While staying in Porto we took the opportunity to do the Passadiços do Paiva, a walking trail that winds its way close to 9 km (5.4 mi) along the Paiva River near Arouca.

Located about an hour away, it really requires a rental car to reach. We left the day after Christmas, first taking the main highways before moving onto quiet but narrow country roads. There we wound through tiny villages in the valley where the walkways are located. After a few missed turns we managed to find the entrance to the walkways in Espinuca. Later on in the day we were to find out that our entry was much easier than our exit!

There was a simple parking area on the grass next to a restaurant, and another parking lot closer to the path is reserved for taxis. For 16-18 euros they will take you from one end of the paiva to the other so a return walk isn’t required.

There are two main entrances, and you can start at either one. We started from the Espiunca trailhead and the plan was to head towards the Areinho trailhead at the other end. We purchased tickets online in advance and it was just one euro per person (double if you pay when you arrive). We thought about paying for the famous Arouca 516 bridge near the other end, but we pressed for time and happy with the views from the valley.

The weather was cool and partly cloudy as we headed out. Although the walk quickly warmed us up, we preferred when the sun came out from time to time. The walkway was wet from dripping water and slippery in some parts.

Overall, the boardwalk trail was in good condition and reasonably maintained. However, the walkway was worn smooth in most parts. With water dripping down from the valley walls above during our visit, we had to watch our step. There were few holes or badly damaged pieces, and it was clear replacement pieces had been added as they were rougher and had better traction when walking on them.

Up ahead we reached the Gola do Salto, the site of the deepest gap in the Paiva River. There was a stairway down to a lookout overlooking the gap.

We only passed a handful of people along the trail, which would be expected so close to Christmas. It made for a very quiet and peaceful walk through the valley.

Between the 5 and 6 kilometer (3.7 mi) mark we were in sight of the 516 bridge. However, the way to it was all uphill so we decided to make our way back to our car. We ended up doing more than 10 km but the return trip was faster with fewer photos, and the view was equally impressive in the opposite direction.

There were few people who we passed on the way to the bridge, and we saw no one on the way back. It was getting later in the day so most people would want to leave before sundown, as the way out of the valley is not well marked.

We left the valley around 4:15 p.m. and had a little more than an hour before the winter sun went down. But when we returned to our car we discovered the e-sim wasn’t working and we didn’t have directions back to our hotel. Although the GPS still worked, the valley was a maze of country roads that often narrowed and crisscrossed each other. We discovered this as we attempted to make our way back to the main highway at the top of the valley and drove back to where we started. We stopped along the way and and asked a few locals for directions, and despite the language barrier we eventually made our way to the main highway just as it became dark.

But by 6 p.m. we had hit heavy Porto traffic and crawled along the A20, missed our exit and ended up driving east away from the city. After exiting the highway and making our way through smaller towns we managed to find a McDonalds that had free WiFi and we able to get back to our Airbnb in Porto. Without clear directions it would have taken a long time to find it!

From Porto we began a five hour drive south towards the Algarve. It would take us past a nicely preserved set of Roman ruins in the town of Conímbriga (in the next post). Below is a short video we took of the experience: