The best road cycling routes around Insalde

The main attraction of the town.

Granite monument marking the Way of St. James and encouraging pilgrims to persevere.

Take advantage and visit the horn of the beak, see photos

This area of Paredes de Coura offers a river beach, a restaurant and this beautiful wooden bridge.

Paredes de Coura is a cozy little village hosting a Festival, one of Portugal’s most iconic and long-standing music festivals, celebrating 30 years of history. Known for its alternative spirit and carefully curated lineup, it has played a key role in showcasing emerging talent and hosting major international acts. Held by the Taboão river beach, the Vodafone Paredes de Coura Festival has been named one of Europe’s top 5 music festivals by Rolling Stone magazine. Past performers include Arcade Fire, Pixies, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Idles, and Fontaines D.C. This year, the festival takes place from August 13 to 16.

The Bridge over the Lima River in Ponte de Lima is an authentic work of art that combines medieval and Roman styles and is classified as a national monument. The bridge has two distinct sections, one Roman and one medieval.

Ponte de Lima - Portugal's oldest town 🏠

The ex-libris of Ponte de Lima, which together with the river that bathes the town, gave the town its name, is its bridge. In reality, it is a group formed by two bridges: a larger medieval section, which begins on the left bank and extends to the Church of Santo António da Torre Velha and also passes through it in two arches. Then, the remaining section of the Roman bridge. There are only five arches from the large arch that is on a dry bed. If you go down you will also see the foundations of the Old Tower, perhaps the first of the medieval defensive system. The Roman bridge probably dates back to the 1st century, since it was at that time that the route of one of the military roads of the former "Conventus Bracaraugustanus", which connected Braga to Astorga, was opened, in this case Via XIX, ordered to be opened by the Emperor Augustus. As regards the medieval part, although we can go back in time, at least to the reigns of D. Pedro I and D. Fernando, due to a direct connection to the construction of the walls and towers that fortified the town, a work completed in 1370 , or even D. Dinis, taking into account documentation that mentions a bridge, which could also, at that time, be made of wood, we know of its existence during the reign of D. Manuel I, more precisely in 1504, because this monarch had new paving was ordered and merlons were installed to decorate the bridge, as they were no longer justified as a defensive and military option.