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Madis'Bräu
3.3 mi from the city centre · Esposende · Portugal
Where the Cávado meets the sea: Esposende
Esposende is known for its protected coast where the River Cávado meets the Atlantic, with dunes, beaches, reefs and woods. Read on for a fort at the river mouth, an 1892 iron bridge, traces of people 300,000 years old, a local sweet and 2 craft breweries.
2 breweries · 0 venues
Esposende, in the district of Braga, sits where the River Cávado meets the Atlantic, and the council promotes it as a "Privilégio da Natureza", a privilege of nature, between sea, rivers and hills. Stone tools found in archaeological digs, attributed to the Acheulean culture, push human presence here back some 300,000 years. King Sebastião made Esposende a town by charter on 19 August 1572, still the municipal holiday, and it became a city on 2 July 1993. Esposende also lies on the Portuguese Way of the Camino de Santiago.
The coast runs for 16 or 18 km, depending on the source, and is protected as the Parque Natural do Litoral Norte, which stretches from the mouth of the River Neiva to the south of Apúlia. The park takes in river and sea beaches, reefs, dunes, pine and oak woods, farmland and the large estuary of the Cávado, and was created with special emphasis on preserving the dune system. At the river mouth, the Forte de São João Baptista was built between 1699 and 1704 under Pedro II to defend the Cávado estuary; it later gained a red cast-iron lighthouse.
Across the estuary, the iron truss bridge at Fão, designed by Abel Maria da Mota, opened on 7 August 1892 and has been listed as a Property of Public Interest since 1986. Other heritage includes the Castro de São Lourenço hillfort and the Sanctuary of Senhora da Guia in Belinho, while the town has a municipal museum and a maritime museum. Look out for the clarinha, Esposende's best-known sweet, thought to have originated in Fão. Summer brings religious processions, among them Senhora da Saúde e Soledade in Esposende on 15 August.
Esposende pairs its river mouth and dunes with 2 craft breweries, worth seeking out after a day on the coast.
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Breweries in Esposende
Frequently asked questions
Esposende is in the district of Braga, where the River Cávado meets the Atlantic, and lies on the Portuguese Way of the Camino de Santiago. Stone tools found in excavations push human presence here back some 300,000 years. King Sebastião made it a town in 1572, and it became a city in 1993.
Yes. The coast is protected as a natural park stretching from the mouth of the River Neiva to the south of Apúlia. It takes in river and sea beaches, reefs, dunes, pine and oak woods, farmland and the large Cávado estuary, and was created with special emphasis on preserving the dune system.
At the river mouth stands a fort built between 1699 and 1704 to defend the Cávado estuary, which later gained a red iron lighthouse. Across the estuary, an iron truss bridge at Fão opened in 1892 and is listed as a Property of Public Interest. The town also has a municipal museum and a maritime museum.
Esposende has 2 craft breweries, worth seeking out after a day on the coast by the river mouth and the dunes. While you are here, look out for the clarinha, the town's best-known sweet, which is thought to have originated in Fão, just across the estuary.