Valença invites you to shop!
Valença is a benchmark for good shopping throughout the Iberian Peninsula, from the most historic to the most glamorous stores of today, all over the city, with the greatest concentration in the Fortaleza. But it's in Calle Direita that you'll find a completely commercial street full of historic brands that carry centuries of Valencian and cross-border trade history.
As well as the physical offer in the city's historic stores, many now have online sales platforms. This offer is completed by the markets and fairs, a centuries-old attraction in Valencia. Today we have the emblematic Valença weekly market (Wednesday), the Valença monthly market (1st Sunday of the month), the Cerdal market (2nd Sunday of the month) and the annual Feira dos Santos, which attract thousands of people from the north of Portugal and Galicia.
Around the municipality

Located at the northern end of the fortress, the Baluarte do Socorro offers a privileged viewpoint with the best view over Tui, the international bridge, the old Customs House, the River Minho and the farmland. At the back is the Pousada de São Teotónio, one of Portugal's most emblematic historic inns. It is the northernmost defensive point of the fortress.
GPS: 42°02'00.9"N | 8°38'43.8"W

The Paiol de Marte was built in 1715 and is located in the southern part of the fortification. With two rectangular rooms, surrounded by a high wall, a portal between pilasters surmounted by the Portuguese Stone of Arms and, below, that of the Ataídes, inside, under a sepulchral slab, lies Lieutenant-General João Vitoria Miron de Sabione, Governor of the Square and founder of the Royal Artillery Class. It currently houses the Alto Minho Castles and Fortresses Interpretive Center.
GPS: 42° 1'39.62"N | 8°38'46.24"W

Between 1722 and 1728, the Archbishop of Braga had the aljube built here, in what may have been a royal villa. From the 1930s onwards, the Town Hall and the aljube functioned here. In the windows you can see the railings of the old jail. Its six arcades used to house the fair. The façade bears an armillary sphere. It is currently the Municipal Museum Center.
GPS: 42° 1'52.94"N | 8°38'42.29"W

The railway bridge and the spaces of the old Customs House and Casa do Trapicho, a reminder of the border between Portugal and Spain.

The centenary international bridge over the River Miño symbolizes the historic link between the cities of Valença and Tui and is an icon of relations between Portugal and Spain.
Built between 1881 and 1885 to a design by Pelayo Mancebo e Agreda, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel, it was inaugurated on March 25, 1886.
It's a superstructure of interlocking metal beams that stretches for 333 meters, resting on four granite pillars and providing one of the most beautiful and emblematic bridges in the world. With two superimposed decks, it is road, rail and pedestrian.
Today, the bridge is a street linking the two Eurocity centers, Valencia and Tui, with the best views of the two historic centers.
Historically, it is the iconic landmark of the border between Portugal and Spain. To walk along this road is to travel back in time through the most remarkable pages in the history of the two countries, where smuggling, trawling and pilgrims to Santiago are inextricably linked.
Halfway across the bridge you feel the magic of being on the border, with one foot in Portugal and the other in Spain and your eyes on the dream of those who designed a bridge that opens up new horizons.
GPS: 42º2'6.645" N I 8º38'43.286" W

The Ecopista do Rio Minho and the Ecovia das Veigas do Rio Minho are green corridors that offer an adventure through lush riverside nature. The route is privileged and has already been awarded the 3rd and 4th best greenway in Europe.
Between vineyards, cultivated fields, streams and privileged viewpoints, over a vast built heritage, these routes follow the course of the River Minho.
The fishing grounds, the islands and the Veiga da Mira biotype, which are part of the Natura 2000 network, allow for short getaways that complement these green routes...
On foot, by bicycle, inline skates or skateboard, these paths are easy to access and to use individually or as a family.

At the top of Monte do Faro is the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Faro, built in 1707 by the Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Ganfei. The temple, the picnic area, the emblematic ancient chestnut tree, the viewpoint and the chapel of Sant'Ana, the Bishop's chair... make this a truly pleasant and magical place. The faith and devotion of the people of Valencia, which takes place on August 15, has the Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Faro as a milestone in the community's year.
GPS: 42º1'6,9"N | 8º35'45,3"W

It is one of the most outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture in Portugal and has been a national monument since 1910. The Monastery of Sanfins was the head of the old Couto Monástico de Sanfins, which lasted until 1834. Its importance merited several royal charters of privilege. The first buildings date back to 604 AD.
The old cenobium, of which the Romanesque church and the aqueduct stand out, as well as the chapel / viewpoint of Senhora do Loreto, the old threshing floor, the fountains, the interpretive trail, with its lakes, walkways and paths through the oak and hazelnut trees are a unique heritage and environmental wealth that really deserves to be discovered,
GPS: 42º1'51,98"N | 8º34'56,42"W