Porto often unjustly plays the second violin against Lisbon, the Sunny Cosmopolitan capital from Portugal to the south. But a city like PortImpregnated with rich culture, history and a large quantity of its homonymous port wine should not be missed. I suggest spending your first day in town for a self -guided walking visit to Porto, then using the rest of your time to do everything to do everything (or drink everything).
Porto has many historic and cultural sites to visit during your stay there. The city center is very compact and most sites are located remotely from each other. Instead of reserving a quick guided walking visit to Porto, follow the suggestions below for a self-guided tour of Porto.
Porto self -guided walking visit
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Just take a good guide, save this card on your phone and follow these suggestions.
To start, I would recommend starting the most recent part of the city where the majority of accommodation options are located and walking in the older city. I strongly recommend staying at Sagres Infante Hotel (They also have a wonderful breakfast!)
Find your way to Avenida Dos Aliados. Avenida is not what is worth seeing – it is rather the long square bordered by the avenue which is bordered by architectural wonders. The buildings are large and this place is the ideal place to start a visit.
Stop 1: São Bento station
Going down the square, you will arrive at São Bento station. This station is used more by the inhabitants, but it is worth taking a look inside to see the interior of the main hall of the station, which is covered with wall in wall with beautiful Azulejos tiles, Portuguese quintesses painted in blue.
Spread on a hill when you leave the front of the station Rua Das FloresShelters colorful and popular windows with tourists who wish to shop or eat. If you start your visit early in the morning, it may be better to leave this picturesque street until later, when you are in mood for lunch, dinner or shopping. Instead, continue Rua Saraiva de Carvalho.
Stop 2: Cathedral is
As you go up as you climb, you will start to have an overview of the beautiful panoramic views of Porto that you will receive from the impressive place Cathedralwhich is your next destination.
Like most Portuguese churches, it is quite clear inside – not at all seeing as something that you could find in the Vatican or Vienna – but there is something serene and beautiful, however, in the way the light strikes the floor of cold and gray cracks. Outside, the church is just as simple, but the buildings next to the church are beautiful examples of large white and dark brown buildings which are only Portuguese.
If you continue Rua de D. Hugo From the Cathedral Sé, you will have a beautiful view of the pastel houses below, many of which are still inhabited by the inhabitants. On a beautiful sunny day, there is something very beautiful to look at the clothes suspended with twisted clothes strings floating in the breeze, looking at the beautiful boxes of flowers and looking at the occasional cat leaping from wall under the point of view. There are beautiful views from here from the Douro river and Vila Nova de Gaia, the city on the other side of the Porto river.
Stop 3: Ponte de Dom Luis I
If you continue to return to the main road you walked to get to the session and continue to follow it to the river, you reach the Ponte de Dom Luis IThe huge two -level wrought iron bridge over each side of the Douro river.
The bridge connects Porto on the north shore with Vila Nova de Gaia On the southern bank. Entering the deck is not for the less hearts, but if you are not terrified by the heights, a walk on the upper deck is a must. There are designated pedestrian roads on which to walk, but pay attention to tram traces; We don’t know when a carriage car could go through!
From the top of the bridge, you will have the most beautiful view of the proud towers of the gray church of Porto and the rainbow colors with red tiled roofs bordering the hilly streets which extend from the Blue Douro River. The view of Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side of the bridge is also breathtaking, in particular of the Grand Mosseiro da Serra Do Pilar, a monastery which is above the other rocky and cliff bank. The monastery is generally not open to visitors, but the visualization of the outside is worth it.
When you have finished enjoying the view from the bridge, come back to the Porto side and come back as you came, but when you arrive at a fork on the road on the way back to the cathedral, take the left branch (Escada do Bordredo) and descend the winding road to the very center of the city. Turn left when it seems that you cannot go further and continue walking at the bottom of the hill until you hit the river.
Stop 4: river boat
If you are interested in a visit to the river boats, it is an easy place to catch one. This district of Porto is magnificent but it is also incredibly touristy, and it is better to visit here during the quieter hours. I would also not recommend staying here unless your stay in Porto is really limited, in which case it could be a good central location.
