Passadiços do Paiva Trailhead (Areinho)

Great place to start this amazing place. Very nice officials available to support you with directions and online ticket purchase. Do not be too late, as the parking has limited spaces. Taxis are available at the end of the trail and bring you back for 16 euro (nov 2023)

Cardio check!? Room for improvement..
Eye check?! Some of the most beautiful scenery ever witnessed.
Enough internal space?! You will need it.
Trail shoes needed. For there will be some slippery conditions.

Absolutely beautiful place. You have to be somewhat fit but it's worth it. You also have a choice of where to start your walk and perhaps bypass the initial 500+ steps.

That's a wonderful hike along a wooden pathway that runs along the river. Unfortunately we arrived a bit late around 17:20 and we initially wanted to walk back and forth the 8kms.

It would take approximately 2h for us one way but we did not have enough time so we walked back from 3/4 of the route.

The walk is easy on the path but there are quite a lot of stairs and during a warm day it can become moderate difficulty.

There are beautiful sports along the way and if you have enough time it definitely is a relaxing hike! I highly recommend planning your visit here.

Amazing view and good level of hiking. We went there with a group and even those who were not so prepared enjoyed a lot. Totally worth 🤙🏻

Absolutely gorgeous trail to cover. This trail consists of 2 times 9kms making it an 18km trail in total. It features some amazing sights such as the wooden stairs, the natural river flowing through the trail and the 516 meter long hanging bridge. The trail is pretty easy since the path is made of wood. We spend 2 hours hiking. There are taxi’s at each point which take you to your parking spot for around €15-€20

Such a beautiful place to visit and have a proper 8km walk. Totally advise

A great 8km (5mile) walk that is well maintained and allows you to walk two abreast on a very clear path. There is the option of taking in the Arouca 516m suspension bridge but you will need to book well ahead as places are very limited. The walk itself is a great way to see the Paiva valley and gets you close to nature.

If you are walking in one direction then the majority of people walk downstream. This involves a 1.5 km walk ascent to the highest point of the trail followed by 0.5km of stepped descent via 600+steps and the remainder of the trail is a meander to the end. Jeeps and taxis are available at both ends and it is a 12km trip back to the start via the road.

If you are doing a return trip then start wherever suits you best just be prepared to go up relentlessly for 0.5km at some stage. There are restaurants at both ends and plenty of river beaches and alike to stop at for a picnic / rest / swim!

We went in late March on a Monday and parking was easy and the route was not busy but in the height of the summer they can get 3,000 people a day which may take some of the enjoyment out of the day. Parking is limited and there are very limited alternative parking locations within 1km. If you are thinking of going in the summer I can imagine a very early start would not only avoid the congestion (road and trails) but also be cooler and more interesting light.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did

Amazing hike, beautiful nature and landscape. Take swimwear so you can swim in the river beach in the middle of the trail :)

5.5 mile hike along the Paiva River. The sheer length of the decking walkway is unbelievable, allowing safe access along the banks. There are stops along the trail for swimming, etc as well. A few snack bars were also located at the trail main points to allow refueling, water, a snack, etc. If you here bells, it's not dehydration, look around and you'll see free range cows and goats. 😉

What an amazing day in this wonder of the nature! We started the 8km path in Areinho and finished in Espiunca. There is several steps throughout the path, but is definitely worthed to see all that scenery. Good place to spend the day with family and friends. There is plenty to do in here, there is 3 river beaches, where you can stop, relax, swim, have something to eat and enjoy the view. Bring with you appropriate footwear, plenty of water, as this can be an extremely hot area, swimming suit and food.
This path is safe, very well maintained and preserved. You will find as well several help points throughout the path.

It is really hard walking stairs for me, but as I am doing sport - I managed to go up. I was stopping at least 6-7 times to take a breath.
We had a rainy weather, but good that there is a small bar downstairs where you can buy coffee or juice, water and start journey.
The views you have from the stairs are amazing.

Passadiços do Paiva is a well maintained hiking trail cum boardwalk. One can walk all the way from Espiunca to the famous 516 suspension bridge (pre-purchase of tickets online is mandatory). At half point, there is a lovely rest area with a kiosk selling refreshments and snacks. One way, the hike is approximately 90 minutes, which includes climbing the wooden stairs at the bottom of 516 bridge. A good level of fitness is required.

Great hike. We were late for our bridge crossing because we parked at the pria fluvial not realizing that it was a 45 minute stair climb to the bridge. Remember that depending on where you park you have to plan to arrive*at* the bridge on time. This can be hard because the signage and roads are not very clear. We ended up not going on the bridge and enjoying the boardwalk instead.

A stunning walking route down the river with an open beach area that’s great for a dip! there are also toilets halfway along the walk. The steps up at the start (before the suspension bridge) are tough but then 90% of the route is downhill after that. We booked with a group called Detours who were fantastic in providing travel, facts and taking us for an amazing lunch afterwards. Our tour company drove the minibus to the end of the trail to pick us up - you can either walk both ways or you can easily book a taxi at the end which will take you back to the start.

A wonderful and beautiful atmosphere in the lap of nature far from the hustle and bustle of the city and inhaling the fresh air is a real pleasure, but the road is a little tiring, and it is preferable to leave an hour before sunset so that it is a safe trip for everyone.

We started at Espiunca, the hardest path. There are many steps right before the end, but not a problem for people with healthy knees and minimum physical conditioning.

There's a lot of beautiful scenery, and there's a bar and a fluvial beach halfway with cold waters to cool down and relax before moving on.

The complete pathway has around 8km, but don't be scared of it if you have little kids, I did it with my 5 years old son and I saw many kids completing it, even younger.

By the end, you can take a jeep for 18€ to get back to the beginning of the path or, if you're not tired enough, just run all other way around back ( :

Beautiful place,really worth to visit.

Great value for money!! Only €2 and a great walk, take plenty of water and some snacks with you as the cafe in the middle is only open on the weekends.

Simply amazing! Getting to the parking is relativily easy. We went through Arouca. From there, you can start the hiking route. We didn't finish it because we stopped at the bridge to do the guided visit (booked in advanced). The guides at the bridge told us that at the end of the route it was possible to call a taxi that could take you to the parking at the start for a reasonable price. It takes around 45-60 minutes to get from the parking to the bridge entrance. The path is super beautiful. The wooden stairs are amazing. They make the way much easier and match nicely with the landscape. In the parking, there is a nice restaurant with warm food (burgers, sandwiches, hotdofs, etc.).