My Escapes Portugal Another Lovely Trip to Portugal! Porto Exploring Vintage Porto Luís I. Bridge

Luís I. Bridge

The Dom Luís Bridge is Porto's most imposing attraction, the one you can't miss.
But this isn't any kind of a bridge, as I'll try to explain below...

Interestingly, the old bridge has two decks connected by an arch in the middle.

The top deck is where the light metro crosses, the lower one is being used by cars. Both have pedestrian walking areas.

At the time of its construction, the Ponte Luís I was the longest of its kind in the entire World!

Here's a factsheet of this bridge by Structurae.net.

I can't even count how often I've been on the bridge, mainly for the sake of the breathtaking views.

The bridge spans across the Douro River, separating Porto from the city of Vila Nova de Gaia.

The bridge was built between 1881-1886, it spans 172 m in length above water and has a total length of 385.25 m.

The height is 44.6 m, but standing there, it felt a lot taller.

The Dom Luís Bridge is often confused with the Maria Pia Bridge, built in 1877 by Gustav Eiffel, found to the east.

That bridge has only one top deck, but it too has a similar arch and similar structure.

The pedestrian area on the bridge allows comfortable strolls, just make sure you don't step out in front of the light metro.

I'll leave you with further photos of the Dom Luís Bridge...

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