The iconic Porto Bridges – Northern Portugal
Porto was one of those cities that we really knew not too much about. We had seen pictures of the beautiful bridges and that was enough to attract me to this amazing city. Porto sits on the coast and the Duoro River in the north of Portugal. Porto is an amazing gem that appears to me to be untouched by mass tourism. Porto river front is teeming with bars and restaurants while the rest of the city rises above the river out of the gorge that was created by the Duoro river. The iconic Porto bridges are a must see.
The Porto Bridges
When you see a picture of Porto, it is most likely a picture of one of the cities many bridges. Porto bridges are the iconic symbol of the city and its iconic bridges hold many world records,
Porto Bridges Dom Luis I Bridge: Avenida de Vímara Peres Porto
Dom Luis Bridge
This is the most famous bridge in Porto (pictured above). Designed Teófilo Seyrig, Seyrig was a pupil of Gustav Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower Fame. The Dom Luis bridge was opened in 1886 and comprises 2 overlapping iron decks. This masterpiece is 395 meters long and 8 meters wide. The Metal arch is still considered to be the world’s biggest arc ever constructed in forged iron. Today the top deck is used for trams and tourists.
Porto Bridges Arrábida Bridge: A1 Autostrada do Norte
This is a modern concrete bridge opened in 1973. This bridge has a span of 270 meters. The bridge sits 70 meters above the water of the Douro river. This bridge was once the longest re-enforced concrete bridge in the world.
Porto Bridges Maria Pia Bridge: Avenida de Gustavo Eiffel
Maria Pia Bridge
This is Gustavo Eiffel Bridge. Many people going to Porto think the Dom Luis is the Eiffel bridge. Eiffel worked on this bridge with Theóphile Seyrig who went on to design the Dom Luis Bridge. Maria Pia was opened to the public 1877. Eiffel’s bridge was a faithful servant to the people of Porto for 114 years. Maria Pia has a double-hinged arch that supports a single-track railway deck on truss pillars. The Portuguese Government Classified Eiffel’s Porto masterpiece as a national monument in 1982. Eiffel’s design was ahead of its time. Maria Pia gained it international recognition in 1999 as being of historical importance to civil engineering. It has not been in use since 1991. Maria Pia is not longer operational.
Porto Bridges São João Bridge
The futuristic looking São João bridge replaced Eiffel’s Maria Pia. This bridge was constructed between 1984 and 1991. This bridge is located near the replaced Maria Pia. The bridge spans 250 meters across the Douro river. São João is used as a railway bridge only. To me, it seems out of place when compared with the classic iron bridges that Porto is famous for. That being said this bridge is located up the Douro River away from the UNESCO world heritage old town of Porto.
Porto Bridges Infante D. Henrique Bridge
The Prince Henry bridge was built to replace the upper level of the Dom Luis Bridge which is now used as a metro line. The bridge is 371 meters long and 20 meters wide. This bridge has an arch span of 280 meters which is a world record. This is Porto’s newest bridge opened in 2003.
Porto Bridges Freixo Bridge
This bridge is on the far outskirts of the city. You can not see it from the center of Porto and chances are unless you go to the suburbs you will not be able to view it. This bridge opened in 1995. This bridge is an amazing 715 meters in length and is actually a double bridge with two lanes on each section to allow two-lane traffic to flow in each direction.
Porto today only has 6 bridges but it once had 7 bridges. The remains of the 7th bridge Ponte Pensil can still be seen on the banks of the Duoro River. This bridge was in use from 1843 to 1887.
Traveler pro tip: take one of the many river boat cruise’s down the Duoro River to get the best views of the bridges of Porto. The boat ride gives you an amazing perspective of the hight and scale of these iconic structures. Have a meal on the river side in the shadow of Dom Luis bridge.
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A photo posted by Mark Wyld (@wyld_family_travel) on
Aug 19, 2015 at 3:59am PDT
Accommodation:
We choose to stay at Hotel Do Norte when in Porto. We found this hotel to be great value for money and in an amazing location. It is located 100 meters from a metro station that is on the direct line from the airport. Porto is an amazing city maybe even more so than Lisbon
Click the image for more information on Hotel Do Norte
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