Bridge Climb in Porto. Did you know that this is the only place in Europe that allows you to climb a bridge? There are only a handful of places around the world that allow you to do that. The most famous is the Sidney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Now you can do a climb even in Portugal.
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Bridge climb – The only one in Europe
There are a lot of bridges in Porto. No less than six in a small area. There are several different boat trips that you can take on the Douro river. One of the bridges, Arrábida Bridge, is the only one that allows tourists (and locals of course) to climb the bridge. By the way – in 1963 this was the largest concrete arch in the world. This is a great way to see Porto (and Vila Nova de Gaia) from above.
There are several tours offered each day. We recommend you to take the sunset tour which is the last tour of the day. Then you will be able to enjoy the view during the sunset. It is really nice to be at the top and just enjoying the view as the sun is coming down – one might say that it is romantic too!
Afraid of heights? No problem here!
Are you afraid of heights? I don’t think that this will cause you any problems. This is not an adrenaline adventure that will get your heart pumping. This is a calm attraction where you walk slowly on a wide arch. You are never close to the edge of the arch and you can’t see what is beneath you. Sure they give you a safety harness but that is mostly for “show” and to get you a sense of extra safety. There is really no need for the harness but it is a cool thing to have when you are posing for pictures at the top!
There is always a guide that will take you to the top, 65 meters above the river. You will have to climb 262 steps but they are not steep. And the walk up and down is more like a stroll and you take it at your own pace so there is no need to hurry.
This is how the bridge climb works
Since they are offering several tours a day, from 16:00 (three different tours a day) until sunset, you go to the bridge and let them know that you want to join a tour. The price is 17,50 euros if there are less than five of you and 16 euros if you are in a party of five or more.
A tour guide will set you up and place you in your harness. Then you walk in a line to the top. Once up there, you will get a little information about the bridge and the city and then there is a surprise waiting for you.
SPOILER ALERT: The surprise that awaits you at the top is (besides the view) a chocolate shot glass with port wine. It is super cool to take that shot since you can drink and eat all of it!
Our experience of the bridge climb in Porto
We enjoyed the tour. It was not the most awesome attraction in Porto but it was still nice. I always get off on things like “worlds highest, lowest, best” and records like that. In this case, this is the only bridge climb in Europe so I really wanted to do it! It was nice and we enjoyed ourselves. Would we recommend it? Well, it depends on how many days you have to spend here. If you are in Porto for a week then sure! But if you are here for a weekend then we feel that there are several other things that you might want to do instead. At the same time – this walk only takes about 30 minutes so you can still do a lot of things both before and after your visit to the bridge climb in Porto.
Information about Bridge Climb in Porto:
Address: Rua do Ouro 680, Porto, Portugal.
Opening hours: Daily (362 days a year). First tour at 16:00.
Entrance fee: 17,50 euros per person.
Book your ticket at Porto Bridge Climb
More fun to do in Porto
When you are done with the climbing try out the food at
Or go for more activities at:
Is it 30 mins to the top or 30 mins in total?
I believe that we spent 30 minutes at the top watching the sunset!