Villas in North/Oporto

Porto suits city breaks, the Minho coast at Caminha and Viana do Castelo suits beach walks, the Douro suits wine, but the sea is cold. Ponte de Lima and Arcos de Valdevez put you among green hills near Portugal's only national park. Rain falls in every season here, and most villas outside Porto need a car.

Where

Villas: 241
From, per week: £285
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Porto airport serves the whole region, with direct flights from London of around two hours 20 minutes. Allow about an hour to Ponte de Lima or Caminha, around an hour and a half to the Douro valley and two and a half hours to Bragança.

Where to stay in North/Oporto

Porto, Gaia and Gondomar

Most of our villas in the north are in and around Porto. The Ribeira riverfront and old centre are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the port lodges sit across the Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia. Foz do Douro, where the river meets the sea, has a promenade and rocky beaches. Gondomar's riverside villages of Melres and Lomba lie upstream, about half an hour east. The airport is 20 to 30 minutes from the centre by metro or car.

Best for: City breaks with port lodges, restaurants and river trips

Not for you if: You want a pool-and-beach week: Porto's beaches are cool, breezy and often foggy in the morning.

Viana do Castelo, Afife and Caminha (Minho coast)

Viana do Castelo is a handsome port town below Santa Luzia, a hilltop basilica reached by funicular, and holds a large festival, the Romaria d'Agonia, each August. Cabedelo beach across the river is popular for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Afife has a long, open surf beach, and Caminha sits on the Minho estuary looking across to Spain, with pine woods behind Moledo beach. Porto airport is around 45 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Surfers, walkers and families happy with cool water

Not for you if: You want to swim in calm, warm sea: the water is cold and waves are big on many days.

Esposende, Fão and Póvoa de Varzim

Esposende and Fão face each other across the Cávado estuary, with dunes and pine woods at Ofir and long, quiet beaches. Póvoa de Varzim is a larger town with a seafront promenade, a casino and a busy fishing harbour. The A28 motorway runs up this coast, and Porto airport is about 20 to 40 minutes away, making this the easiest beach base in the north.

Best for: Families who want beaches within easy reach of Porto

Not for you if: You dislike wind: the afternoon nortada blows hard along this coast in summer.

Ponte de Lima, Arcos de Valdevez and Amares (Lima valley and Gerês)

Ponte de Lima, often called Portugal's oldest town, has a long medieval bridge and a riverside market. Calheiros is a hill parish just above it. Arcos de Valdevez, further up the Lima, is the gateway to the Peneda-Gerês national park, with granite villages, wild ponies and marked trails. Amares sits on the southern edge of Gerês, near the Cávado reservoirs. This is vinho verde country. Porto airport is around an hour to an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walkers and rural stays among vineyards and stone villages

Not for you if: You want the sea on your doorstep: the coast is 30 minutes to an hour away.

The Douro valley and Trás-os-Montes (Lamego, Marco de Canaveses, Penafiel, Vila Marim, Bragança)

Marco de Canaveses and Penafiel are in green country about 45 minutes east of Porto. Further up, the Douro valley is cut into terraced port vineyards, with tastings at quintas around Régua and Pinhão and a riverside railway. Lamego has a long baroque stairway up to its hilltop sanctuary, and Vila Marim lies in the hills near Vila Real. Bragança, around two and a half hours from Porto, has a walled citadel and the Montesinho natural park.

Best for: Wine lovers who want terraced vineyards and quinta visits

Not for you if: You dislike heat: the upper valley often gets very hot in July and August.

When to go to North/Oporto

June to September is the warmest and driest stretch, though the coast can be grey in the mornings and the sea stays cold all summer. Porto is busy in June around the São João festival and through August. September is harvest time in the Douro and the vinho verde vineyards, and a good month for walking. From November to March it rains a great deal, especially in the Minho, but Porto is quieter and cheaper. Inland Trás-os-Montes is cold in winter.