Portugal Travelogue, Part 3: Brunch bowls, delayed trains, mineral‑heavy reds, and a 4x4 safari to the edge of the world.
The next leg of our slow adventure through Portugal took us from Porto to Viana Do Castelo, by train.
Slow travel, for me, involves public transport and different modes of it.
We fuelled up for the journey with a healthy brunch - overnight oats and fruit - at a local cafe bar that became our favourite haunt for our first stay in Porto - Look Sharp
We mooched around the local shops, soaking up Porto’s creative energy, before heading to São Bento to catch our train north.
The Great Train Shuffle
We'd pre booked first class seats on the train, very European Chic, only to discover that the train was running late and we would miss our connecting train. So a frantic search for an earlier train and we ended up on a commuter train from Campanhã, that we could have got from our local station São Bento all the way to Viana with no changes.
Why take one cheap train the whole way when you can take a metro, two extra trains, and a bonus dose of chaos?
Still, we got to Vianna Do Castelo by 3pm, so we could check straight into our hotel. Hotel Jardim, our home for the next 4 days.
Retro chic vibes in this hotel. An avocado-green bathroom suite, no kettle, but a fridge. No glasses, but paper cups whose structural integrity was compromised after a few sips of water - but a giant soft bed that we collapsed into. That collapse turned into a hour's nap - it's surprising how tiring lugging bags on and off of trains can be.
A Town of Treasures (and cheaper than Porto)
Viana do Castelo is a gem of a place. Less touristy, more local and full of lovely artisan shops.
We timed our visit badly (or well, depending on your POV) as immediately after our stay the festivals start.
The Romaria de Nossa Senhora d’Agonia is Viana do Castelo’s most famous festival. Combining traditional dancing with carpets of flowers. A celebration of culture, joy, colour, and devotion.
It started the day after we left!
It explained all the creepy doll figurines in traditional costumes celebrated in the shops and local artwork.
I picked up some treasures and trinkets for Hen's Tooth - coming to a market stall soon: cork pouches, cotton throws and a tiny ceramic chicken that I'm be keeping for myself to add to the collection in the allotment shed.
We had a late lunch/early dinner of friend chicken, veg and rive and that first beer of the day (always the best one).
Graham was struggling with bad back and sciatic from the uncomfortable bed in the Porto apartment. I wasn't much better. One of the draw backs of slow travel and multiple locations, an uncomfortable bed can be very humbling.
Thank goodness for the generous bed at the hotel.
Wine Bar Magic
Refreshed, we wandered out and found the loveliest little wine bar with a hidden garden. No menu, the host asks what you like and brings options to try.
My chosen Rosé was mineral‑heavy, fruity, and €4 a glass, which seems to be the going rate for generous pours of local wine here.
We ordered the meat‑and‑cheese board. Graham ate most of the ham and chorizo; I inhaled my body weight in Portuguese cheeses with fig preserve and crusty bread.
If you were looking for beautifully written Condé Nast Traveller narratives in my travelogues, you may want to click away. But if you are here for keeping things real, keep reading...
I discovered later in the hotel bathroom that it is possible to eat too much cheese.
I'll only briefly mention that it was my 7am thunderous fart the next morning, vibrating the whole bed, that woke Graham up.
Probably another symptom of all that delicious Portuguese cheese.
The Cake Logic
Breakfast the next morning was included. Graham is proud of his genius-level Booking.com status that gets us free breakfasts.
I had yogurt and granola with a slice of Madeira cake and he judged me for having cake for breakfast; while eating Pain Aux Chocolate and Croissant.
I argue that pastries count as cake, therefore he had two cakes, while I had one. I stand victorious!
30 years together, cake shaming is the kind of high brow conversation we indulge in these days.
A 4x4 to the Edge of The World
The second day in Viana (we're friends with this place now, and the locals just call it Viana), Graham had booked an off‑road safari.
Our guide, João, picked us up in a Hilux for a private four‑hour tour through forests, plateaus, and mountain tracks now accessible thanks to wind turbines on the peaks.
We also, accidently, gatecrashed a wedding at the Basílica de Santa Luzia.
He talked passionately about local flora, fauna, food, and traditions as we bounced over dirt tracks and climbed steep escarpments. We stopped at viewpoints, filled our flasks at a natural spring, and heard stories of wolves, boar, deer, foxes, and eagles he’s photographed while camping in the hills.
Eventually, João took us to the Minho river marking the border with Spain.
We stopped at a beach bar by an old fort where the river meets the Atlantic. The sea haar had rolled in and it felt like we had reached the edge of the world.
The final stretch was along the coast road. The sea mist lifted just as sunset approached. We walked a boardwalk through the dunes while João drove to meet us at the other end.
The Atlantic was glass‑still, sky melting into sea.
We returned to the hotel at 8pm, exhausted but exhilarated. A pit stop in a bar for a steak sandwich, and a cheeky beer, then to bed for a long and glorious sleep.
The Slow Travel Food Fatigue
By now, the days of fried food and cheesy everything were catching up with us. When you’re travelling long‑term and relying on restaurants, it’s surprisingly hard to eat simply and healthily.
Both of us felt pretty run down and I had my first cold in ages, straight to my sinuses. So a lazy day is in order.
A stroll along the waterfront, a visit to the Hospital Ship Museum and the Forte de Santiago da Barra.
A stop for a naturel laranja - freshly squeezed orange juice - while we watch the preparations for the festivals unfolding.
Back to the Wine Bar (Obviously)
That evening we returned to our favourite wine bar. João had recommended Vinhão, a chilled, smooth, dry red. We ordered a bottle and settled into our armchairs while I fantasised about buying the building next door and turning it into:
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a ceramics workshop on the ground floor
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a terrace garden with plunge pool
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a veg bed under the trees
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our living space on the middle floor
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a rentable attic apartment
A girl can dream.
Little Finds & Future Plans
We picked up more treasures: throws, cork goods, ceramics.
There was the weirdest antiques market along the waterfront, full of strange finds like pig head shaped cooking pots and a whole stall dedicated to accordions.
Nothing here for Hen's Tooth, but fascinating all the same.
I’m already imagining a Portugal Edit display for upcoming Hen’s Tooth market stalls.
The final day in Viana, and we caught the train back to Porto. Now familiar, almost homely. A couple more days there, then onward to Coimbra.
Viana do Castelo: A Quiet Favourite
Viana do Castelo isn’t packed with attractions, but that’s its charm. It’s relaxing, friendly, local, and full of small delights, like artisan shops, cosy restaurants, and that magical wine bar we’ll talk about for years.