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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.
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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.
Car-, metro-, boat- and pedestrian traffic on and under the bridge... and I didn't count the seagulls!
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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.
Like toy buses on a model bridge...
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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.
Light metro
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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...
Like a highway for metros
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Walking towards Gaia
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After reaching the Porto side, the metros enter a tunnel, then they continue the journey under ground
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Beautiful view of Porto from Vila Nova de Gaia
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Old boats or replica boats are anchored there as decorations
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About the Author:
Escape Hunter, the young solo traveler in his early 30's explores the World driven by curiosity, thirst for adventure, deep passion for beauty, love for freedom and diversity.
With a nuanced, even humorous approach to travel, an obsession for art and design, Escape Hunter prefers to travel slowly, in order to learn and "soak up" the local atmosphere...
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As "Escape Hunter" - the curious incognito traveler with an insatiable drive to explore, I embark on slow and deep travels around
our beautiful World.
Join me and I will show you exciting destinations
"from within", through my
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Travel Slang Dictionary
Guide to my personal travel slang vocabulary, which seasons my content...
The big bridge...