World’s longest pedestrian bridge opens in Portugal; it’s not for the faint of heart

There are three requirements to walk across the newly opened Arouca Bridge in northern Portugal: You have to pay the fee. You must be accompanied by a guide. And, preferably, you don’t have a fear of heights. | Sergio Azenha / AP

The newly opened Arouca Bridge is a nearly 1,700-foot walk at a height of 574 feet above the River Paiva in Arouca, a city in northern Portugal.

AROUCA, Portugal — It’s probably best if you gird yourself before daring to look down from the Arouca Bridge.

The newly opened footbridge, suspended across a river canyon in northern Portugal, is said to be the world’s longest pedestrian bridge.

The Arouca Bridge, which opened to the public on Monday, offers a nearly 1,700-foot walk along a narrow, metal walkway suspended from cables.About 574 feet below, the Paiva River flows through a waterfall.

Sergio Azenha / AP

People walk across the newly opened Arouca Bridge.

Arouca is 186 miles north of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital.

Guinness World Records lists the world’s longest suspension bridge for pedestrians as Japan’s Kokonoe Yume Bridge, which opened in 2006 and spans 1,280 feet. But the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, which opened in the Swiss Alps in 2017, challenges that mark at 1,621 feet.

The Arouca Bridge cost the equivalent of $2.8 million to build. Children under 6 aren’t allowed on it. Anyone who’s up for the thrill of walking the dizzying span will have to pay a fee of the equivalent of $12 to $14, book it online and be accompanied by a guide.

Sergio Azenha / AP

People walk across the newly opened Arouca Bridge in northern Portugal.

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