Many people overlook Arcos de Valdevez and the Ponte da Barca, both of which are significant landmarks in Portuguese history. Here, one of the most bloody battles between Portuguese and Spaniards occurred, ensuring the country's victory and independence.
The area is ideal for strolling, with its beautiful historic buildings and one-of-a-kind churches. Additionally, it serves as an excellent starting point for exploring Peneda Geres, as well as Soajo, a traditional village nearby.
Additionally, it is an excellent location for Cachena beef sampling. (Cachena is a rare breed of cow found exclusively in this region and the neighbouring Peneda Geres.)
Attractions and Places To See around Arcos De Valdevez
Water Clock
The Water Clock is located in Largo da Lapa and is considered one of the ex-libris of the historic centre of Arcos de Valdevez.
The fountain’s aquatic architecture has 48 vertical jets as scenic elements, with each jet signalling the passage of 15-minute intervals, with each block representing 1 hour. The flow from the jets flows over inclined planes and is collected on the lower plane, which is covered with a metal grid. The fountain works in closed circuit, with a fully automatic lighting system; the external numbers of the watch are illuminated with white light, with different levels of luminous intensity, thus obtaining different shades of color.
Church of Lapa
The cult of Nossa Senhora da Lapa, which originated in Beira, arrived in the town around 1758, and the temple was finished in 1767. of the tower behind the chancel, and, most significantly, by a broad and high dome, producing an inventive and simple solution. The ensemble, claimed to André Soares, exhibits strong baroque characteristics. The interior, with its three distinctive aspects of a meticulous carving at the level of the retables and railings, is a textbook example of Rococo style.
Parish Church of Arcos de Valdevez
The church was built at the mercy of D. Pedro II on the foundations of an earlier temple, probably medieval, between 1690 and 1700. It is characterised by its particular interior richness, with remarkable examples of carved altars and paintings from the late 17th century and the second half of the XVIII. In 1765, André Soares, from Braga, built the chapel of Calvário, located on the south side, a remarkable element of sensitivity, forming an artistic ensemble clearly in the Rococo style.
Chapel of Our Lady of Conception
It is the village’s oldest monument, a transitional structure between Romanesque and Gothic that was most likely built in the late 14th century, though in 1410 the Abbot of Sabadim, João Domingues, mentioned wanting to be buried in the church he had built in Arcos. This small funerary chapel is simple in terms of space and decoration, although the decorative elements of the main entrance arch (Gothic), as well as the few traces of the triumphal arch paintings, probably from the 15th or 16th century, should be noted. The institution of the Confraternity of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in 1691 and the construction of the altar in woodcarvings in the 18th century marked the last evolutionary moments of the chapel that, later, was condemned to total abandonment until the rehabilitation interventions of 1961 and 68.
Pelourinho de Arcos de Valdevez
D. Manuel I granted the town a charter in 1515, which resulted in the erection of the pillory. It was originally positioned in the heart of Praça Municipal until 1700, when it was relocated to the riverfront and then, in 1895, implanted in a plaza adjacent to the Matriz’s south facade, until being restored to its former location in 1998. It is a one-of-a-kind specimen, with a torso pillar and conical distaff, and a sturdy shaft wrapped around three columns and crowned with a cup-shaped capital ornamented with national shields and armillary spheres. It is one of the rare examples with the etched site’s name.
Garden of Centenarians
Until 1940, the centennial garden. Today, the centennial festivities of Portugal’s creation (1140) and restoration of independence (1640) come to a conclusion!
This location was also chosen to house the memorial pattern for the Recontro de Valdevez for several decades.
Baroque Interpretation Center
A gateway to the Baroque in the Alto Minho region!
The Church of Esprito Santo, which has been converted into a Baroque Interpretation Center, is the first of ten “time stations” through which the Alto Minho Intermunicipal Community (CIM) is promoting and enhancing the region’s historical and cultural heritage – ten municipalities, ten stations, ten visitor routes.
The chronological door at Arcos de Valdevez opens onto the Baroque.
Monument to the Recontro de Valdevez
Made completely of cast bronze, it is one of the most exquisite specimens of twentieth-century Portuguese equestrian art. It depicts two knights in imminent conflict, mounted on horses and armed with long spears, defensive helmets, and shields, alluding to the struggle that pitted Afonso Henriques’ armies against those of his cousin Afonso VII of León and Castile in 1141, and which became known as “Recontro” or “Torneio de Valdevez Portugal.”
