Largest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world is in Portugal

# tags: Tourism , Destinations , Tourism Activities

This 516 Arouca project won an award at the World Travel Awards.

It is 516 metres long and 175 metres high, which promise a lot of emotion and adrenaline. The pedestrian bridge of Arouca is considered an engineering marvel and is located in a wonder of nature, the Paiva river and its surroundings, the Arouca Geopark, UNESCO territory. The bridge joins Passadiços do Paiva (Paiva Walkways), a multi-award winning tourist product, and affirms the territory as an excellent destination for the practice of active and adventure tourism.

The equipment was inaugurated in 2021, in the middle of a pandemic, corresponding to trends that emerged during this period of our collective life. “With the growing concern with the adoption of healthy lifestyles and interest in valuing and preserving natural resources, the 516 Arouca, together with the Passadiços do Paiva and the rest of the territory, in general, are the perfect combination to meet the current demand. Additionally, the pandemic issue brought new importance to leisure time, with the family, in open air spaces and, here, the visitor finds it all”, says Margarida Belém, Mayor of Arouca.

The feedback has been very good, Margarida Belém tells us. “We could not have expected a better response from visitors. Even during a pandemic period, the 516 Arouca was fully operational throughout the summer. Most visitors are, of course, Portuguese. However, with the arrival of the low season and the reduction of restrictive measures, we have seen an exponential increase in international visitors. Due to proximity, the most frequent ones are from Spain, and even so, we often have visitors from other European countries, such as France, Germany and Belgium and even some intercontinental countries”.

516 Arouca is also dedicated to team-building and incentives, from the outset due to the unique experience it offers. “Despite being 100% safe, the 516 Arouca is a real challenge to the visitor’s fears and promotes team spirit”, recalls the mayor. The equipment holds up to 70 people at the same time and each visit has an estimated duration of 1h30m. But it is possible to think “outside the box”. Recently the bridge hosted a Portugal Fashion fashion show and has hosted video clip recordings. “We are always receptive to projects aligned with the innovative character of the infrastructure and that respect the natural environment”.