Home See & Do Activities Ponte 25 de Abril: Golden Gate Bridge Lisbon

Ponte 25 de Abril: Golden Gate Bridge Lisbon

Modified date: February 15, 2022

Being the longest suspension bridge in Europe, Ponte 25 de Abril is situated in the capital city Lisbon. The Portuguese name means “The 25th April Bridge” in English. It’s named after the first day of the revolution. Among other Portugal bridges, Ponte 25 de Abril is the longest bridge.

This Lisbon bridge has two decks: upper and lower. While the upper deck is for cars, the lower deck is for railway tracks.

In this guide, you’ll be able to learn the history, construction, and interesting facts about this bridge in Lisbon.

Table of Contents

Construction of The Golden Gate Bridge Portugal

Taking 45 months to be built, 25 de Abril Bridge was inaugurated on Aug. 6, 1966. So, it took around 4 years to complete the construction.

At that time, the name of the bridge was Salazar Bridge. It was named after the dictator of Portugal, António de Oliveira Salazar. Following the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974, its name was changed to Ponte 25 de Abril.

The American Bridge Company designed the Golden Gate Bridge Lisbon. The same company was responsible for the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco as well. Both bridges have common features with each other. For example, they’re both red and suspension bridges. In addition, the high pillars of both bridges are built in the same way.

Where is the 25 de Abril Bridge?

Lisbon Golden Gate Bridge takes place southwest of Lisbon, covering the Tagus River. Lisbon and Almada are connected through this bridge.

Things To Know About the Golden Gate Bridge Lisbon

The road level of the bridge is 70 meters above the Tagus River
The bridge is about 2.3 km in total
You can’t walk on the Golden Gate Bridge Portugal. Only one exception exists: during the half-marathon in March
It’s not safe to ride a bicycle on the bridge
The lower level joined the Lisbon bridge in 1999, to make railway tracks to pass to the other side of Lisbon
Especially on Saturday and Sunday evenings in summer, the Lisbon Golden Gate Bridge gets very busy. The reason is that people come back from the beaches of Costa da Caparica.

The Price of Golden Gate Bridge Lisbon

The toll fee to cross the Lisbon bridge is only one-way. So, if you go from Almada to Lisbon, you’ll pay a fee of €1,90 if you drive a car. For campervans and vans, the price is €4,15. You can pay by cash or debit card.

Conversely, if you leave Lisbon – meaning that you’re going to the south- then, you don’t pay a toll. The aim is to reduce the traffic in the city.

Comparatively, the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon costs €2,85 for cars.

Interesting Things to Know About the 25 de Abril Bridge

We’ve covered some interesting facts about this Lisbon Portugal bridge below:

You can see Golden Gate Bridge Portugal from everywhere in Lisbon.

Several films included The Ponte 25 de Abril. For example, the bridge was used for many scenes of James Bond in 1969.
You can view the main platform of the bridge thanks to the observation deck constructed later. At Pilar 7, you can see the bridge on the road level. You get on a lift with a glass floor up to the road level. It costs €6 to enter Pilar 7.
On average, 150,000 cars cross the 25 de Abril Bridge each day. Including the peak hours, the number may sometimes reach around 380,000.