Originally Posted by
Ruderico
Technically the south of the Douro is also North, but it's hard to put a label because the whole place is very mountainous (except in Northeast Aveiro) and these extend into what is Central Portugal, yet the villages along the Douro are indistinguishable from one another. Geneaology also shows this, part of my Douro Sul ancestry has ties to the Douro Norte, whereas others have ties to the mountains to the south - particularly in Alto Douro/Beira Alta. In my opinion Central Portugal is a bogus region that is very heterogeneous, Aveiro is very different from Guarda/Castelo Branco, and neither have much to do with Leiria, yet they are all Central.
That said my favourite part of the country is the Douro, Litoral and Alto alike. I also very much like the interior of the Minho region and Trás-os-Montes. The green, foresty and hilly areas of Beira Alta are also cool, the drier ones (mostly in Guarda, or during the summer) I do not like as much. For me flat coastal areas are boring af, the fact that they are cramped with buildings (at least in the north) doesn't help.
Edit: I just noticed only AGUIA and I voted for Douro Litoral. You don't know wtf you're missing, Cinfães is amongst the most beautiful concelhos in the whole country, the missus fell in love with it after visiting. If you like mountains, snow, forest, waterfalls and rivers you've got it all. I advise people to google 'vale do Bestança'.
The Rota do Românico is also totally in Douro Litoral