Rio de Onor


This lovely little town of 70 souls situated in the eastern half of the park is entirely unfazed by the Spanish–Portuguese border splicing it down the middle. It’s interesting not just for its rustic stone buildings, the ground floors of which still house straw-filled stables for goats, sheep and donkeys, but also for its staunch maintenance of the communal lifestyle once typical of the region.

Spend an afternoon here and you’ll see elderly locals trundling wheelbarrows from the well-tended community gardens surrounding town, pitchforking hay onto horse-drawn carts, stopping in at the local cafe – the communally shared proceeds of which are used to fund town festivals – or trading jobs with each other – one cousin staying to mind the store while the other goes to bring in the sheep. The twinned village also has one other claim to fame – a hybrid Portuguese–Spanish dialect known as Rionorês.

The border runs east–west through the middle of the village, while the Rio de Onor trickles along perpendicular to it. The road from Bragança continues north through town into Spain, branching right just before the border to cross an old stone bridge to the prettiest part of the village, where you’ll find the community cafe.

From Bragança, STUB bus 5 heads to Rio de Onor (€2, one hour) two to three times daily.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Montesinho

7.7 MILES

Hidden at the end of the road in a narrow valley wedged between forbidding granite heights, this tiny village is one of the park’s best-preserved, thanks…

3. Plaza Mayor

7.94 MILES

At the top of the village, this striking town square is surrounded by some fine historical buildings. The 17th-century ayuntamiento (town hall) has a…

5. Castillo

7.99 MILES

Crowning the village's high point and dominating its skyline for kilometres around, the castle has some interesting displays on local history, flora and…

6. Igreja de São Bento

11.6 MILES

Bragança’s most attractive church has a Renaissance stone portal, a wonderful trompe l’œil ceiling over the nave and an Arabic-style inlaid ceiling above…

7. Museu Militar

11.63 MILES

The stout Torre de Menagem now houses this lacklustre museum, but the price of admission is well worth the chance to climb storey after storey and take in…