While Portugal’s famous Fisherman’s Trail draws many thousands of hikers around the world to its coast each year, the country has a many great number of walking experiences that remain refreshingly uncrowded.
1. Douro Valley Riverside Walking
You can trade coastal views for terraced vineyards on this 8-day journey through Portugal’s premier wine region. The 29-mile trail, organised by the highly rated Orbis Ways, cuts through UNESCO World Heritage landscapes where traditional winemaking has been operating for over 2,000 years. Starting from Porto, you’ll get to see villages like Provesende and Sabrosa (birthplace of explorer Ferdinand Magellan) and touch the grapes as you head through world-famous vineyards. The route includes wine tastings at award-winning quintas, along with a memorable river cruise.
2. Sintra to Cascais Forest and Coast
This 7-day, 33-mile adventure is a gentle walk that indulges some of Portugal’s best cultural and natural heritage, taking you from the palaces of Sintra to the coastal town of Cascais. The Sintra-Cascais route begins in yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site to see some Moorish castles, the fantastical Pena Palace, as well as the tunnels of Quinta Regaleira. The trail then takes you through forests and until you reach Europe’s westernmost point, before concluding in elegant Cascais.
3. Madeira’s Levada
We often forget that Europe has subtropical island paradises, and this is where Madeira’s unique levada system creates some of Europe’s most novel and interesting walking experiences. These historic irrigation channels provide gentle and well-maintained paths through forests and past many waterfalls.
With four different 8-day itineraries, Madeira has the pick of the bunch when it comes to catering abilities. It’s also a great temperature all year round, as well as volcanic peaks and powerful cliffs.
4. Peneda-Gerês National Park
Portugal’s only national park is where you can experience the wild mountain landscapes that couldn’t be more different from coastal trails. This is a great one to bring the hiking poles and camera on, with one path in Peneda-Gerês National Park being the famous GR 50. This is a whopping 200km hike that has been tread on for thousands of years. This remote region is a more serious effort and features granite peaks and glacial valleys.
The Peneda-Gerês National Park is over 69,000 hectares. The park’s dense hydrographic network means that you’ll see lots of life and varying challenges. Yet, it’s not just rural, as there are ancient stone villages to stop by in.
5. Via Algarviana Inland
While the Fisherman’s Trail hugs Portugal’s western coast, the Via Algarviana takes you through the Algarve’s lesser-known spaces just off the coast. This is a pretty long-distance trail that crosses the region from east to west through cork oak forests and whitewashed villages. It’s a good option of quiet rolling hills that are away (but not too far) from the crowded beaches.
Each of these alternatives offers something a little different to the Fisherman’s Trail. Of course, the major trails are also great, and popular for a reason, but many want to avoid the large crowds, and so these more inland alternatives offer that.