The small Portuguese city of Porto is world-renowned for the wines that bear its name. Its name is Porto (port), but the Portuguese call it Oporto (the port). And it is the second largest metropolitan area city in Portugal.

Much of its architecture is internally lined with blue tiles. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In this article we mention the points to visit on a lightning visit to this beautiful and ancient city, founded by the Romans.

Arriving

The Francisco Sá Carneiro airport has an internal metro station that takes you to the central part of the city. So it is very easy to start the tour as soon as you arrive in the city

Porto is very enjoyable on foot due to its picturesque appearance. You can start the tour from the City Hall, located on Aliados Avenue near the San Benito station.

The San Benito train and bus station is well worth a visit on its own, and not just to make connections. With a special decoration of tile murals, showing historical scenes from Portugal. with a huge clock. The blue tiles of the tiles are integrated into the architecture. Its robust three-story facade is in a Beaux-Arts style.

Gastronomy

A typical dish is Bacalhau a Gomes de Sá, a pan with cod, potatoes, egg, olive oil and onion. Another is very common is the Sardinha Assada, grilled sardines. It caught our attention that the sardines are sold in beautifully decorated shops that look like candy stores.

We visited a vineyard, Bodegas Cálem, very close to the city and were able to taste a variety of the renowned Port wines. Tours inside the vineyard are offered for 13 euros. It is a nice tour where they explain the wine making process well worth visiting. There are other options, such as Bodegas Sandemán.

The city of bridges

There are a large number of old and beautiful bridges that cross the Douro River. But without a doubt, the star is the Don Luis I bridge, it is an icon of the city. It is a two-tier arch bridge built in the 1980s. On the upper level trains pass with pedestrian crossings with a great view of the city and the houses on the banks of the Douro River.

Although there are places to eat near the bridge, they are a bit expensive as they are aimed at tourists. A trick that we always apply is to go a little far from the points most visited by tourists. In this case, we walked a few blocks from the bridge and found a place to eat that the locals use and enjoyed a delicious and inexpensive meal.

Churches

The Porto Cathedral, built between the 12th and 16th centuries, is well worth a visit. It is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture. Its gothic interior is decorated with murals made up of blue tiles.

The Igreja do Carmo (Church of Carmen) is very sumptuous and rococo. In our opinion, it is the most beautiful church in Porto. It was built in the 18th century in a Baroque and Rococo style. Part of its façade is decorated with the ubiquitous tiles.

 

Other places to visit

We visited the Jardim do Morro, located next to the overpass of the Don Luis I bridge. It is fantastic for sunbathing, reading and finding some solace. From there, there is a beautiful view of the bridge and it has a cable car. The sunset is a spectacle from this place. A place just to be and enjoy.

Rua Santa Catarina is very popular and is a meeting point for locals and strangers and is ideal for shopping. It is the most commercial street in Porto. Right there is the Bolhão Market, which is the most famous market in the city and was opened in 1914. It specializes in meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. The stalls selling flowers are remarkable. The peasants from the surrounding area come there to sell their fresh products.

You shouldn’t miss out on visiting the Lello Bookstore even if you don’t like to read. It is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, with an art-noveau architecture and an art-deco interior.

It is very famous because it is said that the author of Harry Potter was inspired to write her famous saga there. However, the same author was in charge of denying this in 2020. If you want to visit it, you must do it early because the queues to enter are long and entrance is charged.

 

Conclusions

Porto is one of the safest cities in Portugal, located in one of the safest countries in the world.

Although its metropolitan area has more than two million inhabitants, the city itself does not reach 250,000 and retains its medieval village air.

However, the advantages of the most modern services offered by a modern metropolis are not lacking and it has a very strong artistic and cultural life. In fact, in recent years, it has become a mecca for world tourism.

For this reason, we think that Porto is one of the most livable cities that we have had to visit.