Walking around the town you will notice various paintings made out of tiles which depict the history of Ponte de Lima. One shows King John IV arriving in the town with his entourage in 1640. At the back of the old district there are also many chapels which the rich inhabitants of the town (and there were many) had built in their honour.
Ponte de Lima is a great centre for activities and outdoor pursuits. An EcoPath has been created along the river for walking or cycling, and bikes can be hired in the Sailing Club. The nearby Serra de Arga granite hills are great for hiking, and the river itself has kayaks for hire. The nearby nature reserve of Lagoas in Bertiandos (reachable via the EcoPath) provides bird spotting opportunities and scenic nature walks.
There is also a golf course to the south of Ponte de Lima and an equestrian centre.
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Ponte de Lima and so there is something to suit all tastes and budgets. The most classic dish is Sarrabulho Rice, marinated pork served with rice in a rich sauce. It is very popular with locals but some of the ingredients are not for the faint-hearted.
Cod with onion sauce is another local dish, but cod cooked in many other ways is ubiquitous. Crème brulée is a traditional desert and of course the wine to try is the regional Vinho Verde which can be either red or white. It is good to have also with some Petiscos, the Portuguese version of tapas. If you go early in the season you may also be in time to try another local dish, Lampreia, the main ingredient being eels which swim up the River Lima early in the year.
The main annual festival is the Feiras Novas, the New Fair, which despite its name, has been an annual event since 1826. Held in a weekend of September the activities are limitless: livestock contests, folklore shows, boat races, fireworks, fairgrounds, processions and wandering minstrels to mention but a few. It takes place after the harvests, normally around the 2nd or 3rd weekend of the month.
The International Garden Festival is very varied and interesting, featuring small gardens designed by different countries with different themes each year. It runs from the end of May to the end of October.
In July each year there is the two-week festival, Percusos da Música, an arts festival with music and opera as well as literature and dance events. The main venue is the town’s theatre but performances also take place in nearby manor houses and down by the river.
Other festivals are the Horse Fair in June, the Vaca das Cordas the day before Corpus Christi (early June) where a bull is chased through the town and Corpus Christi itself when the town’s streets are covered with flowers.
