Câmara municipal de Valença

Valença as a historic border town in northern Portugal, located along the Minho River opposite Tui (Spain), forming part of the Portugal–Galicia cross-border region, a strategic, cultural, and economic hub in the Euro-region. A central focus of the municipality is the Fortress of Valença, one of the largest and best-preserved military fortifications in Europe. The historic fortress and its surrounding urban area are presented as the city’s main heritage asset and tourist attraction, with strong links to 2,000 years of border history and cultural exchange. 

The municipality promotes Valença as a destination for:

  • Heritage tourism (fortress, historic streets, monuments)
  • Nature and river landscapes along the Minho
  • Gastronomy (notably regional dishes like lamprey, cod, and lamb)
  • Shopping and traditional commerce, including its large open-air retail area

In Valença, the main ecopista is the Ecopista do Rio Minho, one of the most important greenways in northern Portugal.

Contact data:

Address: Praça de República, 4930-702, Valença, Portugal

Contact persons: Jose Temporao Monte, Fernando Jose Pereira de Barros
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The “greenway” from Valença do Minho to Monção is 15 Km long, and runs parallel to the river Minho, which stretches between the densely wooded edges, using the disused Monçao branch railway line. The Ecopista “Rio Minho”, was inaugurated on 14th November 2004, it is the first national “ecopista” (greenway) to use the disused railway.

Awards

>> 8th European Greenways Award (2017 – Limerick, Ireland); 3rd Prize Excelence to: Rio Minho Greenway – Portugal, presented by the Municipalities of Monção, Valença, Vila Nova de Cerveira and Caminha, Portugal: For the high quality infrastructure of the nearly 50 km long itinerary along the Minho River, using a disused railway line extended by riverside paths and rural tracks. The Minho Greenway connects towns, villages and places of natural interest, many of them part of the Natura 2000 Network, enabling locals and tourists, including those with reduced mobility, to access areas of exceptional natural beauty. It has been highly rated by visitors.

>> 4th European Greenways Award 2009 St Vith (Belgium); 4th Prize excellence to Rio Minho greenways. Presented by the Câmara Municipal de Valença, and Câmara Municipal de Monção. The Jury decide to give a 4th Prize to Ecopista do Minho (Portugal). Example of promising greenway close of the international border.