Church and Cross of Mercy
The town’s Confraria da Misericórdia was created in 1595, spurring the building of the town’s first temple, which was entirely renovated in 1710. Already, certain aspects, such as the pulpit and choir, are neoclassical. The cross, which is located in the square adjacent to the rear façade in the region of the old cemetery, is an 18th-century example composed of two steps, a decorative base, and a capital depicting scenes from Christ’s life, topped by a cross.
Himalaya Creativity Workshops
The Himalaya Creativity Workshops are a venue dedicated to the person and memory of one of Portugal’s finest scientists and visionaries at the beginning of the nineteenth century, known as Father Himalaya, who was born in Arcos de Valdevez.
It positions itself as a platform for promoting science and the researcher’s several fields of study, such as ecology and eco-sustainability, with a primary audience of families, young people, and the school community.
House on the Bridge
Casa da Ponte is a mid-nineteenth-century structure. XVII. It lies on the left bank of the River Vez, which is a tributary of the Lima.
There are four bedrooms in total: two doubles, one suite, and one single.
You may dine in a formal dining room or unwind in a lounge with a fireplace.
Bridge over the River Vez (Ponte da Vila)
Due to the absence of architectural materials from this early structure, information of its original structure is limited to a meagre bibliography and a few engravings.
The monument consisted of four arches with rounded backs, which were supported by sturdy piers devoid of eyelets and adorned with sculptures.
Additionally, two access ramps led from the banks to a flat level.
Paço de Giela
Since 1910, the Paço de Giela has been a national monument. It is a rare example of mediaeval and contemporary private civil construction. Its origins, like those of the previous Santa Cruz Castle, are inextricably related to the foundation and history of Valdevez. When the castle ceased to be a strategic site, the construction of Giela’s “tower house” signalled a new era of protection and lordly and royal authority over the region. The mediaeval tower, as well as the domestic structure with “Manueline” windows and a defended entrance, are visible at the moment. The tower is believed to have been constructed in the mid-fourteenth century. The residential sector was constructed between the late 15th and early 16th centuries and was completed in 1573.
Soajo granaries
On the outskirts of the urbanised area, on a high point dominated by a large natural granite outcrop, a common threshing floor appears, flanked by 24 Galician-Minhoto granaries, characterised by their low, elongated bodies and stone construction, and forming a group classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1983. Canastros made of wicker, which were original parts of these constructions, have vanished entirely. Some are clearly sacralized, as seen by the top crosses on pedestals, for divine protection of their contents, which are necessary for the local community’s existence. These architectural components can be placed within the 18th and 19th centuries.
Rock Engravings of Gião
One of the most significant Bronze Age cave art complexes in the Iberian Peninsula’s northwest is composed of over one hundred engraved rocks with a variety of symbolic and geometric motifs, with an emphasis on quadrangular and rectangular elements with rounded corners, as well as various anthropomorphs (schematic figures of the human figure). The archaeological station’s location in Monte do Gião, at nearly 800 metres above sea level and dominating a vast natural amphitheatre, makes it equally exceptional in terms of natural ambience, forming a deeply symbolic whole of the social and religious reality of the human communities that conducted these excavations in the second millennium BC.
Hiking trails in and around Arcos De Valdevez
Hiking around Arcos De Valdevez is an excellent method to gain a better understanding of the area while choosing the proper path is not always straightforward. To assist, we’ve compiled a list of the finest trails and walks around Arcos De Valdevez — so you can just go out and go.
PR 7 Soajo – Waterfall Hike from Caminho do Eiró
Good for people of any fitness level. Paths that are mostly accessible.
Distance: 4 miles (8km)
Nossa Senhora da Peneda Hike from EM 202
Intermediate. Good fitness is required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Nossa Senhora da Peneda Hike from Gavieira
Intermediate. Good fitness is required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Distance: 7 miles (11 km)
Hiking trail from Loureda
Intermediate. Good fitness is required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Distance: 7 miles (11km)
Hiking trail from Rua Viscondes de Sistelo
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Hiking trail from Sistelo
Intermediate. Good fitness is required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Distance: 8 miles (12km)
Before making any vacation plans, please check the constantly changing local limitations and safety rules. It should be noted that not all sites and services are operating as usual, so check their respective websites for the most recent details.
