Arouca

Arouca is a village and the seat of the same-named municipality in Douro Litoral. Visitors come to walk longest suspended pedestrian bridge in the world, which stretches 516 m (1,693 ft) across the Arouca Geopark, 175 m (574 ft) above the River Paiva.

Understand

Ponte Arouca 516, the world's longest suspension bridge for pedestrians.

Arouca (/ɐˈɾowkɐ/, uh-ROH-kuh) has 22,359 residents (2011).

Visitor information

• 1 Loja Interativa de Turismo, Rua Abel Botelho 4, ☏ +351 256 940 258, turismo@aroucageopark.pt. M–F 09:00–12:30 & 14:00–17:30, Sa Su holidays 09:30–13:00 & 14:00–17:30. (updated Jun 2021)

Get in

Arouca's nearest motorway is the A32 (Auto-Estrada do Douro Litoral), which connects to town via the EN224 or EN326 roads.

See

• 1 Monastery of Arouca (Abbey of Arouca), Largo de Santa Mafalda. Founded in the 10th century and received the Carta do Couto in the 12th century. Its period of greatest glory was during the patronage of D. Mafalda, daughter of Sancho I. The most notable spaces in the whole ensemble are the Church, the Choir of the Nuns, the Cloisters, the Refectory and the Kitchen. Inside the monastery is the Museum of Sacred Art, one of the best in the Iberian Peninsula.  
  • 2 Sacred Art Museum (Museu de Arte Sacra). Part of the monastery, contains large group of sculptures, paintings, jewellery, ceramics, books and other artefacts. 
• 3 Pillory of Arouca, Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos. A punch formed by three steps of hexagonal section with an upper frame, circular base, smooth and cylindrical shaft and capital ornamented by two royal shields and topped by an armillary sphere.  
• 4 Chapel of Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos. Mannerist temple that preserves its original 17th century structure.  
• 5 Casa das Pedras Parideiras, Rua de Santo António, Castanheira, 4540-012, Albergaria da Serra Aveiro. A museum dedicated to showing the phenomenon of granite rocks that are "giving birth" to biotite rocks. This is a relatively unique phenomenon, the museum is a bit less unique. (updated Apr 2021)

Do

• 1 516 Arouca. The longest suspended pedestrian bridge in the world, unsurprisingly 516 m in length. Reservations are made and tickets are bought online. (updated Apr 2021)
• 2 Paiva river gorge. It has 8 km (5 miles) of wooden walkways. (updated Apr 2021)
• 3 Cascata da Frecha da Mizarela. The waterfall is fed by the waters of the Caima River and has a height of around 75 m,being one of the highest waterfalls in Portugal (the highest in Portugal is on Santa Maria island). (updated Apr 2021)
• 4 Serra da Freita. A calm and small-ish mountain range with secluded areas, maximum height 1100m. (updated Apr 2021)
• 5 Arouca Geopark (Geoparque Arouca), Rua Alfredo Vaz Pinto, ☏ +351 256 940 254, geral@aroucageopark.pt. This UNESCO Global Geopark coincides with the municipality's 327 km² (126 sq mi) territory. It includes sites of geology, archaeology, traditional villages, hiking trails, museums, and monuments. (updated May 2021)
• Football: FC Arouca play soccer in Primeira Liga, Portugal's top tier. Their home ground Estádio Municipal (capacity 5000) is in the Pernousela neighbourhood

Eat

• 1 Casa no Campo, Espinheiro, Moldes, ☏ +351 914 252 284, restaurantecasanocampo@hotmail.com. W–M 12:00–15:00 & 19:00–22:00, closed Tu. Country restaurant with a view of the hills. (updated May 2021)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel S. Pedro, Avenida Reinaldo Noronha 24, ☏ +351 256 944 580, info@hotelspedro.com. Check-in: 14:00–00:00, check-out: 08:00–12:00. Three-star, 50-room hotel in the town centre. Amenities include A/C, hot tub, meeting rooms, bar, restaurant, room service, free breakfast, and free Wi-Fi . €49-86. (updated May 2021)