Known as “A Raia” in Portuguese and “La Raya” in Spanish, the border between Portugal and Spain is one of the oldest and most stable in Europe, having remained largely unchanged for over 700 years. It’s a long, 1,200-kilometer frontier that cuts through remote, rugged, and often sparsely populated rural landscapes dotted with historic fortified towns and castles that once guarded the line. The border is now fully open under the Schengen Agreement, allowing for free and easy passage at dozens of points. You can cross on modern motorways or on tiny roads that have connected villages for centuries.
A truly unique experience awaits you at the Guadiana River, which forms the border in the south. Here, between the towns of Sanlúcar de Guadiana in Spain and Alcoutim in Portugal, you can cross the border on the world’s only cross-border zip line. In a thrilling 60-second ride, you fly across the river, arriving in a different country and, because Portugal is in a different time zone, technically landing an hour in the past. This playful and inventive crossing is a wonderful modern twist on a border that was once heavily defended, perfectly capturing the warm and friendly relationship between the two Iberian nations today.