Minho was a province of Portugal for forty years from 1936 until 1976. However, the name and identity of Minho has remained after it dissolved as a province for tourism purposes. Today, the region has been split into two districts - Viana do Castelo and Braga. Viana do Castelo borders the Spanish region of Galica. Braga does too but only a short stretch. Both districts share much of their foreign neighbour's culture and characteristic traits; mainly Celtic in nature. Perhaps owing to its history where Galicia was much larger a thousand years ago, with much of what is now northern Portugal being a part of old Galicia. The River Minho serves as the border to much of Viana do Castelo and is of importance to both the Spanish and Portuguese sides due to the natural resources it provides; it is also noted that it is one of the cleanest rivers in Europe. There is no border control between the two countries allowing for free travel across the river. The languages of Portuguese and Galician are quite similar, Galician being more influenced by Portugal than it is by Spain so there are no language barriers on either side of the river.
The region has been seeing a large increase in tourism from Spain who has been developing property on the Portuguese side of the River Minho. Many restaurants close by are now becoming Spanish orientated. The region of Minho is quite dependent on this tourism from Spain and would do quite poorly without it. The main city of Viana do Castelo's primary industry is fishing and recently tourism. Both make it the city it is today and fish is a common delicacy in many of its restaurants. The city's history also plays a large part of its identity and there are several historical monuments, buildings around the city for visitors to discover plus some interesting museums. Viana do Castelo also has some quite lovely beaches in its region that are also have popular holiday resorts.
The city of Braga in the district of the same name is the oldest city in all of Portugal. It was the capital of the Minho region. It remains as one of the most attractive cities in the country with several historical buildings in its old centre. A modern city that is popular with tourists, it can be described as being quite lively with distinct commercial sectors, which offers a wide variety of shops and quality restaurants. A few km away from the city is the Bom Jesus do Monte. It is a beautiful location and should be on the itinerary of all visitors to the area. There is a 200-year-old stairway up to the top of the hill where the church and gardens are. Walking up these stairs is the real attraction - this was originally done by pilgrims to the church. It can be quite challenging for some at 116 metres tall.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in Minho? Then below is a selection of holiday villas in Minho and holiday apartments in Minho that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
