Winding Along the Tagus: A Tour Between Two Riverbanks - A motorcycle journey organized and lived with 2Ride Portugal, in the person of Sérgio Lopes - Chapter 5 of 5 - The Circle Closes in Lisbon
The Last Crossings
We had reached the final stretch of the journey, with two more bridges left to cross. First came the Marechal Carmona Bridge, in Vila Franca de Xira — the first bridge to ever link the two banks of the Tagus in the Lisbon area, opened in 1951. Then, on this last approach to the city, we caught sight of the Vasco da Gama Bridge again in the distance — the same one we'd crossed on the morning of day one, now seen from a completely different angle, as if the circle of this journey were already beginning to close before our eyes.
Marechal Carmona Bridge, Vila Franca de Xira (1951)
Sixteen Bridges Later, We Cross Home
Our sixteenth and final crossing of the Tagus was the one that brought us home: the 25 de Abril Bridge. Opened on August 6, 1966, it was originally named Ponte Salazar, after the dictator of the time, and only took its current name after the 1974 Revolution. Built by the same American company behind San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the resemblance is no accident — the same burnt-orange towers, the same suspended silhouette against the water. At 2,277 meters long, with a central span of 1,013 meters, it remains one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe, still carrying both road traffic above and trains below, exactly as it was designed to do from the start, even though the railway wasn't added until 1999. Riding across it, with Lisbon's hills rising ahead and the Tagus opening wide beneath the wheels, felt like the proper way to close a journey built entirely out of bridges.
25 de Abril Bridge, Lisboa (1966)
Where the Tagus Meets the Sea
We didn't stop in the city center. Instead, we followed the river all the way down to where it finally meets the sea, reaching the coast as the day was winding down. There, at Forte de São Julião da Barra, in Oeiras, we found the largest and best-preserved fortress of its kind in Portugal — once known as the "Shield of the Kingdom," standing guard over the mouth of the Tagus for centuries. Its lighthouse has been lit since 1761, and together with the Bugio Lighthouse, perched on its own sandbank out in the water, the two mark the historic gateway between river and ocean. As the light began to fade, the Bugio stood there on the horizon, small and solitary against the open Atlantic — the last image of a journey that had started, days earlier, on the exact opposite end of this same river.
São Julião da Barra Fort, Caxias
A Thank You That Tastes of the Open Road
Once again, I finished a trip with 2Ride Portugal already wanting to book the next one. I'm always amazed by these incredible roads, by their beauty as much as by their challenge. I owe a heartfelt thank you to Sérgio Lopes and 2Ride Portugal for all the guidance, dedication, care, and excellent organization behind this tour, as well as all the good spirits and truly enjoyable moments throughout these days.
Already wondering when the next one will be. 🙂
motorcycling enthusiasts selfie moment on a river crossing.
