Maia

Just north-west of Porto, Maia is usually passed on the way into town, yet the name carries one of the oldest stories in northern Portugal: the Terra da Maia, a medieval territory that stretched from the outskirts of Porto down to the river Ave, and a family — the Mendes da Maia — that helped to make the kingdom itself.

Lords of the land between two rivers

In 1128, at the battle of São Mamede that opened Afonso Henriques’s path to kingship, the future king’s forces were commanded by Gonçalo Mendes da Maia, remembered since as O Lidador, while his brother Paio Mendes, archbishop of Braga, was the rising’s strategist. A royal charter of 1519 later confirmed the concelho of the Maia between Porto and the Ave, before the nineteenth-century reforms divided the old territory among its neighbours. The land remembers older times still: on the hill of Avioso stands an ancient hillfort, the castro that gave Castêlo da Maia its name.

A city with green lungs

Modern Maia wraps itself around its history. The Ecocaminho, a greenway on an old railway line, runs through the municipality for walkers and cyclists, parks fill the valleys between the neighbourhoods, and fountains and quintas recall the farming culture of the old rural north. The city makes a practical base for the region: Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal, and Braga lie inland within easy reach by road. Families also visit the Zoo da Maia, see Zoo da Maia.

What to see

• The hill of Avioso and the ancient castro
• The Ecocaminho greenway on the old railway line
• The parks and fountains of the city
• The medieval monasteries of the municipality

Practical information

Maia lies immediately north-west of Porto, in the Porto district, and is served by the city’s metro and road network. The interest here spreads across the municipality rather than a single square, so bring comfortable shoes and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Chafariz do dragão by Teixpcar — CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.