Funicular dos Guindais, Porto

At this station, Funicular dos Guindais carries passengers between Batalha on the upper city and Ribeira by the river. The contemporary railway opened in 2004 along the corridor used by an earlier funicular. That predecessor began in June 1891 and closed after a carriage ran loose into the riverside platform in June 1893.

Its driver was hurt but lived, while a child aboard received minor injuries. The present route measures 281 metres and descends 61 metres, with a journey of about two and a half minutes. Beside the rails, remnants of the Fernandine Walls trace Porto’s former defences. Notice the cabin’s broad glazing and the sharp fall of the route; once beyond the tunnel, passengers see the Dom Luís I Bridge and the banks of the Douro.