Porto is somehow the lucky city of Portugal. Known also as Oporto in English, the city grew up on the northern bank of the river Duoro. Whatever happened in Portuguese history, Porto always benefited from it, no matter if it was a wine trading, taking provisions from crusaders on their way to the Holy Land or in the time when Portugal was discovering the world, especially in 15th and 16th century. It is one of the best places to visit, if you like discovering hidden treasures.
City grew slowly but surely through the ages and became one of the most preserved and most beautiful old town cores of the Europe. Also Porto is one of the only city center that are listed as UNESCO world heritage. Most notable historical buildings are Porto Cathedral and Church of Cedofeita. You can find many other churches in the city with romanesque neoclassical and baroque architecture. These old but wonderfully preserved historical sites are a treat to anyone with an eye for architecture
Beautiful architecture of Porto is surely worth visiting. Starting on the railway station of Sao Bento, and then through the center of the town, where Town Hall and the main cathedral are residing. There are also some other very nice churches in the town, full of great artwork and don’t miss the nice museums.
Porto is full of historical buildings
Getting around the city
Public transport is pretty fine in Porto, allowing you fast movement around the town. Cities northern part is well connected with bridges over the river Duoro and walks on the river banks or one coast in this fine Mediterranean climate will surely make you hungry and thirsty. So visit one of the many restaurants and enjoy some local specialties, including their home made vine, known all around the world.
The city has a great network of roads connected by buses. You can easily access the town center, and many neighboring cities, if you wish to. The tram network has a few lines, one of them on the Douro shores. The latter is a tourist line that goes back over 100 years. Because the city has a great history with trams, and all of them are vintage, there is also a tram museum called Porto Tram Museum.
Historic city center of Porto
Ports has its main railway located in the eastern part of the city. The city center is easily reachable with rail services, but you can also use it to reach Douro, Minho and Lisbon very quickly.
Porto’s has a unique, state-of-the-art airport called Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport. It can be found in the northwest part of the city, in the Municipality of Maia, that is just 15 or 16 kilometers from the city center. The airport is most notable for being very modern and organized. This is due to the fact that it was renowated back in 2004 when the Euro 2004 football championship was hosted in the city.
Best Porto attractions:
Town Hall, Santa Clara Church, Se cathedral, Sao Bento railways station, old building on Praca de Almeida Garrett, Guerra Junqueiro museum, Bishop’s palace, Sao Francisco church, Tower of Clerigos, Museum of Transport and Communications, Porto Cathedral
