Castelo de Paiva in 3D

Castelo de Paiva is a municipality in the district of Aveiro, in the Tâmega e Sousa sub-region (Norte region), facing the Douro on the river's left bank. It covers about 115 km² and, according to the 2021 census, has 15,586 inhabitants spread over six parishes. It borders Penafiel, Marco de Canaveses, Cinfães, Arouca and Gondomar.

The municipality presents the area under the brand "Viver Payva Douro", which brings together the Douro and Paiva rivers, the mountains, the vineyards, the heritage and the food. The seat, the town of Castelo de Paiva, lies in Sobrado and is part of the Rota do Românico (Romanesque Route).

What to see and do

• Largo do Conde, in the town centre: the statue of Martinho de Bulhões (1848-1923) by the sculptor António Teixeira Lopes, the town hall, the Centro de Interpretação da Cultura Local (local culture interpretation centre) and the Quinta do Pinheiro urban park are all in the central area.
• Anjo de Portugal: a memorial to the 59 victims of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse on 4 March 2001, beside the Douro in Sardoura. The sculpture, by Laureano Ribatua, is in gilded bronze and, according to the municipality, stands 12 metres tall and weighs about 12 tonnes.
• The schist villages of Midões and Gondarém, in the union of parishes of Raiva, Pedorido and Paraíso: schist houses, trellised "enforcado" vines, views over the Douro and, in Gondarém, a river mooring.
• Pedorido railway bridge: a narrow-gauge bridge built in 1893 by the Empresa Industrial Portuguesa, used by locomotives on the mining line of the Couto Mineiro do Pejão.
• Riverside routes: the municipality mentions walking trails linking the mouth of the Arda river to the mouth of the Paiva river, with viewpoints, as well as themed routes on mountains, vineyards, fossils and mines. The Miradouro de Catapeixe, the Choupal das Concas and the Ilha dos Amores appear on the municipality's list of places to visit.

Vinho verde and festivals

Vinho verde is one of the municipality's signature products, and trellised vines mark the landscape of villages such as Midões. The Feira do Vinho Verde, do Lavrador, Gastronomia e Artesanato (green wine, farmers, food and crafts fair) is held in Largo do Conde in July (according to Wikipedia, on the first weekend of the month). The São João festivities take place in June. Please check dates with the municipality.

Neighbours on the Douro

Penafiel, Marco de Canaveses and Cinfães lie around the municipality; you can explore them on our pages for Penafiel, Marco de Canaveses and Cinfães.

Where to stay

Our catalogue lists 17 lodgings in the area, 14 of them in Castelo de Paiva. The ratings shown come from Booking.com guests. See the list of lodgings on this page.