Ponte Dª Maria Pia

The D. Maria Pia Bridge is a railway infrastructure on the Douro River, to the Northern Line, between the cities of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia. This is one of the first great works of Gustavo Eiffel, with the collaboration of Theophilus Seyrig, and was inaugurated in 1877, having worked as such for 114 years, until 1991 when it was closed and replaced by the São João Bridge.

The bridge was baptized in honor of Maria Pia de Saboia, wife of D. Luis I who in turn offers the name to the iconic bridge of the city.

In 1982 it was classified as a National Monument and in 1999 it was recognized as a landmark of civil engineering, due to its innovative character. More recently the bridge was considered by The Guardian as one of the most beautiful in the world.