Vasco da Gama Bridge | Longest Bridge In Europe

Named after a famous explorer is the impressive 17 km long bridge. If you are done with shopping and eating out at Lisbon, checked out exciting and scenic routes to or from the city, head out to Vasco da Gama Bridge. This will be a notable addition on your Lisbon sightseeing checklist given it is the longest bridge in Europe!

Europe’s Longest Bridge

If you are driving it actually very easy to end up doing this attraction unintentionally which will be a bit of a disaster if you have plans! Me and a friend ended up taking the wrong turn and ended up on the bridge with no way off until we reached the other end. Thats a 30 mile detour but thankfully we were not in any particular hurry and the sighe coming back into Lisbon is truly breathtaking. It reminded me a bit of star wars and flying into a futuristic cityscape. I have a healthy imagination granted!

Constructed in the memory of this famous seafarer, the Vasco da Gama Bridge was inaugurated ahead of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition. On a misty day, it becomes impossible to see the other end of a bridge. After all, this is the longest bridge in the whole of Europe, extending over 10 miles or 17 kms! It starts from Montijo and heads into Lisbon. It is located at the southern banks of River Tagus. The Vasco da Gama Bridge was constructed at a short time of only 18 months by the companies that worked under the firm called Lusoponte! 

The Vasco da Gama Bridge required the work of 3000 workers along with 2500 workers who were hired to work on the World Expo site. Since Lisbon lies in a zone of seismic activity, the engineering required Vasco da Gama bridge to be equally strong and withstand any earthquake tremors which it has been reported to handle with ease. 

The Vasco da Gama Bridge has foundations as deep as 95 meters into the bedrock under the seabed which is needed to help provide stability to this behemoth 6 lane structure. Make sure to check the business hours and the toll tax you will need to pay as per your vehicle when you plan a drive from end to end!

Look out for other attractions nearby:

• Torre Vasco da Gama is a 145-metre lattice tower with skyscraper in the civil parish of Parque das Nações.
• Park of the Nations: Neighbourhood constructed as part of the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition.
• Oceanário de Lisboa: The Second largest of its kind in Europe with over 15,000 inhabitants and is very close to the Vasco da Gama Bridge!