About Caminha
Caminha: Gateway to the Minho valley
Caminha is the first in a chain of historic fortified towns running west to east along the Portuguese bank of the river Minho, which forms the border with Spain. Once a major port, it's now a quiet spot with plenty to see and a good base for exploring the Minho hinterland.
There's a small car ferry across to La Guardia in Spain or you can drive about 10km east to Vila Nova de Cerveira and cross the road bridge. Or you can take the train (which runs up from Porto and Viana do Castelo, most of the latter part of the journey close to the sea) along the river and go up to Valenca, about 30km from Caminha. This has a magnificent old walled town complete with fortress. About half an hour's walk further up there's an iron bridge designed by Eiffel, across which is Tuy, an old Spanish town with rail links to Vigo and Santiago de Compostela, the historic destination for pilgrims.
