Oporto

the northern culture

A Safe Investment

Porto is one of the oldest tourist destinations in Europe and the richness of its artistic heritage, the Port Wine, the vast spaces dedicated to leisure and its cultural life are just some of the reasons that invite you to visit the city.

Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO thanks to its beautiful monuments and historic buildings, such as the imposing Cathedral or the Torre dos Clérigos, Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and boasts superb views over the world famous Port Wine Cellars on the bank. opposite the river, in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Discover the Charms

of the City Bathed by the Douro River

The city of Porto has a great importance in the history of Portugal – it was the city that gave this beautiful country its name.

There are many places to visit in Porto where you will discover an authentic city, like few in Europe, very friendly people, rich cuisine and much more.

Join me on this visit to the beautiful city of Porto!

O PASSEIO ALEGRE

The Douro, with its Rabelo boats and theD. Luís Bridge, is the postcard for excellency of Oporto, which everyone already knows.
In addition to walking along the Ribeira, by the river, it’s worth walking all the way to Foz and discovering museums, churches and taverns. The road is long and can be done by tram, but if we could, we would force everyone to get off at the Passeio Alegre stop.
Starting with the São Miguel-o-Anjo lighthouse, built in 1528 with a project by the Italian architect Francesco Cremona and one of the oldest in Europe, passing through the beautiful garden, with two obelisks marking the entrance, designed by Nasoni, and the light source. The path continues towards the beaches. Preferably at sunset.

SERRALVES

Serralves, always.
Because it is perhaps the main contemporary art museum in the country, because it was designed by the multi-award winning architect Siza Vieira, because in the 18 hectares of the Park, gardens, forests and even a farm coexist harmoniously.
Because it offers the city 40 straight hours of spring festivities and two days of autumn celebrations. Because there are always children and young people inside the Foundation’s walls, learning about art, fauna and flora.

PORT WINE

What about one of the main Portuguese exports that the world still doesn’t know about?

Perhaps the port wine was not stopped in time. If traditionally it was seen as a digestive or Christmas gift, the new generations are increasingly fond of the drink and the bars are on the lookout, creating cocktails such as the Porto Tonic, a strong competitor to the Gin Tonic.

The city is tremendously proud of the wine that comes down the Douro on Rabelo boats and the cellars are increasingly pleasant to visit, with improved bars and even new restaurants with exquisite cuisine. Wine bars are also opening doors, such as the original Incomum Chapel (Cedofeita) and the brand new Páteo das Flores (Rua das Flores) and Vindega (Foz). A toast to this revolution.

CRYSTAL PALACE GARDENS

If above we celebrated the maintenance of the historic center, here we regret the demolition of the Crystal Palace, in 1951. In its place, the Rosa Mota Pavilion was born, but the name stuck. The romantic gardens too, to the delight of the city.
Porto residents and tourists meet at Avenidas das Tílias and Plátanos, in the woods, at the Almeida Garrett Municipal Library, at the Porto Municipal Gallery, at Concha Acústica, at the Carlos Alberto da Sardinia Chapel, at the Casa do Roseiral.
Children have access to the playground with the best view in town, as well as picnic tables and wild animals — the peacocks are a big hit thanks to their feathers. Designed by Berliner Emil David (1839-1873), the Crystal Palace Gardens are one of the best places to take a stroll.

LELLO & IRMÃO BOOKSTORE

Lello Bookstore is 111 years old and has been praised by international publications: in 2008, the British newspaper The Guardian named it the third most beautiful in the world. It is also one of the “coolest” in the world for Time magazine and for CNN (the latter even wrote that it was “the most beautiful bookstore in the world”).
It was not possible to anticipate such a success, but the design for the exterior and interior of the building was designed to leave visitors with their jaws hanging open. “They wanted to do something extraordinary. There was no modesty here,” said José Manuel Lello, director of the bookstore and great-grandson of founder José Lello.
And since we talked about J.K. Rowling in the previous point, the staircase is the main attraction for the photographs. Not only because they are very beautiful, but also because they inspired the British writer for the stairs of a bookstore described in the Harry Potter books.

SIGHTSEEING

The Douro river gives color and life to the city, and the many ascents and descents allow the belvederes to multiply. One of the favorites of young people from Oporto is Passeio das Virtudes.
In summer, it is difficult to find a piece of grass to spread the towel (but it is manageable).
Some street artists gather around, drinking beer and eating toasts, all at a fair price.
The upper deck of the D. Luís I Bridge is another must-see for anyone visiting the city — but beware of the subway, which passes in the center.
From there, from the center of the river, you can see both banks. The best views of Porto can be obtained from the Gaia side, of course, especially from Gaia Pier.

THE NIGHT

You feel freedom and relaxation at night in Oporto. Baixa is home to bars and clubs for different tastes, from rock to Latin music, from lndy Hop to Electronics. Drinking alcohol in the street is allowed and, in summer or winter, streets like Cândido dos Reis and Galeria de Paris are full of people from different countries, ages and interests.
Entry is free in almost all bars, even in those with a dance floor and a DJ. Creatives and artists especially choose the Aduela to have a glass of wine on the terrace, the Pipa Velha shelters night owls in its cozy space. The historic Bonaparte pub has opened a younger brother in Baixa that invites you to long conversations.

STREET ART

“The city is deserted. And someone has written your name everywhere,” sang Vitor Espadinha to Ornatos Violeta music. The city is not deserted and, in addition to the written names, there are entire murals of urban art “in houses, in cars, on bridges, in the streets.”

Even on the electricity boxes, some painted, others with typical city phrases written there, such as “Oh morcom, bai-me à loja”. The most recent inauguration belongs to Joana Vasconcelos, who created a tile mural at the Steak n’Shake hamburger shop, at Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes.

In summer, PortoLazer usually promotes guided walking tours through some of the most recent interventions of the Porto Urban Art program. And there are so many to discover, by names like Hazul, Mr Dheo, MAISMENOS, Third and Mesk.

FRANCESINHA

It is the real treat of the city. It is also the nightmare of any cardiologist or nutritionist.
When The Culture Trip website included it in the top 10 of Europe’s best local flavors, it described it as “a heavy meal of epic proportions, served with a generous pile of French fries, dipped in a trademark sauce”.
The sandwich stuffed with different meats and sausages, covered with melted cheese and dipped in beer sauce (and other secret ingredients that the cooks prefer not to reveal, or the sauce was not the key to this dish) comes in all tourist guides. Best of all: it’s not a trap; the people from Porto really eat francesinhas.

THE MAJESTIC CAFE

The coffee culture is part of the city’s history.
And Majestic has 95 years of stories to tell, and is currently the 6th most beautiful café in the world. Decorated in Art Nouveau, with its mirrors, marbles and sculptures, it is usually full of tourists, it is true.
Younger people from Porto may not know it, but in the back there is a garden that once connected Santa Catarina Street to Passos Manuel Street.
Today, it connects the many cultures that pass through there, whether to talk, to take a picture, or to write. Like JK Rowling, who, when he lived in the city, stopped there to create a few pages – those of Harry Potter, who knows.