The nature in northern Portugal has remained very wild. The Douro Valley and Minho, with their landscapes of forests, vineyards and endless mountains, conceal numerous castles and churches of Baroque and Romanesque style. Bordered by Spain and the Rio Douro, the region of Vinho Verde and port, with its harsh and rainy climate, is characterised by wild nature and the omnipresent traditions. The river of the Douro Valley, which has its origins in Spain, flows across the north between mountains and flows then into the Atlantic Ocean near Porto. In the west, in the Minho region, the green of the vineyards overpowers all other colours and dozens of churches scatter the landscape; Catholicism is as much a part of the physical landscape as the cultural landscape. In the hinterlands, the high plateaus of the Tras-os-Montes region impose their arid and desert scenery; there are also rare little granite-built villages, almost set within the rock, indicative of the battle between mankind and nature.
Northern Portugal stretches from Coimbra to the Spanish border. It is one of the lesser-known regions, but contains some of the country's most diverse and dramatic scenery.
This region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Portugal and is as famous for its historical sites as it is for its port and wine production and gastronomy.