This March, I took a trip with my dog to the fabulous Douro valley in Portugal.
We had visited this region before and loved our visits to Pinhao and our stay in Quinta do Silval but this time we stayed in the beautiful Quinta da Estrada winery near Peso da Régua and visited the fabulous viewpoint of São Leonardo de Galafura as well.
On our way back we also took a quick trip to Miranda do Douro, which is located close to the border between Portugal and Spain. While we were there, we also visited the Castrilhouço viewpoint to get a different perspective on the Douro valley.
In this article, I will tell you all about our trip to Miranda do Douro and the Castrilhouço viewpoint.
THE ROUTE
To visit the town of Miranda do Douro, we parked near the castle on this parking lot.
From there, you can easily visit the ruins of Miranda do Douro’s castle (aka the Castelo de Miranda do Douro). It was built in the 8th century and is freely accessible to the public, including dogs. You can also explore the upper part of the town which we found to be quite cute. Throughout the town, you will also find remnants of the old castle walls.
After visiting the area near the castle, we drove to the Castrilhouço viewpoint. Please note: If you like your car and are able to walk around 2 kilometres there and back, I would highly suggest to leave your car here and walk to the viewpoint.
From the marked spot, it is about a 30 minute walk to reach the viewpoint, and the road leading there is… well… adventurous. My car did it, but we had to drive very slowly and carefully on the dirt road. In wet conditions, I would probably not recommend driving there.
If you do decide to go on foot, the route is well marked with. Once you get close to the viewpoint, you will see it signposted from the road as well. There is also a parking lot nearby, but again: Judge carefully if you want to put your car through the drive.
The viewpoint itself is nice and gives a different perspective on the Douro river. What I found quite fascinating is that you are standing in Portugal, but on the other side you can see Spain. The river serves as the border line between the two countries in this spot.
When we visited, unfortunately the water looked quite dirty. I imagine that this was because it had rained quite heavily a few days before. I’ve seen other pictures where the river looks a lot cleaner.
HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR
We spent around 30 minutes here taking in the views from all angles. At the top, there are also some picnic tables, so you can also pack a lunch and stay there a bit longer.
Even though you can (cautiously) drive right to the viewpoint, there is still a short but somewhat rocky path to take to enjoy the views. It is not wheelchair accessible but most people should be able to cover it without too much trouble.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Miranda do Douro is a nice place to visit. I particularly enjoyed being to stand in Portugal and look over to Spain on the other side. While the viewpoint is pretty, you can get similar views from the Miranda do Douro town as well without having to put your car through the troublesome drive.
A trip with my dog 