Caminha

Caminha is a town and municipality in the Viana do Castelo district, positioned at the confluence of the Coura and Minho rivers where Portugal meets Spain. Its compact medieval core retains partial walls and corner towers, centred on the Igreja Matriz, a Gothic collegiate church with a richly carved portal, and a sixteenth-century Renaissance fountain in the main square.

The riverfront quay along the Minho is the departure point for the ferry crossing to A Guarda in Galicia, a route in continuous use since the medieval period. The broad river mouth, the stone-paved square, and the intact tower facades give Caminha one of the best-preserved historic townscapes in the Minho region.

For pilgrims on the coastal Camino Português, Caminha is the last Portuguese town before Spain, and the Minho crossing carries both practical and symbolic weight.