Costa Verde Attractions

The Costa Verde, the "green coast" and the stretch of the northern Portuguese Atlantic coast between the mouths of the Douro and the Minho, has long been a favorite holiday area for the Portuguese, together with the adjoining Costa de Prata to the south. Its long beaches of fine sand are fringed by dunes or sheltered by cliffs. With its relatively cold water and its frequent high winds off the sea this is not the place for simply swimming and sunbathing but it is a good base for enjoyable trips inland to such destinations as Braga, Guimaraes and Peneda-Gerês National Park.

Oporto, Portugal

Highlights:	Ribeira Cathedral Soares dos Reis National Museum Ponte de Dom Luis I Praça da Liberdade Clérigos Tower	Port Lodges Santo Tirso, Portugal Surroundings Museums Festivals

Viana do Castelo, Portugal

Highlights:	Praça da República Valenca do Minho, Portugal	Caminha, Portugal

Vila do Conde, Portugal

Highlights:	Mosteiro de Santa Clara	Igreja Matriz

Esposende, Portugal

The seaside resort of Esposende lies where the Cávado meets the Atlantic, about 14km/9mi west of Barcelos. Its beach of fine sand has in recent years helped to put this rather unassuming little place on the tourist map, but despite a number of new hotels and a bungalow complex on its edge the town still tends to attract visitors who favor peace and quiet rather than wanting all kinds of leisure activities.