Laços da Amizade Bridge

The Laços da Amizade bridge, in Aveiro

The Laços da Amizade bridge, or bridge of the knots of friendship, is one of the most charming footbridges of Aveiro, adorned with thousands of colourful ribbons. The Aveiro audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this small pedestrian bridge born in 2014 from an idea of students, where friends and lovers tie ribbons in sign of union, become a tender symbol of the city nicknamed the Portuguese Venice.

History

Delicately installed on the lagoon zone of the Ria, Aveiro is strongly marked by the presence of water. Often compared to Venice, the Portuguese city embraces a network of canals that make its visit on foot all the more charming, and you pass from one quay to the other by taking the bridges. But the one that you absolutely must approach is the Laços da Amizade bridge. Its particularity lies in this multitude of colourful ribbons that adorn its balustrades. According to the story, this initiative would have been born from a joke between Helena Miranda and Rafael Coutinho, two former marketing students of the city university. In 2014, after a class, the two young people seek a new appeal image for Aveiro and tie together ribbons with their names on the railings of this bridge, in sign of union and love. Inhabitants then tourists quickly took up the game, to the point that today the bridge of the knots of friendship is overwhelmed with colourful pieces of fabric, becoming an emblematic place full of tenderness of the city.

What to see

Here you cross a charming small pedestrian bridge over the canals of Aveiro, whose balustrades are overwhelmed with thousands of colourful ribbons; born in 2014 from an idea of marketing students, this bridge of the knots of friendship has become a tender symbol where friends and lovers tie their bonds. The Laços da Amizade bridge is a postcard of Aveiro. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Laços da Amizade bridge spans a canal in the centre of Aveiro, reachable on foot. It is a small pedestrian bridge in free access, recognisable by its colourful ribbons, that you discover during a walk along the canals.

Why is the Laços da Amizade bridge of Aveiro covered with ribbons?

Because in 2014, two marketing students, Helena Miranda and Rafael Coutinho, tied ribbons with their names there in sign of union, to give a new image to Aveiro; inhabitants and tourists imitated them, and the bridge of the knots of friendship is today overwhelmed with thousands of colourful ribbons where friends and lovers tie their bonds.

Where is the Laços da Amizade bridge in Aveiro?

On a canal in the centre of Aveiro, in Portugal.