One day in Viana do Castelo

The region around Viana do Castelo has been inhabited since ancient times, but its importance grew during the Age of the Great Discoveries. Then, the city became truly prosperous and most of the buildings were built around the sixteenth century along with its port from where the Portuguese explorers departed for their journeys to unknown lands. The port also served as a defence point against pirates from the north and attackers from the North part of Africa. Later, Viana do Castelo became one of the main traders in Europe of wine, fruits, salt, and fish.

Thus, before going on Erasmus to Portugal I had a great desire to visit Viana do Castelo so I put it on my checklist. However, in Viana do Castelo I wanted to visit mostly the church of Santa Luzia sitting on the top of the city. Thus, a couple of weeks after arriving in Portugal and getting to know other Erasmus students in Barcelos, we decided to go to Viana do Castelo for a day trip and explore a bit more.

The easiest way to get to Viana do Castelo?

The best way to go to Viana do Castelo is by train, so early in the morning we took the train from Barcelos to Viana do Castelo. The train ride took around forty minutes and costed us around 3 euros each way because we used our discount for people that are 25 years old or younger. You can do that by showing your ID to the cashier and they will apply it to the ticket price.

What we saw in Viana do Castelo?

Once we got off the train we went outside of the train station and started looking for a way to get up to the church of Santa Luzia. Right next to the station we found the funicular to the hill of Santa Luzia and paid 3 euros for a two-way ride up to it. However, it did not take us immediately, as we had to wait for it to be full of tourists and then when it was we started moving up to the top. At some point, another funicular was coming from above and we had to stop so it can go down and then we continued on our way to the top.

When we got up at the hill we went straight to the wide stairs we had to climb, so we ended up at the front of the church of Santa Luzia. The view up there was truly fascinating and you could see the vast ocean and the city of Viana do Castelo along with its coast on the south.

Then, we went inside the 80 years old church that was built entirely in the typical Portuguese Gothic style for the north region of the country. It was a bit brighter than most of the churches in Portugal that have dim light and some of them are totally dark. The church itself is not very big and I would say that it seemed quite small and with not so many decorations on the walls. However, it was still a beautiful church, especially on the outside. After that, we spent some time around the church before heading for a walk to its big park, where we found some great spots for beautiful panoramic pictures.

After that, I headed on to explore the old city center of Viana do Castelo. There I found a beautiful little square called Praça da República, secluded within the old historic buildings of the city. Furthermore, next to the little square was the mesmerizing Igreja da Misericordia, which is an absolutely stunning church and I would suggest for everyone to visit it. At first sight, I did not notice it, as it does not have the typical domes of a church, but once I entered it, it took my breath away. The walls were made out of typical blue painted tiles (azulejos) and golden ornaments, which only added to its beauty.

Thus, after I visited the center I went back to the others and we decided to go to the beach on the other side of Viana do Castelo. However, before going to the beach we went back to the train station where a shopping center was located and we bought some groceries to make a picnic at the beach. Then, we headed south and crossed the Jardim da Marina, which was near the Eiffel bridge that would take us to the other side of the city.

However, we had to go a bit further from the coast, so can we go on the bridge and cross it. Luckily, we saw the stairs next to the marina that were leading to the bridge and we were on our way to the beach. While walking over the bridge we saw the Capela de S. Lourenço, which was a tiny chapel situated at the beginning of the coast on the other side. The further we were going the greener it was getting. Finally, after around thirty or forty minutes of walking straight, we managed to get to Praia de Luzia Mar and laid there for a bit. The beach was quite crowded with lots of people doing all kinds of watersports and mainly kitesurfing.

Even though it was still September and the weather was nice and sunny, the wind was quite cold. Thus, we went to sit between the dunes at the beach to hide from the wind and to enjoy the beach and its beautiful sunset a bit more.

Unfortunately, the train station of Viana do Castelo was too far away, so we made the decision to get our train from Darque train station, which was a bit closer. Once we got at that train station we were quite sceptical that there will be a train back to Barcelos and there was no ticket office to ask, so we decided to wait there and see what happens. We didn’t have to wait a lot as the train came on time and it was possible for us to buy the tickets from the conductor.

Eventually, we got back in Barcelos at night tired and hungry. Thus, we went to the nearest Chinese restaurant that was next to the train station and got some fine food for a good price.

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