After visit Ribeira SquareStart turning up from the place. There are many churches of interest in this area, including the Iigreja de Sao Francisco and the Iigraja de Sao Joao Novo. If you set up rue Ferreira Borges, you will pass the Bolsa, the former Porto financial center. There is a beautiful green place here with a little view of the river which constitutes an ideal picnic location or a rest point.
Stop 5: Torre Dos Clerigos
Make the next stops for your visit all around the area surrounding Praça de Lisboa. There is a beautiful green space here called Jardim da CordoariaAnd Torre back clerigos is located here too. The Torre, or Tour, is the tower of a church, but most that visit jump the church and simply climb the tower.
The views of the summit are impressive and the tower itself is quite beautiful, but find a time that is not busy visiting to avoid long lines and overcrowding in the tower. A climb on the steps of the tower for the view is worth it, but not if you are not suitable for the climb and / or you are a claustrophobic!
STOP 6: LIBERSTORE Livraria Lello
Finally, spend a little time in the shopping center just north of the tower. The shopping center and the surroundings are home to beautiful shops, certain restaurants and many bars. Regarding shopping, a Vida Portuguesa – Loja Clérigos, Livraria LelloAnd irmão are not missed. Livraria Lello is a famous bookstore with claimed JK Rowling links, which is housed in a magnificent building from the beginning of the century. It is such a popular place that there are lines outside to enter. But you can skip the line By buying a ticket in advance.
Stop 7: Rua da Vitória and Rua Das Flores
Cross the hill via Rua Da Sao Bento da Vitoria and TV. Do Ferraz. You will hit Rua Vitoria, a street in Rua Das Flores. Rua da Vitória is a beautiful street to walk to enjoy Porto’s architecture, and it is much less busy than Rua Das Flores. Rua Das Flores, however, should not be missed. Rua Das Flores offers superb street views. Admittedly, there are many tourist places on this street, but it is nothing like Praça Ribérie, and there are exquisite places to eat, drink or pick up memories.
My favorite Porto restaurant is located in this street. The restaurant, called Macarra Das Floresis small and modest – do not count to get a table if you try to go at a bad time – but it simply offers traditional Portuguese snacks and still really delicious, chourico and hard and sweet craft cheeses to beautiful olives, sardines and fresh pictures. Several tapas, or pestiscos in Portuguese, associated with a pretty Portuguese wine (or with a sweet port wine if you are in this) and the good view that looks at the people that the restaurant offers a very beautiful atmosphere, especially for dinner while the sun begins and the facade of the bento de Sao station nearby is lit by the lights of the night.
Rua Das Flores is also a charming place to taste a coffee and a Nata pastel – the omnipresent traditional Portuguese cream pie composed of a laminated pastry that surrounds a soft and creamy with a slightly caramelized top.
This walking visit should take the best part of a day if you travel at a quick pace. All the sites I have mentioned are really worth taking more time on other days to visit – see what you like or what seems interesting to you when walking, then plan the rest of your time to go back and visit these sites.
If you are looking for others Things to do in PortoThere are many other museums, the tasting of ports and the whole world of wine to take care of you. A visit to the wine country of Douro Valley could be in order if you are interested in it, and, as always, shopping, eating, drinking, wandering the streets and people who look can sometimes be a nice break with pure tourism.
If you are looking for gifts to bring home, the Portuguese make beautiful fabric crafts (everything is always made in Portugal). Liège products are also abundant, as well as beautiful tiles and ceramics, a tasty port wine, sardines, and I would be overlooked if I did not mention the world’s soap products from Portugal.
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Max Levine has traveled with his family as long as he can remember. As an adolescent, he was the only one in the holidays to plan his family and for himself, from the search for plane tickets and railway tickets to make routes. Max has traveled a lot in the United States and internationally and has also developed a penchant for writing. As a student of Georgetown, Max hopes to continue to continue the opportunities to travel and write both to university and beyond.