The best hikes from bus stations around National Park Douro Internacional

Mirador do Penedo Amarelo. It is located on Rua do Penedo Amarelo, in the urban area of Miranda do Douro. It offers wide panoramic views of the Douro River surrounded by green hills, the dam, the historic center and the co-cathedral of Miranda do Douro. It is one of the most outstanding urban viewpoints in the area.

From the Vale de Águia hill fort, there is a natural viewpoint with spectacular views of one of the meanders of the Douro. At the São João das Arribas hermitage, you can also enjoy stunning panoramic views of the canyon and waterfalls on the Spanish slope. The landscape includes cliffs, meadows, oak groves, and pastures, with abundant flora and fauna.

The GR-36 trail in the Miranda do Douro area is one of the most spectacular routes in northern Portugal, especially for its views of the Douro Canyon, which forms the natural border with Spain.

The Miradouro da Cerca, located in the village of Urrós (municipality of Mogadouro, near Miranda do Douro), is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the Douro International Natural Park and is part of a route that many consider worthy of the title of “Europe’s Grand Canyon.” It offers stunning views of the deep and rugged valley of the Douro River, which marks the natural border between Portugal and Spain.

When it was closed in 1985, the region lost its direct connection; the bridge fell into disrepair for decades and was inaccessible for a long time. Only in recent years has the entire route been reopened to hikers and visitors as the "Camino de Hierro" (Iron Way). Crossing the bridge offers spectacular views of the Águeda Gorge and the terraced landscapes of olive, almond, and vineyards. Today, it is an industrial monument and also a tourist highlight in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park.

The bridge was built as an iron truss structure following the French school's model (inspired by Gustave Eiffel) and spans the deeply cut Río Águeda, approximately 250 meters long and about 20 meters high above the river. The supporting structure consists of riveted steel girders resting on massive stone piers. It was part of the cross-border connection between Spain and Portugal, connecting Salamanca to Porto. Due to its challenging topography—gorges, steep mountain slopes, and narrow valleys—the line was considered one of the most spectacular railway lines in Europe, with a total of 20 tunnels and 13 bridges, of which the Águeda Bridge was the most famous. It served as the gateway to the La Fregeneda–Barca d'Alva border station, where the crossing into Portugal took place.

The former railway bridge over the Río Águeda near La Fregeneda is one of the most impressive structures on the disused La Fuente de San Esteban – Barca d’Alva railway line (opened in 1887, closed in 1985).

The first bishops of Miranda had to live in the Castle. It was only in 1601 that construction began on the Episcopal Palace and the Seminary. When it was completed, more than a century later, its opulence was no less than that of the Cathedral, whose Renaissance style it imitated. The Palace was built around a central courtyard, surrounded by a cloister with lowered arcades, on monolithic columns. And, although badly damaged by successive fires during the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the definitive transfer of the seat of the Diocese to Bragança, in 1780, that caused it to fall into rapid ruin. The shadow of its monumentality can still be seen today in the cloister and on the portico of the Seminary. However, despite its state of ruin, its symbolic power remains because the bishops always continued to engrave their names on the respective memorial, at the entrance to the Renaissance portico of the first Episcopal Palace of the Diocese.