The Ponte Eiffel spans the Lima River just east of the city centre, a graceful iron lattice bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and completed in 1878. It is a double-deck structure: the lower level carries the railway line between Porto and Vigo, while the upper deck was originally a road but is now open only to pedestrians and cyclists.
Walking across the bridge is one of the best things you can do in Viana do Castelo — the views downriver toward the port and the Atlantic, and upriver toward the forested hills, are excellent from any point on the 800-metre span. On the far side, the suburb of Darque has a few cafés and a beach. The bridge is most atmospheric in the late afternoon when the low sun catches the iron structure and the river below turns gold.