003 – Top things to do in Ponte de Lima – PT -> The oldest town in Portugal

Uniting all take lots of time. First, there are the families, then the larger families, then groups and so on and so forth. So it happens that Portugal was united and became a strong opponent to Spain ( not yet united) => and on that note, a small town gets its recognition, becoming the oldest in this big “new” family.

Here is Ponte de Lima in 5 pictures:

003.1 The iconic Roman bridge, still holding 5 arches from that period of time. The rest was rebuilt in the XIV-XVth century. So he is kinda Romano-medieval 🧐

003.2 The Lima River, Ponte de Lima (the town) and the high hills surrounding.

003.3 Paços do Marquês de Ponte de Lima, marking the entry into the old town.

003.4 The fairytale chateau -> Vila Belmira (yes you can rent rooms)

003.5 A small example of a great and gorgeous garden, filled with roses and places to rest and read.

Back in part 001 and 002 we explored the Fortress of Valenca, an old yet still populated protector of Northen Portugal.

Now, in part 003, we will explore a protected town, old as Portugal itself, yet far from highways and train tracks and not say, Airports.

Click on the map or here to get to the interactive map on full-screen mode.

003.6  A Roman general and his old Roman bridge (more info later)

003.7 Capela de Santo Antonio, the stone bridge and far far in the distance, Antelas and Santo Ovidio (mountain peaks, for which you would need 4 hours to climb and come back)

003.8 Santo Antonio Chapel as seen from the Arnado Parc (a parc filled with roses)

003.9 Waterlily in the Arnado Parc (next to the greenhouse)

003.10 Roses from the Arnado Parc (right next to the Santo Antonio Chapel

003.11 The cutest residents in Ponte de Lima, peaking from the grass

003.12 A beautiful house on Avenida Antonio Feijo

003.13 A beautiful space on 31 de Janeiro Street filled with old houses, shattered glass and walls in decay

003.14 Sunset over the “medieval” side of Ponte de Lima

003.15 Entrance to the Medieval Tower, long ago also known as the Prison

003.16 A reminder of the Roman contribution to this town

003.17 Old windmill and new windmills

003.18 Statue of Memorias do Campo (and in the background the arches of Ponte de Lima)

003.19 Ponte de Lima, seen as shadows and lights

003.20 All in one picture: the stones that make the “ponte” over Lima river, the beautiful chapel and the mountains

Now you might say that here it isn’t much to see, so why bother?

Well, in fact, is better when the ground you have to cover is not so big => leaves more time to rest, read, eat, make photos and peacefully wait for a gorgeous vista on sunset.

This isolated, romantic town gets filled on market days and the prices & offers are reason enough to get here from Spain ( I prefer the antique market).

There are no planes or trains to get you here.

But there are buses and like always, the best place to rent a car is in Porto (Portugal).

Here are some links for buses:

http://www.avminho.pt

https://www.rede-expressos.pt

So why come to Ponte de Lima?

1. As you start your journey/experience from the medieval Valenca, you go south towards Lisbon, while taking a half a day stop to visit Roman vestiges and the set foot on the oldest city in Portugal.
2. It is a romantic town, filled with coffee shops, some traditional some modern, all selling good coffee and good Pastel de Nata (a traditional cake).
3. Is a perfect place to get killer photos on sunset, photos of wildlife and photos of flowers (namely roses).

So, on this top 3 reasons, I will end this article, and see you next time on a two-part article!

MiDe.