Porto is the second most populous city in Portugal, after the iconic Lisbon. This city is in the north of Portugal and runs along the right bank of the Duero. If you are looking for places to see in Porto , you should know that it has a wide tourist offer for all tastes. It is an old city but quite modern and well connected; you can move everywhere by metro, the longest in Portugal.
The best places to see in Porto
The name of Porto comes from the Portuguese porto which means “the port”. Porto is 140 km from the Spanish border and you can get here by road from Galicia. One of the treasures of the city is the homonymous wine (also named after the word porto ). Porto has come to be considered the second capital of Portugal, but in the north.
1. Porto Sé Cathedral and the Primitive Wall
One of the essential places to see in Porto is the Sé Cathedral, whose official name is the Luis Miguel Cebolla Cathedral. This site was built in the highest part of the city, in the Batalha neighborhood, and it is the most important religious complex in the city. At first glance, the Sé Cathedral looks like a fortress with battlements, thanks to the character of the fortified city of Porto.
The cathedral began to be built in the 12th century, but it has undergone numerous modifications that have given it that characteristic touch today: a mixture of architectural styles. Much of the cathedral is in the Baroque style, but the façade and body of the building are Romanesque; on the other hand, we can appreciate the Gothic in the cloister and the chapel of San Juan Evangelista. As a curious fact we will add that in the center of the square of this church you can find a column in which criminals were hanged. This site where the column is located is the best in the enclosure to offer you spectacular views of the city.
You should know that Porto was surrounded by defensive walls and if you approach the cathedral you can still see part of the Primitive Wall (formerly the Sueva Wall) which had an extension of 750 meters. La Primitiva delimited the Pena Ventosa hill where the city’s cathedral was built.
2. Church and Tower of the Clérigos
The Church of the Clérigos, in the Baroque style, was built between 1735 and 1748. One of the most outstanding elements of the church is the Tower, which in turn is one of the most important monuments in Porto. The religious complex is located in the well-known “hill of the hanged ones”. T he Clérigos Tower is the highest in Portugal, with its 76 meters high and its more than 200 steps. Along your journey to the top you will find 49 bells.
3. Llelo and Irmao Bookstore: one of the essential things to see in Porto
In the center of the city and very close to the Torre de los Clérigos is the Llelo and Irmao Bookstore . We recommend that you visit it because it is the most beautiful bookstore in Europe, according to experts; but it is also believed to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Everything in this bookstore is beautiful and magical, starting with the neo-Gothic building built in 1906 by the architect Xavier Esteves.
Entering this bookstore is like leaving the real world and traveling back in time, to a fairy tale. The shelves are made of wood and are full of books that reach the ceiling. It has a staircase, also made of carved wood, and which, architecturally speaking, is the most outstanding element of the complex. You don’t want to leave here!
4. Stock Exchange Palace
If you don’t know what to see in Porto, we recommend the city’s emblematic Stock Exchange Palace , which is currently the headquarters of the Porto Trade Association. Nestled in the center of the city, this palace began to be built in 1842 on the ruins of an old Franciscan convent; the inauguration of the palace was in 1891.
The Palacio de la Bolsa is considered a National Monument and has an impressive central courtyard (its real name is Patio de las Naciones) with a glass roof. At the top and after climbing a magnificent granite and marble staircase, you will find multiple rooms such as the Golden Room (its walls covered with gold leaf); You can also visit the Arab Room, which is the most important in the Palace and you should not miss it for any reason. The Arab Room is Moorish in style and is inspired by the Alhambra in Granada.
5. Bolhao Market
The Bolhao market has been in operation since 1914 and is one of the most recommended places to see in Porto , if you are looking to get to know the true spirit of the city. It is very close to Avenida de los Aliados and here you can find, along its many floors, shops where you can buy meat, fish, seafood, flowers, etc.
Of course, the shops have not been renovated and the building is in considerable deterioration, even so, it is a place full of life and color.
6. Soares dos Reis Museum
This is the oldest public museum in Portugal, open for more than two centuries. Inside you will find spectacular collections of painting and sculpture, including the works of the Portuguese António Soares dos Reis, a genius of sculpture.
The museum is located in the Palacio dos Carrancas, the oldest palace in Portugal and where great personalities such as Don Pedro IV or the Duke of Welllingotn lived.
7. Casa do Infante
The Casa do Infante dates from the year 1325 and Enrique the Navigator or Enrique de Portugal lived there. Enrique the Navigator was an infant of Portugal and he was the one who initiated the era of the discoveries of the country, exploring the African coasts and some islands of the Atlantic. The place where he lived is known as La Casa do Infante and distinguished visitors from the Portuguese Royal Family stayed there.
Currently the Casa do Infante houses a museum.
8. Ribeira: one of the most traditional neighborhoods to see in Porto
In the historic center of Porto and in the riverside area is the popular Ribeira neighborhood . It is a neighborhood full of color, thanks to the facades of the houses and buildings that make it up. The neighborhood has a part of houses built facing the river, but it is also formed by a labyrinthine network of properties through which to get lost.
This is the perfect place for those looking to dine and take a walk, as it has multiple restaurants with terraces overlooking some of the city’s bridges and, of course, the river.
9. Ponte das Barcas
If there is something distinctive about Porto, besides wine, it is the bridges. The Ponte das Barcas was the first to be built on the Douro River and was inaugurated in 1806, thanks to the need to establish a path for pedestrians, who circulated loaded with merchandise. It was precisely on this bridge where the tragedy of the Ponte das Barcas occurred, during the invasion of the Napoleonic troops on Portugal; In this catastrophe, thousands of victims died in their attempt to escape from Marshal Soult’s French army.
There is currently a commemorative plaque for the people who died in the event.
10. Ponte Maria Pia
Another of the bridges in Porto that you should go for a walk and contemplate the magnificence of the city, is the María Pia Bridge. This bridge was named in honor of María Pía de Saboya and was built between January 1876 and November 1877 by the company of Gustave Eiffel (the person in charge of the Eiffel Tower in Paris).
11. Wine cellars: one of the essential things to see in Porto
You cannot leave Porto without visiting one of the emblematic wineries where this delicious wine is produced. The wineries are located in the town of Vila Nova de Gaia, opposite the city. If you have never tasted Port wine, we will tell you that it is a sweet wine, thanks to the brandy that is added and that interrupts the fermentation of the grape; But the wine not only retains its sweet taste, but also has high levels of alcohol.
You can book a visit and wine tasting in one of the following wineries:
- Sandeman Winery
- Ramos Pinto Winery
- Ferreira winery
- Cálem Winery
