Of the bridges that connect Porto to Villa Nova de Gaia, the Ponte do Freixo is the most up the river. It was built in an attempt to minimize the traffic congestion experienced in the Pontes da Arrábida and D. Louis I, especially notorious since the late 1980s. Being a project by Professor António Reis, it was inaugurated in 1995, and carries interesting characteristics: it is actually two bridges built side by side and 10 cm apart from each other. It currently has eight traffic routes and is intended exclusively for road traffic.

To provide a more effective response to railway connections, the São João Bridge was built. Designed by Edgar Cardoso, its construction began in 1984 and was only inaugurated in 1991, after successive advances in completion and with a financial drain justified by its high technical complexity. Unlike most bridges, this is not in arc, but in a continuous multiple portico, of vertical pillars and with three voids. Although, at the time, some experts considered its inauguration a little premature, this railway infrastructure continues to transport the Northern Line over the Douro River.

But when we cross the Douro River aboard a fantastic cruise, we notice that the D. Louis Bridge is not the oldest bridge in the city. The Maria Pia Bridge, built between 1876 and 1877 by the company of Gustave Eiffel, was the first railway bridge to connect the two banks of the Douro. Equipped with a single line – which required the passage of a composition at a time, at a speed that could not exceed 20km/h and with very limited loads – in the last quarter of the 20th century it became obvious that this bridge no longer responded satisfactorily to the needs. The imposition of this bridge can still be observed, but it is disabled.

Finally, the Infante Bridge is the most recent bridge connecting the two banks of the Douro River. Named in honor of the Portuguese Infante D. Henrique, it was built to replace the upper board of the Louis I Bridge, which has been converted to use in the Metro of Porto. Built in the heart of the historic area, it connects the picturesque Bairro das Fontaínhas with the famous Serra do Pilar (where one can observe one of the most beautiful views over the port). Inaugurated in 2003 and authored by Adam da Fonseca, this high-quota bridge is considered by many world experts as one of the thinnest in this type of bridges.

In ancient times the crossing between the shores was done with boat resources, but the need for a permanent crossing for the movement of people and goods was felt. The Bridge of the Boats was born in 1806. This bridge consisted of 20 boats linked by steel cables and could be opened to allow river traffic. But there was an increase in traffic that required the construction of a new bridge. The famous suspended Pênsil Bridge was built in 1843 and was only disabled after the opening of the Louis I Bridge in 1886, next to it, which is now the oldest bridge in the city of Porto that remains in activity. The Luiz I Bridge, from its true name, is the most iconic in Porto and one of the most famous in Portugal. It was built between 1881 and 1888 and designed by Theophilo Seyrig, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. The iron arch of this bridge is considered the world's largest arc in forged iron.

The Arrábida Bridge was inaugurated in 1963 and was designed by Edgar Cardoso. At the time of its construction it had the largest armed concrete bow anywhere in the world. With a spring of 270m, it reaches 70m above the average water level. Despite the later construction of the Freixo Bridge, the Arrábida Bridge remains the main link between the city of Porto and the south bank of the Douro.