Bom dia! Welcome to Caminha, a delightful Portuguese town. It was founded in 1284, and thanks to its strategic location, it played an important military role in defending Portugal’s northern borders for hundreds of years. Nowadays, it’s starting to become a popular spot for today’s invaders – travelers and digital nomads. Vamos, let’s discover things to do in Caminha, Portugal in one day.
Travel tip. You can easily combine a trip to Caminha with a visit to Vila Nova de Cerveira (12km away) and/or Valenca do Minho (20km away).
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Caminha, Portugal FAQ
Caminha is located in northern Portugal in the Alto Minho region in the Viana do Castelo district, only 25km from Viana do Castelo – the region’s capital city. It sits at the mouth of River Minho, on its left bank which separates Portugal from Spain. Caminha is also part of Camino Portugues, one of the spiritual routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Yes, Caminha is a small yet charming northern Portuguese town worth visiting, even if only for a short while. It boasts a lovely old town perfect for lazy strolls, and peaceful surroundings full of natural beauty and countless striking views. Beaches, mountains, rivers, ocean, forests… You’ll find it all in Caminha!
Things to do in Caminha, Portugal
Caminha Old Town
Exploring the charming old town should be high on your list of things to do in Caminha. There, you’ll find points of interest like the Main Square with a beautiful Renaissance fountain, the impressive Clock Tower, Misericordia Church, Caminha Parish Church, and some remains of town fortifications. The most notable streets around the main square include Rua de São João, Av. São João de Deus, Rua Direita, or Tv. do Tribunal. Let’s go and take a closer look.
Caminha Tourist Office is located on Rua São João, just a few steps from the main square.
Caminha Main Square
The main square is undoubtedly the most beautiful part of the town, and exploring it is one of the best things to do in Caminha. This is where two of the most popular town landmarks are located – the Renaissance fountain – Chafariz do Terreiro, and Clock Tower – Torre do Relogio. There, you’ll also find several old Gothic houses, as well as some restaurants and cafes where you can sit on one of the terraces and enjoy watching the world go by.
Clock Tower
Clock Tower (pt. Torre do Relogio) is an impressive 13th-century medieval tower located on the Caminha Main Square. It once served as one of three gates to the town and as a part of the defensive walls. In the beginning, the tower was known as Porta de Viana, as the road to Viana do Castelo went through it. It changed its name to Torre do Relogio in the 17th century when the clock was installed at the top. Clock Tower was classified as a National Monument in 1951.
You can climb to the top of the Clock Tower for €1 to admire great views of the town center and its surroundings – it will definitely be one of the most unique and memorable things to do in Caminha. To check out opening hours visit Google Maps.
Chafariz do Terreiro
Chafariz do Terreiro is a beautiful fountain dating back to 1553. It’s located on the Caminha Main Square, just a few steps from the Clock Tower. But the fountain wasn’t always here! First, it was located 4km further, in Moledo, and was moved to Caminha in 1835.
It’s one of three identical fountains designed by João Lopes. The other two are located in Viana do Castelo and Pontevedra in Spain. Chafariz do Terreiro was classified as a National Monument in 1910.
Caminha Fortifications
Thanks to its strategic location and military importance, Caminha was first fortified in the middle of the 13th century by the order of King Afonso III. But over the years, those were mostly torn down or built over. In the 17th century, after Portugal regained its independence, new fortifications were built, following modern ballistic advances. Together with the fortifications of Viana do Castelo, Monção, and Valenca do Minho, Caminha was part of the defense line against the North.
Up to today in some places around the Caminha you’ll notice remains of the old fortifications. There are for example already mentioned Clock Tower, remains of the ramparts in front of the Main Church (which you can climb and admire views over Spain), or remains along Rua de Santo António (where you’ll also find an amazing viewpoint at the top).
Municipal Museum
Municipal Museum of Caminha is located just a short walk from the main square, in a building dating back probably to the 17th century. Inside, you’ll find a collection of archaeological objects that document the history of the region from Prehistory to Roman times. Entrance to the museum is free. To check out current opening hours visit cm-caminha.pt website.
Caminha beaches – Camarido & Moledo
If you happen to visit Caminha in warmer months, you might also want to take advantage of one of its sandy beaches. Camarido Beach (pt. Praia do Camarido) is located 3km from the old town, at the end of the mouth of Minho River. Moledo Beach (pt. Praia de Moledo), only 1 extra kilometer further, is facing the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular destination for water sports enthusiasts. Wouldn’t it be one of the most unusual things to do in Caminha? It sure would!
While on the beaches you can admire in the distance the impressive 17th-century Fortaleza e Convento da Ínsua (pt. Forte da Ínsua).
How to get to Caminha, Portugal?
Caminha is located about 15km from Vila Nova de Cerveira, 25km from Viana do Castelo, 50km from Ponte de Lima, and 85km from Braga. The most convenient way to get to Caminha is by car or bus.
Where to park in Caminha?
If you visit Caminha on any other day than Wednesday you can easily leave your car in this huge parking lot for free. It’s located about only 300m from the town’s main square.
Airports near Caminha
The closest airport to Caminha in Portugal is located in Porto (100km away), and the other one is located in Vigo in Spain (55km away). From each airport, you can get to Caminha by public transport. To check the connections that interest you visit rome2rio.com website. For faster and more comfortable trip, you can also rent a car via rentalcars.com website and pick it up at the airport.
To Caminha by bus
You can quite easily get to Caminha by bus. For example, the trip from Porto will take about 2 hours, 30 minutes from Viana do Castelo, and 2.5 hours from Braga. To learn more about bus connections that interest you, visit the rome2rio.com website.
To Caminha by train
From some places, you can also reach Caminha by train. There are connections available from cities like Lisbon, Porto, Viana do Castelo or even Albufeira. Here is a map of Portugal train connections.
Camping in Caminha, Portugal
If you’re traveling by camper, you’ll be glad to know that there is a camping site in Caminha. You’ll find Camping Orbitur Caminha next to Camarido Beach.
Things to do in Caminha, Portugal – Summing up
All right, those are all our favorite things to do in Caminha. We hope we’ve encouraged you to see it with your own eyes. It’s not that big but very charming and absolutely worth a visit while exploring northern Portugal. Beautiful landscapes, many green and peaceful areas, a chilled vibe, a charming old town… All of this can be found in Caminha. What’s more, it’s still not a very popular tourist destination, and thanks to that, it offers a proper Northern Portugal vibe. Enjoy your trip!
Our opinion about Caminha
For us, a visit to Caminha was a day trip from nearby Ponte da Barca where we lived for a few weeks. We connected this trip with a visit to two nearby towns – Vila Nova de Cerveira and Valenca do Minho. It was quite a long day, but thanks to the fact that each place is fairly small we managed to see all we wanted without rushing. We visited Caminha in mid-April, in the morning hours, and we found it very sleepy without many tourists around, and mostly locals going on with their lives.
In our opinion, Caminha is one of the most charming towns in northern Portugal, and we really enjoyed our time there. We liked strolling among its peaceful town streets, admiring old buildings, learning about the town’s history, and admiring views over the surroundings. There’s nothing to complain about! We remember Caminha very fondly to this day.
Restaurants, accommodations, and map
Check out various recommended places below.
Where to eat in Caminha?
Here are your best, high-rated options in Caminha:
