Roads Viana do Castelo is served by several major roadways that connect it to other parts of northern Portugal and to Spain. The city lies along the
A28 motorway, linking it to
Porto in the south and
Vila Nova de Cerveira to the north, from where the route N13 heads towards the Spanish border near
Valença. Additionally, the
A27 motorway starts in Viana and heads eastwards towards
Ponte de Lima, where it links with the
A3 motorway. There are several
national routes passing through the municipality, connecting to the city and its other civil parishes. N13 runs alongside the Atlantic coast, linking the city to
Areosa, Carreço and
Afife and to the towns of
Caminha and
Vila Praia de Âncora to the north and to
Darque,
Anha,
Chafé, São Romão de Neiva and
Castelo de Neiva (via the N13-3 branch) and the town of
Esposende to the south. N202 and N203 have an east-west alignment, running alongside the
Lima River towards Ponte de Lima. N202 goes along the northern bank, connecting Viana do Castelo with the parishes of Santa Marta de Portuzelo, Cardielos, Serreleis, Torre, Vila Mou and Lanheses. N203 runs along the southern bank, linking Darque with
Mazarefes, Vila Franca, Deão and Geraz do Lima. Other national routes include N302 linking the city to Perre and Outeiro, N308 linking Darque to Vila de Punhe,
Barroselas and Carvoeiro and N305, an orbital route connecting several parishes and crossing the Lima River at Geraz do Lima and Lanheses.
Buses Viana do Castelo has an
urban bus network named TuViana, operating inside the city of Viana do Castelo and in the parishes of Carreço, Areosa, Perre, Santa Marta de Portuzelo, Darque, Anha, Chafé, Mazarefes and Vila Fria. Its 14 lines span a total of for regular services and for school services. Other bus operators providing local or intermunicipal services include Auto Viação Cura, AVIC and A. V. Minho. Several operators provide express services from Viana do Castelo to other cities, such as Porto, including A. V. Minho,
FlixBus,
Rede Expressos and Ovnitur. Additionally, the operator Getbus provides direct connections between Viana do Castelo and
Porto Airport.
Railways , where the Minho Line crosses the Lima River in Viana. Viana do Castelo is served by the
Minho railway line, which connects Porto to
Valença, at the Spanish border. Rail services are operated by
Comboios de Portugal, with trains calling at three stations within the municipality, Viana do Castelo, Darque, and Barroselas, and at six halts: Senhora das Neves, Alvarães, Areia-Darque, Areosa, Carreço, and Afife. Four types of passenger services operate on this line: regional, interregional, intercity, and the international Celta service. Regional trains run between
Porto (São Bento) and Valença, stopping at all stations and halts. Interregional services operate between
Figueira da Foz and Valença, stopping at Barroselas, Areia-Darque, Viana do Castelo, and Afife. Intercity trains connect
Coimbra to Valença, stopping at Barroselas and Viana do Castelo, while the Celta trains link
Porto (Campanhã) with
Vigo (Guixar), in Spain, stopping only at Viana do Castelo. It is Portugal's seventh largest seaport in terms of cargo, handling primarily
breakbulk cargo,
dry bulk, including cement, and some
liquid bulk cargoes, such as
asphalt. In 2024, 196 ships called at the port and 332,000 tonnes of cargo were handled, equivalent to 0.4% of maritime cargo in Portugal. The port also includes a fishing harbour and a
marina, and occasionally serves
cruise ships, with twelve calls recorded in 2023.
Aviation The nearest airports are
Porto Airport, located approximately south and
Vigo–Peinador Airport in Spain, located approximately northeast of Viana do Castelo. ==Architecture==