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Municipality in Norte, Portugal
Photo: ANDARA RUTAS from Madrid, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
Arouca is a village and the seat of the same-named municipality in Douro Litoral. Visitors come to walk on the longest suspended pedestrian bridge in the world, which stretches 516 m across the Arouca Geopark, 175 m above the River Paiva.
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Abbey of Arouca
Founded in the 10th century and received the Carta do Couto in the 12th century. Its period of greatest glory was during the patronage of D. Mafalda, daughter of Sancho I. The most notable spaces in the whole ensemble are the Church, the Choir of the Nuns, the Cloisters, the Refectory and the Kitchen. Inside the monastery is the Museum of Sacred Art, one of the best in the Iberian Peninsula.
Museu de Arte Sacra
Part of the monastery, contains large group of sculptures, paintings, jewellery, ceramics, books and other artefacts.
A punch formed by three steps of hexagonal section with an upper frame, circular base, smooth and cylindrical shaft and capital ornamented by two royal shields and topped by an armillary sphere.
Mannerist temple that preserves its original 17th century structure.
A museum dedicated to showing the phenomenon of granite rocks that are "giving birth" to biotite rocks. This is a relatively unique phenomenon, the museum is a bit less unique.
The longest suspended pedestrian bridge in the world, unsurprisingly 516 m in length. Reservations are made and tickets are bought online.
It has 8 km (5 miles) of wooden walkways.
The waterfall is fed by the waters of the Caima River and has a height of around 75 m,being one of the highest waterfalls in Portugal (the highest in Portugal is on Santa Maria island).
Country restaurant with a view of the hills.
Three-star, 50-room hotel in the town centre. Amenities include A/C, hot tub, meeting rooms, bar, restaurant, room service, free breakfast, and free Wi-Fi .
Arouca's nearest motorway is the A32 (Auto-Estrada do Douro Litoral), which connects to town via the EN224 or EN326 roads.
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