Arouca, PORTUGAL

Portugal’s Arouca was recently featured on TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2021. Its claim to fame is the 516 Arouca Bridge—the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. Not for the faint-hearted, the bridge is 516 metres long and suspended at a height of 175 metres above River Rivo Paiva in Arouca’s UNESCO-recognised Global Geopark, an hour outside of the city of Porto. It connects the escarpment of the Aguieiras Waterfall and the area of the Paiva Gorge, two of the 41 geosites at the geopark. While the geopark has always been a hotspot for adventure, the town of Arouca with its white churches, tiled town square, and thriving food scene is an idyllic destination worth exploring. visitportugal.com