Some of our intrepid Lisbon transfer customers like to theme their holidays to create an experience with a difference. We like their style! In this article we’re delving deep into the mighty Tagus, the river that flows through Lisbon and the city’s lifeblood. Here’s everything you want to know about the river, what you can do on it, where it originates, and what occurs at the point this vast body of water finally flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
About the river Tagus – Lisbon’s lifeblood
The first thing to mention is the name. Tagus is one way of spelling it but locals in Portugal call it the Tejo and in Spain, through which it flows, it’s called the Tajo. The Iberian Peninsula’s biggest river, it originates high up on eastern Spain’s Sierra de Albarracín, 1593m above sea level and around 90 miles from the coast of the Med. It’s around 626 miles long in total, an awe-inspiring natural feature on which to base unusual and inspiring holidays in Portugal and Spain.
The river has cut valleys, ravines and canyons through the soft limestone rock as it flows south west. By the time it gets to Trillo in the Guadalajara province it has calmed right down, stopped in its tracks by huge dramatic dams at Entrepeñas and Buendía, which together create a vast 50 square mile lake called the Sea of Castile. These dramatic dams alone are worth a visit.
The fertile Aranjuez area, along with Toledo and Talavera de la Reina, benefit from the river, which irrigates the land beautifully. Once the bedrock changes to quartzite and shale at Cáceres the river has created a series of steep, narrow valleys, and then there’s another dam at Puente de Alcántara, with its own huge artificial lake, this time a full 57 miles long. In total there are over 60 dams along the river’s length, some created for irrigation and others for hydro-electric power generation. Every one is a sight for sore eyes, majestic structures that change the river’s course dramatically.
The border between Spain and Portugal follows shortly after that, with the river marking the border between the two countries for almost 30 miles. At Beira the Tagus finally enters Portugal itself, travelling through the Sierra de Carbajo, Abrantes, and onwards for just over 100 miles before you reach the estuary at Vila Franca de Xira and it finally reaches the ocean.
Just a few of Lisbon’s stunning bridges
Criss-cross the river over the city’s many beautiful bridges and you’ll get a real feel for the place. The 25th April Bridge, with its Golden Gate-like design, dates back to 1966 and is the world’s 27th biggest suspension bridge. It’s the final bridge over the Tagus before it hits the Atlantic and the views of it, and from it, are literally awe inspiring.
The bridge offers two ways to cross: vehicles on the top roadway and trains on their own line underneath the road. It has six car lanes, a truly impressive piece of engineering with a central span of 1000m meters and standing almost 485m high. A dizzying 70m above the Tagus, it’s an experience to remember. Grab a cab and get the driver to take you over and back. It’s thrilling.
The Aqueduto das Águas Livres, as you can maybe imagine from the old name, dates back to the 1700s and is testament to Portuguese engineering. Oddly it doesn’t cross the river, it spans the Alcantara valley, almost nine miles from Caneças to Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras. A popular tourist attraction, it features 35 beautiful arches, towers 63m into the air and contains the world’s highest stone arch.
Vasco da Gama Bridge, dating back to 1998, is another absolute whopper of an engineering triumph, this time just under 11 miles long and connecting north and south Portugal. So long you can’t see one end from the other when it’s cloudy, it’s named after one of Portugal’s best-known ancient explorers, the first man from his country to sail to India by sea. A classic suspension cable-stayed bridge, it stands 47m above the water. Designed to survive earthquakes more than four times better than most ordinary buildings in the region, this structure is built to survive the worst the earth can throw at it.
Leziria Bridge is another record-breaker, and it’s also as ugly as sin but hey, it’s BIG! More like Spaghetti Junction than an actual bridge, it spans the Tagus and Sorraia Rivers between Carregado and Benavente, seven and a half miles long, Europe’s second-longest of its kind and the world’s 9th longest.
The graceful, arching stone Roman Bridge of Catribana is the absolute opposite ancient and elegant. It once apparently connected two Roman villas across a pretty stream. Restored in 2019 but otherwise in its original state, you’ll find it at São João das Lampas in the Sintra district. Don’t miss the delightful village of Catribana nearby, after which the bridge was named.
Things to do on and around the River Tagus
Walking by the riverside is one of the city’s simplest pleasures, free for everyone to enjoy and giving you brilliant vistas of Lisbon and beyond. On a hot day the river breezes are lovely and refreshing and boat trips are a big attraction, everything from sailing to themed day trips, food and wine-focused adventures to romantic encounters on the water. Having said that, one of the cheapest and simplest ways to get to grips with the river is to simply take a commuter boat across it.
Add an expert guide to your river experience to get even more out of it: insights into ancient and modern life, the sights, the sounds, the history and the natural wonders. The views at Belém, particularly the Belém Tower and Monument to the Discoveries, are especially good from the water.
Is a bicycle your kind of transport? If so this is a brilliant bike-friendly place and while Lisbon itself is built on seven hills, it’s worth the effort! Luckily the riverbanks are flat and easy to ride on, making cycling a popular way to get from A to B as well as discover the many exciting and interesting sights and attractions lining the river.
There are some official cycle paths to enjoy, winding through the city itself and around its beautiful green parks, but the cycle routes paralleling the Tagus are the easiest and most enjoyable. Bike hire in Cais do Sodré, for example, means you can pedal your way to Belém, and the path between Alcântara and Belém is extra-nice, a chilled experience in green surroundings. Docas is stuffed with good eateries for a break along the way, the Electricity Museum is a lot of fun and the world-class Museum for Art, Architecture and Technology is also en-route. Once you reach Belém, make sure to taste the town’s famous custard tarts: Pastéis de Belém.
Nature and wildlife fans head for the estuary of the Tagus, a nature reserve carved out of the watery landscape loved by unique flora and fauna: flamingos, dolphins, and masses of exciting bird life. The Tagus Estuary is one of Portugal’s biggest wetland reserves, a place rich in mud flats, salt lakes and fields full of crops. The brackish water – part salt and part fresh – means it is home to all manner of interesting beasts, including the eel and lamprey that turn up in Lisbon restaurants when they’re in season.
If you’re in luck you’ll spot a pink flamingo, rare these days but still present if you’re patient. The pretty pied avocet, with its long elegant curved beak is also a big fan of estuary life, visible in large numbers along with greylag geese, stilts, redshanks, greenshanks and many more species.
The Telecabine Lisboa is a thrill and a half, a cable car route overlooking the lovely Parque das Nações and the river. For sheer romance at sunset and into the night, eating out on the riverfront at Cacilhas, in Almada, or in the Cais do Ginjal area, is unforgettable. Or pack a tasty picnic and head to Jardim do Rio, a leafy place near the Boca do Vento elevator where relaxation is the name of the game.
This is what Lisbon transfers mean to people like you, and it’s amazing. Add surfing, yoga, body-boarding, dolphin watching cruises, luxury sailboat trips and diving to your river-based itinerary and you can see why the Tagus inspired so many holidaymakers.
Take a look at our Tagus river tours and see what inspires you most.