If you want to head out hiking Portugal’s northern parks, you’ll need to find a place to stay at the end of the day. Here’s our take on where to stay – and why – near Peneda-Gerês National Park and Serra da Estrela, Alvão, Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, and Sintra-Cascais Natural Parks.
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Planning your accommodation while hiking Portugal’s northern parks
First time visitor to Portugal?
Us, too!
At the start of planning our trip, we were thinking of booking a campervan for hiking adventures in Portugal’s northern parks. Gas prices, ease of travel on narrow roads, and cost are factors to consider if you are planning the same. We ended up opting for a car and packed our tent.
But guess what?
We never camped once!
Instead, we ended up finding adventure bases in the following larger villages and towns around the parks: Mantegais in Serra da Estrela Natural Park; Vila Real for Alvão Natural Park; the village of Soajo in Peneda-Gerês National Park; Porto de Mós in Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park; and near the village of Colares in Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.
Check out each location below for unbiased reviews of our accommodations for hiking in Northern Portugal.
If you love hiking in Europe, you might also enjoy our posts on Exploring Northern Spain: Hiking Urkiola, Exploring Northern Spain: Fuente De, Exploring Northern Spain: Cares Gorge,
and Picos de Europa: Spain’s First National Park.
Hiking adventure base: Mantegais
There were two convenient base camp locations in Serra da Estrela Natural Park: Mantegais and Colvehã. We chose Mantegais because it appeared on the map to be in the heart of the park and there was a campground nearby. I’d also read that it “feels more like a mountain town than any of the other main gateways.”
It was a last-minute decision, however, to stay at Quinta de Leandres rather than camping in Serra da Estrela. Weather was “iffy” and we were feeling lazy!
This small, rural property is close to Manteigas and hiking. Breakfast is included. There is a pool if the weather’s hot. The host is friendly and helpful. No cooking facilities, but there is a communal fridge available. It is a bit basic but met all our needs.
Still looking for a great adventure base? Check out Vila Real
Vila Real is a university town, vibrant and burgeoning. It was the only choice for our planned adventures in Parque Nacional do Alvão. Especially when we found an oasis in the city at Casa Agricola da Lavada Eco Village.
The property – once a private estate – is a green enclave in the city. The staff are friendly and helpful. Our studio room with a tiny kitchenette and large private patio also included an old “still” at the foot of the king-sized bed. It was perfect. The infinity pool overlooking the woods was idyllic on the first sunny afternoon of our arrival. Front to back, inside and out, this was one of our favourite stays!
There is a walking path along the Corgo River that leads towards town (accessed from opposite side of main bridge crossing below the property). We walked it for almost 2 km (1.2 mi) one evening – great stroll that criss-crosses the river several times on pedestrian bridges.
Can’t recommend this location enough!
Don’t miss adventures around Vila Nova de Foz Coa (1 hour drive east of Vila Real)
and Coa Archaelogical Park.
Best accommodation: Soajo
Once we picked which area we were going to explore in Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês, we planned on camping at Lamas de Mouro. What we didn’t know until we were on way there was the fact that campground hadn’t opened yet for the season.
It was another last-minute decision to stay at Casa das Lapas in Soajo. We booked the morning of our arrival, and they didn’t know we were coming. Luckily, the owner was more than accommodating and drove with us to the property high in the hills above Soajo so that she could clean off the large, backyard patio and furniture. Be sure to book Casa das Lapas ahead of time to avoid any confusion on arrival.
That being said, there is nothing we didn’t love about this stone farmhouse. The property is set high in the hills, surrounded by farms with tinkling cow bells and herds of goats. Lemons and oranges hung heavy on trees – and we were told to help ourselves.
A massive mulberry tree shaded the equally massive wooden plank table, lounge chairs and conversation seating area. Inside, leather reclining couches, a large, well-equipped kitchen, modern bathroom, and main floor bedroom with views out onto the garden had us wishing we had more time to relax – but there is so much to do and so little time!
Adventure base: Porto de Mós
I hesitate to recommend our stay because it was a little rundown. However, the location is perfect for exploring Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, it’s cheap, and the historic mill property does have photogenic character.
We also got to know some other guests staying next door and saw their room with kitchenette. It didn’t have the same musty aroma as our room, so I’m going to go ahead and add Quinta de Rio Alcaide as an option for staying in the area – but think twice before you pick the little studio with garden view room. It’s rustic and cute looking but do a sniff test first if you can.
Monuments and beach hikes stay: Colares
We knew we wanted to be close to the monuments of Sintra but also not too far from coastal hiking. One of several World of Travel hotels in Portugal, the WOT Sintra Sarrazola was good place away from the hustle of Sintra and midway to the Atlantic.
It is a hotel, but our room overlooked the back garden area and had a good-sized patio with table and chairs. A filling Portuguese breakfast – think bread, cheese, meat, cucumber and tomato slices and yogurt and cereals – is included. Large common spaces are inviting. Parking is limited, but we always managed to find a place for our rental car.
All around, good place to base for your Sintra adventures.
More accommodation tips for your hiking adventures in Portugal’s parks
We used a combination of our Lonely Planet guidebook and Booking.com for finding accommodations while hiking Portugal’s northern parks (north of Lisbon). Plan your stays well ahead of time. Accommodations are limited around many of the parks. Booking ahead will give you peace of mind.
Our choices were made based first and foremost on location, secondly on price, and finally on the need for free parking for our rental car. The option to cook our own meals – or at least have a fridge to keep lunch items cold – was also considered.
Weather was as much a factor as lack of information on where to camp in our adventure base choices, but it was also nice to have a space with a fridge (and often complete kitchen or kitchenette) at the end of the day. The option to make our own meals was a boon – especially as restaurants are few and far between outside of larger centers.
Camping Options to Investigate
If you prefer to camp for your adventures while hiking in Portugal, you might want to check out the following:
Camping de Lamas de Mouro (for adventures in northwestern and western Peneda-Gerês)
Vila Real Camping (to wander Parque Nacional do Alvão)
Parque de Campismo Curral do Negro (while exploring Serra da Estrela)
Parque de Campismo Orbitur Guincho (for monumental adventures in Sintra-Cascais)
For more camping options across Portugal, try Orbitur, Great Little Campsites, Camping in Portugal, Pitchup, or Campanyon.
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