This week our tip is the Arrábida Bridge!
It is impossible to talk about Porto without mentioning the beautiful Douro River – which is part of the city’s essence and one of the most important elements on it’s historical development! The crossing of the river is also another relevant issue and you can learn a lot about Porto’s history through its bridges. Today we show you the Arrábida bridge and invite you to discover it in person from an unique angle :D
During the 1930 and 40’s the traffic between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia was increasingly growing and the imposing D. Luiz Bridge was not enough for it. So in 1963 the Arrábida Bridge was inaugurated, being the second road bridge to connect the two cities (nowadays the other bridges for cars access are Freixo bridge, inaugurated in 1995, and the Infant bridge, opened in 2003). By the time of its opening, the Arrábida was the largest bridge with a concrete-arch bridge in the world!
Designed by the engineer Edgar Cardoso, it has a 500 m. long deck standing 70 meters above the river. Four elevators used to help the pedestrians to go from the riverside to the top of the bridge, but they went out of use in the 90’s.
Since the summer of 2016 it is possible to visit Arrábida’s bridge arch and see the city from an unique perspective! Porto Bridge Climb offers the opportunity to climb up 262 steps – the equivalent of 65 meters – to go to the top of the arch! This is the first time that this place is open to the public!
At the bridge base you can see an exhibition about it’s construction process and, after you get your safety equipment (it is not a radical activity but its not a regular set of stairs!), get ready for a 20 min. journey to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Porto and the Douro river!
Working hours are between 2:30 pm to 8:30 pm and the visit is suitable for anyone between 16 to 79 years old. Tickets cost 9,50€ on week days and 12,50€ weekends. For more information, visit Porto Bridge Climb website.
We hope you enjoy this tip and go visit the Arrábida Bridge! For more suggestions of places you should visit while in Porto, click here :)
And don’t forget to book a tour with us to truly discover the city. We will tell you all about it’s bridges and more!
