Perre: Hiking Trails, Views and Culture

Perre combines marked hiking trails, sweeping views and impressive evidence of the region’s history. The civil parish lies on the right bank of the Lima River, providing a clear geographical setting for a trip in which nature experiences and culture have equal space. Those looking for a holiday apartment in Perre can base their choice on their planned daily activities: the main attractions are hikes, viewpoints and historical discoveries.

Marked trails offering a variety of impressions

PR15 “Passear Perre 1” and PR16 “Passear Perre 2” provide two marked hiking trails in the Short Route category. Both trails follow international standards for the marking and signposting of hiking trails. PR16 is also integrated into the municipal network of hiking trails in Viana do Castelo.

One of the special viewpoints is Monte do Calvário. From there, the hiking trails in Perre offer a view across the entire Lima Valley. The Miradouro da Bela Vista, in turn, opens up a view of the city of Viana do Castelo. These two perspectives give a day of hiking different focal points: the vastness of the river valley in one case, and the view of the city in the other. Travellers with varied interests can combine these landscape impressions with cultural stops without limiting the trip to a single activity.

Ponte do Arco, watermills and historic attire

Ponte do Arco is a bridge of medieval origin and a highlighted point along the hiking trails in Perre. Watermills are also among the most important sights along these trails. This means the landscape can be experienced not only as a scenic backdrop, but also through structures and former forms of use. Another cultural detail is the Traje de Domingar de Perre, a Sunday outfit from the late 19th century. It draws attention to the locality’s clothing tradition and complements the impressions created by the surrounding landscape along the way.

Castro do Vieito and the circular route to Ponte do Arco

Castro do Vieito is a traditional fortified settlement located on a small hill in the Serra de Perre. Its defensive system consists of two walls, reinforced by a ditch in the north and supplemented by a tower. At the Centro de Interpretação do Castro do Vieito, two exhibition rooms are dedicated to the settlement and its history, its inhabitants, domestic life, stoneworking, castrejo pottery and metalworking. The Centro was opened in the former Escola das Portelas to preserve, enhance and develop the archaeological site as a museum.

“Pelas Veigas de Perre e Ponte do Arco” is a circular route that begins near the Capela de S. Francisco Xavier in the civil parish of Perre. A highlighted point of this circular route is the waterfall of the Moinho de Vidro stream. The circular route thus connects the waterfall with Ponte do Arco and the watermills. Those wishing to combine nature and cultural interests can consider it a possible focus of their trip planning.

Perre as a starting point for planning your trip

Perre is suitable for travellers who want to combine hiking trails with specific cultural destinations. When looking for accommodation, you can therefore consider which experiences should be at the heart of your stay: the view from Monte do Calvário, the view of Viana do Castelo, the circular route to Ponte do Arco or the history of Castro do Vieito. This creates a travel plan based on the actual focal points of the locality.

The following places are also available for further trip planning: Ancede, Azurara, Vila Do Conde, Paço De Sousa, Porto, Sendim, São Lourenço and Perafita.

To the higher-level travel overview: Porto.