The best hikes from bus stations around National Park Douro Internacional

Mirador do Penedo Amarelo. It is located on Rua do Penedo Amarelo, in the urban area of Miranda do Douro. It offers wide panoramic views of the Douro River surrounded by green hills, the dam, the historic center and the co-cathedral of Miranda do Douro. It is one of the most outstanding urban viewpoints in the area.

From the Vale de Águia hill fort, there is a natural viewpoint with spectacular views of one of the meanders of the Douro. At the São João das Arribas hermitage, you can also enjoy stunning panoramic views of the canyon and waterfalls on the Spanish slope. The landscape includes cliffs, meadows, oak groves, and pastures, with abundant flora and fauna.

The GR-36 trail in the Miranda do Douro area is one of the most spectacular routes in northern Portugal, especially for its views of the Douro Canyon, which forms the natural border with Spain.

The Miradouro da Cerca, located in the village of Urrós (municipality of Mogadouro, near Miranda do Douro), is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the Douro International Natural Park and is part of a route that many consider worthy of the title of “Europe’s Grand Canyon.” It offers stunning views of the deep and rugged valley of the Douro River, which marks the natural border between Portugal and Spain.

The first bishops of Miranda had to live in the Castle. It was only in 1601 that construction began on the Episcopal Palace and the Seminary. When it was completed, more than a century later, its opulence was no less than that of the Cathedral, whose Renaissance style it imitated. The Palace was built around a central courtyard, surrounded by a cloister with lowered arcades, on monolithic columns. And, although badly damaged by successive fires during the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the definitive transfer of the seat of the Diocese to Bragança, in 1780, that caused it to fall into rapid ruin. The shadow of its monumentality can still be seen today in the cloister and on the portico of the Seminary. However, despite its state of ruin, its symbolic power remains because the bishops always continued to engrave their names on the respective memorial, at the entrance to the Renaissance portico of the first Episcopal Palace of the Diocese.

The castle of Miranda do Douro was built during a second period of settlement and ordering in Trás-os-Montes, which occurred during the reign of King Dinis. The first kings had provided this vast region with administrative units protected by Romanesque castles, called Terras, whose mission was to establish royal authority in an area of the kingdom that was notoriously peripheral. Over time, this power structure proved to be inadequate and King Afonso III initiated a different policy, the most visible of which was the founding of new urban towns. In the territory of Miranda do Douro, the new town was founded by King Dinis in 1286, thus culminating in the transfer of power from the old castle of Algoso, which had been the capital of the land until that date.

At the northern end of the Douro Internacional Natural Park, nature reveals itself in all its splendor. Approaching the course of the Fresno River, the trail takes you through breathtaking scenery, where the beauty of the landscape blends with echoes of the past and vibrant biodiversity.

Near the village of Urrós, the Cerca Viewpoint awaits you with a breathtaking view. From the top of an imposing rock, you are treated to a dramatic view of the Douro River Gorge, where the steep cliffs form the natural border between the Mirandese Plateau and the Spanish mainland. A magnificent view, impossible to forget!