Viana do Castelo
District Municipalities
Higher Minho

District of Portugal

Guide to Portugal

Good table and good wines

High Minho

The County (State) of Viana do Castelo, in central Portugal whose head office is located 387 km to the north of the city of Lisbon is one of the 18 counties (distritos) of Portugal.


Viana do Castelo (Alto Minho), Portugal - Viana do Castelo, bathed by the Rio Lima, is the capital city of the district (231,488 inhab., INE, 2021) and from municipality (85,784 inhab., INE, 2021) of Viana do Castelo, located in Alto Minho, in the traditional region of Minho, North of Portugal.
The Minho River, Portugal's northern border, separates Portugal from Spain between just before Melgaço and Caminha, at its mouth.

Viana do Castelo is 64 km from Braga (in a straight line, 38 km), 74 km from the city of Porto and 385 km from Lisbon (about 4 hours by road). Find out more: how to get to Viana do Castelo.

Municipalities of the District of Viana do Castelo

There are ten municipalities that make up the District of Viana do Castelo:

Arcos de Valdevez

Caminha

Melgaço

Monção

Paredes de Coura

Ponte da Barca

Ponte de Lima

Valença

Viana do Castelo

Vila Nova de Cerveira

Viana do Castelo is also a parish (administrative region) of this city, with a population of 25,000 inhabitants. The parish is on the right bank of the River Lima.


Name Origin
It is said that the origin of the name of the city comes from a legend. A fisherman who transported goods along the Lima River always saw a beautiful girl named Ana. when you asked if he had seen the beautiful girl, he always replied: I saw Ana today. From repeating I saw Ana so much when I was passing by the beauty's house, the place became known as Viana... The fact is that the official name given to the city by King Afonso III, in 1258, was Viana. Before the current name, dating from 1848, it was once known as Viana de Riba do Minho, Viana do Lima, Viana de Caminha and Viana da Foz do Lima (Wikipedia).

River, Sea and Mountain

The happy meeting of the river, the sea and the hills make Viana do Castelo a place of rare beauty and beautiful colors during good weather. part of the year. Not to mention the summer... In short, one of the main tourist destinations in the Minho and the North from Portugal. More: Travel through Viana do Castelo, Alto Minho

What to see in Viana do Castelo?

City of Passions, there is a lot to see and visit in Viana do Castelo. First of all, enjoy the beautiful landscapes that can be seen from the hill of Santa Luzia. Other must-see visits include: the Historic Center (includes the Cathedral), the statue of Viana, the Eiffel monument bridge, the Gil Eanes museum, the tiles, the festivities of Nossa Senhora d'Agonia, the beautiful beaches, see (and taste) its delicious gastronomy (among the specialties , the famous Bacalhau à Gil Eannes) and much more!

What to do in Viana do Castelo?

There are many (and varied) activities to do in Viana do Castelo, the City of Passions. During the day or at night, city tours, pedestrians (or cyclists), cultural, historical or religious itineraries and many other possibilities. Your time will certainly be too short to experience Viana do Castelo! See more at What to do in Viana do Castelo.


More about Viana do Castelo

Parishes of the City of Viana do Castelo

Municipality of Viana do Castelo

County (Distrito) of Viana do Castelo