Paiva Walkways Tour

Nature in a pure state.

This fantastic walking experience near Paiva River, with a dream landscape, and on the way to a riverside beach, it is to be done with calmness and tranquillity.

The Paiva Walkways were the winner of the World Travel Awards in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

This is a tour of the past in a region with over a thousand years of history, where we can see the biodiversity of this unique place with endangered species in Europe.

Our tour starts in Porto, with the first stop in Arouca which, in the last few years has won visibility thanks to the famous walkways and deserves a visit to discover its charms and its gastronomy. We will stop at the S. Pedro Monastery which dates from the 10th century and have a coffee with the region’s typical sweet pastries, “Castanhas Doces”, “Roscas” or “Barrigas de Freiras”.

Our tour will go on till the Paiva Walkways, one of the most beautiful riversides walks in Europe. The trail goes for eight kilometers, on wooden walkways that follow the rocky slopes of the river’s left bank which will amaze us with its crystal clear waters. The hike is easy and the stairs that go up and down the valley are the ex-libris of the tour. Our tour will start with a cross of the magnificent pedestrian suspension bridge. Crossing this bridge, you will have an impressive view of Garganta do Paiva and Cascata das Aguieiras, both geosites of the territory of the Arouca de la UNESCO Geopark.

Our hike will end at Espiunca river beach from where we will go to Alvarenga for a delicious typical meal which will make us recover all our energies.

The return to Porto will be made in a calm and relaxed way, with a visit to Aveiro, to get to know this city that is called Portuguese Venice. We will walk around the town center of this beautiful city with its elegant Art Nouveau buildings, and see the channels of this seaside town, with its picturesque and colorful Moliceiro boats that, in the past, were used to transport sargasso. At the end of the afternoon, one can enjoy the sunset, enjoying a typical gastronomic delicacy: the Ovos Moles.

A perfect day for those who want to enjoy nature, culture, and gastronomy, without any haste and in the rhythm of nature.