Ponte de Vilar de Mouros

Medieval stone bridge over the Coura river, a few kilometres inland

A few kilometres inland of Caminha, in the small village of Vilar de Mouros, a medieval stone bridge crosses the Coura river. Five low arches in granite, no parapets to speak of, a single track of paving stones — the bridge has been carrying foot and cart traffic since at least the thirteenth century and possibly earlier. Locals will tell you Roman, which is plausible at the foundations.

Vilar de Mouros itself is best known these days for the Festival Vilar de Mouros, one of the oldest rock festivals in Iberia (running since 1971, with a long gap in the middle). Outside festival week it is a sleepy village in a green valley, and the bridge is a good fifteen-minute walk from the centre — quiet, atmospheric, and very photogenic in early light.

things to do sight architecture