Porto

Places of Interest - Portugal

introduction

Porto is built on the north bank of the Douro River and is the second largest city in Portugal. Porto is best known as the place of origin of port (o) wine, which is stored in Vila Nova de Gaia (located opposite Porto on the south bank of the river Douro), and is exported to all over the world.

Formerly the city was called Cale and later Portucale, from which the country name Portugal was derived. But the city has a lot more to offer than booz - it's a mix of everything - you can find a beautiful square with a cathedral, an old labyrinth with narrow alleys and cobbled stones, high merchant houses where the laundry is hanging dangling outside and children playing but also wide boulevards with expensive houses.

There are expensive museums (including Rem's Koolhaas Casa de Musica) and you can also take a look at the other side of the river "de Douro" in the district Afurada which is actually a separate village wedged between Porto and the Atlantic Ocean.

Highlights

The old center Ribeira:

This is the heart of the city of Portugal. From the promenade you can see where Porto once started (was founded) - on both sides of the Douro river were Roman settlements once stood.

On the quay there are a number of barcos rabelos - traditional port wine-boats with which the wine is transported over the river and further on you can see the beautiful Maria Pia bridge, built by Sir Eiffel also responsible for the Eiffel tower in Paris.

Small narrow alleys with beautiful old colonial buildings, one of which is the birthplace of Henry the Navigator in 1394 who financed the first voyages of discovery. There are also two squares - Largo de Terrreiro and Praca de Ribeira. You can also visit the Igreja de Sao Fransisco church.

Another highlight is the Patio das Nacous (the country hall) of which the very impressive Arabic hall with golden stucos of Arabic prints is the most beautiful. It is not surprising that this old district has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

The other side (eg Afurado and Vila Nova de Gaia):

You can take a ferry to the other side of the "Douro" river to see some other attractions of the city. First there is the view over the old city of Porto. Beautifully located against the slope with cathedral "Se" which stands out above it.

Here you can view also the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar in the Vila Nova de Gaia district where the port wine cellars are located (see below). Another very interesting sight is the district or separate village Afurado - something similar to a rebellious nationalistic neighborhood with many Porto flags and streets that turn into an open barbecue of freshly baked fish in the afternoon.

Finally, there is the Castelo da Foz (Forte S. Joao Baptista) located near the estuary in the ocean.

Other attractions:

The Sao Bento station hall (with beautiful tiling), Se, the cathedral and the bookstore Lello (with beautiful ceiling paintings).

history

In the Roman period the city of Portus Cale was located on the site of nowadays Porto. On both sides of the river of the "Douro" that flows through the city were settlements at that time. The city would fall in Moorish hands before it was captured in 868 on the Muslims of Al-Andalus by Vímara Peres, a vassal of Alfons III of Asturias.

From here, the reconquista was organized to hunt down the Muslims (the Moors) of the Iberian Peninsula (which eventually happened) as well as the emergence of a separate Kingdom of Portugal. While the explorers in the 15th century with the money and approval of "Henry the Navigator" discovered the African coasts and colonized the British settled down in Porto. Since they were not allowed to trade with the French, they built port cellars here to trade with the Portuguese.

Porto and its inhabitants are known as rebels - in the past they stood their ground when a tax on postage was levied but also a high tax on linen was not taken lightly by the population. During the French occupation the Portuguese in Porto had their own resistance movement and with respect to the expulsion of the French by means of the English were here that a liberal constitution was called off.

Thanks to the proceeds of port wine, Porto is the second largest city in the country in terms of industrialization and commerce.

tips & advice (2011)

Porto - Guimaraes: from the trainstation Sao Bento (beautiful tiling) you can buy a ticket (€ 2.35) to Guimaraes with the "urbano" train. The trip takes about 1.5 hours.

Name: Croft port cellar

Price: Free tours

Time: get a "port" brochure - a folder where the port supplier is located is perfectly described in the information center. It is across the street from the old "Ribeira" district in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Content:

We chose Croft as a port cellar to visit because it was free and gave tours during the lunch break. The group is large but our guide speaks good English and we can reasonably follow it. You first get a small tour through a museum, after which you enter the "Croft" cellars where the port is collected.

In the half hour after which a test session follows you get a good picture of where the wine comes from, why it tastes different than "ordinary" wine and how long it needs to mature. You can not travel to "Porto" without having been in one of the port cellars.

At the Chinese restaurant Marnorte (Rua Mouzinho da Silveira) you can eat well and cheaply - highly recommended. Another hotspot is café Majestic (Rua de Santa Catarina) - expensive but beautiful and unique - the interior is still in its original state from the beginning of the 20th century.

Name: Pensao Duas Nacous

Address: Praca Gomes Fernandez 59

Price: 23 euros (double)

Phone nr. : 222081616

Website: www.duasnacous.com.pt

Content:

A pretty centrally located hostel in Porto. It is a narrow building and here and there it creaks but in general it looks fine. Unfortunately there are no common areas - it is not very cozy - it has no dormitories - but it is a great central place to stay and to explore the city. There is WIFI available, you can call internationally at the reception.

We had a great room (at the front where it can be quite noisy especially on weekends) where the toilet and shower were "outside". Outside a nice square with terraces, small shops and cafes.

The campsites of Porto are all located on the Atlantic coast at about 6 to 20 km from the city.