Parque da Vila (Parque Urbano de Ponte de Lima)

The Parque da Vila, officially the Parque Urbano de Ponte de Lima, is a 5.5-hectare park in the parish of Arca, close to homes, local services and the historic centre of Ponte de Lima. It opened on 21 October 2016, after the council spent about €600,000 turning a neglected corner of town into a park with native plants, footpaths, a children’s playground, a viewpoint and a pump track.

The pump track is the reason to make a special trip. Expresso picked it out in January 2025 as the in-town option for families who come to Ponte de Lima to ride, alongside the much bigger Bike Park in the Serra d’Arga hills.

The tourist office describes the track as a small, very irregular loop of rises, dips and banked corners placed close together, so a rider can go all the way round without pedalling and keep up speed just by working the bumps. That is how a pump track works: you press down on the back of each roller and lean into each berm, and your body movement, not your legs, drives the bike.

When the park opened in 2016 the council described a small track in compacted clay. The Trucks and Fins skate park directory now describes a concrete track of about 2,000 square metres, designed by ProRide Portugal, which also did the groundwork, with the concrete surface laid by Wasteland Skateparks and IOSkateparks. It sits just behind the town’s Pavilhão Municipal sports hall. Entry is free, as it is to the rest of the park, and nobody has published opening hours for it.

Mixed ages can share it if everyone takes turns. A child who has just learned to ride can roll round slowly between gaps, while an older child or teenager works on carrying speed through the bumps.

The council lists a children’s playground among the park’s features. A Galician family website that reviewed the park describes swings and climbing frames, a climbing wall (rocódromo) and exercise equipment, with bridges and viewpoints along the paths. The council hasn’t published a list of equipment or age ranges, so check what suits a toddler when you arrive.

The rest of the park is footpaths and trails through native plants that the council restored when it built the park, with a viewpoint looking over the town. The Parque da Vila is also one of the gardens that take part in Ponte de Lima’s International Garden Festival season, which runs from May to October.

Toddlers get the playground and paths for a buggy or balance bike. Children of 4 to 7 who ride pedal bikes can try slow laps of the pump track with a parent close by. Children of 8 to 12 will spend most of their time on the track, working out how to get round faster without pedalling. Teenagers on BMX or mountain bikes can chase faster laps.

Bring helmets, and knee pads and gloves for beginners, as the Vigopeques review recommends. Teach children to ride the loop in the same direction as everyone else and to wait for a gap before joining. The council hasn’t published rules on scooters or skateboards, so watch how others use it and follow any signs. Older riders tend to arrive after school and at weekends; young beginners do best at quieter times.

The park is outdoors and has no published information on toilets, parking or café facilities, so plan around the town centre for those. After heavy rain, check the surface before riding.

Ponte de Lima is full of things for children. Out at the Lagoas de Bertiandos protected area, the pony school at Quinta de Pentieiros has pony rides for young children. In summer, the Castelinho water park and Aquamuseu in Vila Nova de Cerveira has free water play, and on the coast the FeelViana pump track is another track to ride, with bikes to hire. In Barcelos, the pottery museum has the famous painted cockerels.

Is the Ponte de Lima pump track free?

Yes. It’s in a public council park and there is no charge to ride. The council hasn’t published opening hours, so go in daylight.

Can beginners use the pump track?

Yes, if they go slowly and wait for gaps. The tourist office describes a small loop of bumps and banked corners, so a beginner can roll round at their own pace while faster riders take turns.

Is there a playground?

Yes. The council lists a children’s playground in the park, and a family guide also mentions a climbing wall.

Where is it?

In the Parque da Vila on Via de São Bento (Estrada da Madalena), close to the historic centre and just behind the municipal sports hall.