Caminha lies at the northern tip of the Portuguese coast, where the Minho river, which marks the border with Spain, flows into the Atlantic. Opposite, on the far bank, rises Mount Santa Tecla in Galicia, with the remains of a large Iron Age hillfort. For centuries it was a frontier stronghold and a port of fishermen and merchants; today it is a quiet, elegant resort.
The town
The heart of Caminha is Praça Conselheiro Silva Torres, with a Renaissance fountain, the town hall and the clock tower, the only gate left of the medieval walls. The granite mother church, built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, is one of the finest in the north, with a Renaissance portal and a magnificent Mudéjar-style chestnut wood ceiling. On the façade, a curious carved figure shows its backside towards Spain as a gesture of defiance.
Moledo and the Ínsua
A few kilometres away, Moledo beach is one of the most beautiful in northern Portugal, long and sandy, backed by pine woods and loved by Porto families. Off the mouth of the Minho lies the islet of Ínsua, with a seventeenth-century fort built around an old Franciscan convent. The estuary waters are excellent for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
Vila Nova de Cerveira
A dozen kilometres up the Minho is Vila Nova de Cerveira, a walled village with a castle turned into a pousada, linked to Galicia by a bridge. It is known as the "town of art" thanks to the Cerveira Biennial, Portugal's oldest art biennial, founded in 1978: contemporary sculptures are scattered around town. From Crasto hill a viewpoint gives a fine view of the river. The Portuguese Coastal Way to Santiago passes through Caminha.
Getting there
Caminha is linked to Viana do Castelo and Porto by the Minho line train and the A28 motorway. Further upriver are Valença and Monção.