What you can see on the Tui webcam
A camera at the Parador turns between the two countries: one way to the cathedral and the old town climbing its hill, the other across the river to the walls of the fortress of Valença. Mist in the valley, the light on the stone and the state of the weather on both banks are all there.
Tui cathedral and Valença across the Miño
From the grounds of the Parador, just south of the old town, this camera swings between Spain and Portugal. Turned one way, it frames Tui's cathedral on top of its hill, a battlemented Romanesque and Gothic church that looks more like a castle, with the houses of the old town tumbling below it. Turned the other way, it looks across the Miño to the ramparts of Valença's star-shaped fortress on the Portuguese bank, with the wooded valley in between.
The river is the border here, and the old iron bridge between the two towns is the way pilgrims on the Portuguese Way walk into Spain. When mist lies in the valley the camera shows little but white; the picture is clearest once it has lifted, and the cathedral looks its best in the low light of evening.
Two towns, one border
The Miño has been a frontier for most of the last nine centuries, and the two towns face each other like rival castles: Tui with its fortified cathedral, Valença with a star-shaped fortress whose ramparts now enclose shops and cafés. An iron bridge built in the 19th century carries road and rail between them, and a modern motorway bridge crosses nearby. With both countries in the Schengen area there are no border checks, and crossing on foot takes a few minutes. Tui is a popular starting point for the Portuguese Way, being a little more than the 100 km (62 miles) from Santiago that walkers need to earn their Compostela certificate.
When to watch Tui
Tui keeps Spanish time, one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland, while Valença, a few hundred metres away, is on the same time as London. Mist often lies on the river in the early morning and burns off later; the camera shows when it has gone. Summers in the Miño valley are warmer than on the coast, and the evening light on the cathedral is the best of the day.
Around Tui
Monte Aloia, a wooded natural park on the hills just north of the town, has walks and views over the valley. Downstream, A Guarda sits at the mouth of the Miño, about 18 miles (28 km) away, and Vigo and its beaches are about half an hour north.
Getting to Tui
Porto airport in Portugal is about 75 miles (120 km) south by motorway and is usually the easiest gateway for British and Irish visitors; Santiago de Compostela is about 80 miles (130 km) north. Many walkers start out from Valença, on the Portuguese side, and cross the bridge on foot.
