather misses the region.

Travel to North Portugal

The easiest way to reach a holiday rental house or villa in North Portugal is via Oporto International Airport (OPO), which receive multiple daily flights direct from across the UK. RyanAir offer some particularly good deals on cheap flights to North Portugal. From the airport, car rental, ferry or train services open up the region to tourism, with the station towns of Guarda and Viseu operating as excellent bases for discovering the whole area.

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