Selina Geres

You'll most likely want to start by venturing deep into the woods of the Peneda-Gerês National Park (directly accessible from site), northeastern Portugal's premier wildlife haven. Here you'll come across serene green spots like the Cascata do Arado waterfall (25 minutes). For horseback tours of the local area, make tracks to Equicampo (25 minutes), an outdoor riding outfit close to the scenic Homem river. There's a lot of authentic Portuguese culture in these hills too. You'll get a sense of the area's religious life at the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Abadia (25 minutes), a museum with an intriguing collection of religious offerings. To find out about the mineral wealth of this corner of Portugal, set your satnav to the Museu do Ouro (30 minutes), a gold museum dedicated to the work of traditional small-scale artisans. For trips further afield, try Braga (45 minutes), an attractive ancient town with a combination of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture. The big city of Porto (an hour and 20 minutes) is within range too, as is the Spanish border (30 minutes).