Passadiços do Paiva

Passadiços do Paiva is a walk along a wooden footpath through the gorge that the Paiva River has carved out. You can start the walk in Espiunca or Areinho. We recommend starting in Areinho, because then, apart from a first steep climb, you mainly descend along the valley. This makes the walk much less difficult and so you have more time to enjoy the surroundings. It is best to book your ticket online, because the walking path is so popular that it is often closed due to too many visitors. Tickets cost barely € 1 per person, so you should definitely not leave it for that. A taxi ride of € 18 will take you back to your starting point. So you don't have to do the walk back and forth.

Is the hike worthy of its title as best European adventure? We don't think so. Hikes in, say, Los Cahorros de Monachil in Spain and Peneda-Gerês National Park in Portugal offer much more adrenaline. These are also quieter so that you can fully enjoy nature. But we understand that Passadiços do Paiva is going to run with the Award for best European adventure. Thanks to the comfortable hiking trail, young and old can enjoy a day trip in a rugged gorge.

Passadiços do Paiva is a big project. It is incredible how one could have built such a beautiful hiking trail over a distance of eight kilometers. It must have taken a lot of effort to get this job done. A really fine piece of craftsmanship.

This summer, a transparent hanging bridge was supposed to open over the canyon. You read that right. A suspension bridge with a span of 480 meters at an altitude of 150 meters with transparent floor. Not for the faint of heart! As with any construction project, there has been a delay and so this feat will not be finished until May 2019.

Many are already shouting it from the rooftops. Once the new suspension bridge opens, this will be the most beautiful walk in the world. But what about the flow of visitors? The people can hardly swallow the parking: with thousands (!) of visitors per day, people are already often at the limit. In addition, the access roads to the park are inadequate.

Is Passadiços do Paiva really the most beautiful walk in the world? We don't yet know what the new suspension bridge will change about the experience. But at the moment we are looking at other roaring names for this title. We think of Angels Landing in Zion, Highline Trail in Glacier or Crypt Lake Hike in Waterton. Closer to home, Plitvice in Croatia is an absolute winner.

Passadiços do Paiva is a beautiful nature walk. But the comfort of the wooden path is a knife that cuts both ways. On the one hand, it is an easy way to enjoy a piece of natural beauty. On the other hand, this results in a crowd that quickly makes it feel too busy. We don't think this will get any better in the future. In the three years that the path has been open, it has only become more popular. It is only a matter of time before masses of tour buses arrive, especially once the sensational transparent suspension bridge opens.