Some bridges stand at dizzying heights, some are unfathomably long, and some have sunk below the waves. There’s even one that’s weirdly circular. But now, we’re going to introduce you to one of the shortest of them all, where in a few steps you can find yourself in a whole new country – and needing to adjust your watch.
The bridge is a wooden structure that links two locations in two countries: the Arronches municipality of Portugal and the municipality of La Codosera, Spain. Sources vary on exactly how long the bridge is – many state it is 3.2 meters (10.4 feet), whereas the municipality of Arronches states that it is around 6 meters (19.7 feet). It is unclear what portions of the bridge and surrounding structures count in the official measurement.
What’s more, every time you make this minuscule journey, you’ll need to adjust any timepieces by one hour, since Spain uses Central European Time (UTC + 1 hour) while Portugal is on Western European Standard Time (UTC +/- 0 hours).
The petite puente – or ponte, depending on which side you’re standing on – is a relatively new addition to the landscape, having been reconstructed in the 2000s thanks to funding from the European Union (EU) to replace an older version. However, Portugalist explains that the border between these two neighboring communities has really only ever existed on maps, and crossings were frequent long before they were legally allowed.
You’d be forgiven for looking at the crossing in question, over the Abrilongo River, and thinking, “I could probably just jump that,” but we’re here to disabuse you of that notion. According to TheMayor.eu, the waters here can get quite treacherous, so generations of locals used to resort to improvising a crossing point using planks of wood, which would frequently get washed away. Apparently, it was the site of a fair amount of smuggling over the years.
The modern bridge measures just 1.45 meters (4.8 feet) in width, so needless to say its use is limited to cyclists and pedestrians, and maybe the odd motorbike. Despite crossing an international border, you’ll find no passport checks here – both Spain and Portugal are EU member states and thus part of the Schengen Area, so citizens and tourists can move freely between the two.
It really is quite small.
There have been some other – unsuccessful – contenders for the status of the Ponte Internacional do Marco, AKA the Puente de El Marco, as undisputed champ of the short international crossings, however.
Many believe that the Zavikon Island bridge, which connects a Canadian island to another small island purportedly within the territory of the United States, is the shortest international bridge – but it’s actually quite a bit longer than Marco, coming in at around 10 meters (32 feet) according to Atlas Obscura. However, it turns out that this is not an example of a border crossing at all – as Snopes points out, both islands are actually part of Canada. Marco’s crown seems secure for the foreseeable future.
But if a teeny bridge doesn’t thrill you, and you crave a little more adrenaline with your border crossing, then you’re in luck.
The Spain-Portugal border is also home to the world’s only cross-border zip line, allowing you to zoom back in time as you arrive in Alcoutim, Portugal almost an hour before you set off from Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Spain.
