Boat rental in Lisbon · Madeira — Varino (1950)

The Vala Real vessel is a wooden boat, typical of the Tagus River, originally used as a cargo boat on the route between Lisbon and Vila Nova da Barquinha. It was built between 1839 and 1844, during the reign of D. Maria II, by the Azambuja Canal Company. The name derives from the Royal Vault, a 17 km navigable canal between the Palácio das Obras Novas (Azambuja) and the Asseca Bridge (Santarém), connected to the Tagus. The vessel was interrupted after the decree of July 1857, which terminated the services of Companhia dos Canais due to the arrival of the Northern Railroad, promoted by the government of Fontes Pereira de Melo. Acquired in 1997 by the municipality of Azambuja on the Mouchões Route, Vala Real became an important national and international tourist attraction until 2012, when it was taken to a shipyard and left to be abandoned. In 2020, it was restored and returned to the waters of the Tagus with the support of funds from the European Union.