Valença and Tui

Photo: Joseolgon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Valença sits on the Portuguese bank of the Minho. The fort is a walk, with shops inside the walls selling household goods to people who have crossed for the day. Tui is the Spanish town on the other bank, with a cathedral up the hill from the river. You can walk between them. Spain is one hour ahead, including at lunch, so a kitchen in Tui may already be closed when a kitchen in Valença is still laying the table.

The practical way from Porto without a car is the train north through Viana do Castelo to Valença. While the Celta is split by a bus, Valença is still a station on the Portuguese side of that trip. Check cp.pt the day you go. Do not assume the last train home is late. On a Sunday it may not be.

If you drive, the A3 and the A28 both charge. That is in Tolls when you drive north. Bring a passport. This is a border, even when nobody stops you.

Checked 24 October 2026. If an official page disagrees, follow that page.