Mealhada → Águeda

A stage through the heart of the Bairrada wine region, passing through a landscape of vine-covered slopes, fruit orchards, and cultivated farmland between the rivers Vouga and Mondego. The route follows quiet rural roads through Sernadelo, Alpalhao, and Aguim before reaching Anadia, passing the old Church of Arcos.

From Anadia, the path continues to Avelas de Caminho, a town whose very name ('of the Way') recalls its centuries-old connection to the Jacobean pilgrimage route. Near Povoa do Castelo, the Caves de Sao Joao wine cellars are open for visits and offer tastings of the Bairrada's celebrated sparkling and red wines. The route continues through Sao Joao de Azenha, Aguada de Baixo, Borralha, and Sardao before crossing the river into Agueda.

Agueda is a lively town known as the most colourful town in Portugal, famous for the AgitAgueda Art Festival and its Umbrella Sky Project, which suspends thousands of multicoloured umbrellas over the streets each summer. The Pateira de Fermentelos, the largest natural lake on the Iberian Peninsula, lies nearby. Try the local Pastel de Agueda pastry.