The Spanish town of Tui sits directly across the Minho from Valença, connected by the old Eiffel-designed railway bridge that also carries pedestrians. The crossing takes ten minutes on foot, and the contrast between the two towns is immediate — Tui is quieter, less touristy, and has a more genuinely local feel than Valença's fortress interior. The old town climbs steeply to the fortified Cathedral of Tui, a 12th-century Romanesque building with a Gothic cloister that is one of the finer ecclesiastical buildings in Galicia.
The walk from the bridge to the cathedral takes about 15 minutes, passing through narrow streets lined with old stone houses. The town has several good tapas bars and restaurants serving Galician food — pulpo (octopus), empanada, and the local white wine Albariño — which can make for a more satisfying lunch than most of what is available on the Valença side. No visa or border formalities are required for EU citizens; non-EU visitors should check requirements before crossing.