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    Tourist Attractions in Porto

    The most interesting and beautiful tourist attractions in Porto. Photos and a brief description.

    Porto
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    About Porto

    The northern capital and the real pearl of Portugal, the city of Porto is just an inexhaustible treasure trove for tourists. This city is so atmospheric and authentic that you can fall in love with it at first sight. Old houses, half-shabby walls and crooked streets of Ribeira excite the imagination, excellent port wine heats the blood, and simple and hearty Portuguese cuisine will forever remain in the heart of any guest of Porto.

    You can walk around the city endlessly – admire unusual azulejus, visit Baroque churches, wander thoughtfully along the Caix da Ribeira embankment. It seems that you can never get tired of Porto. River walks along the valley of the Douro River will be able to diversify leisure if all corners of the city have already been thoroughly surveyed and imprinted in memories for many years.

    Top Tourist Attractions in Porto

    Ribeira Quarter

    A picturesque central quarter located by the Douro River. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many houses in Ribeira are 300 years old, but they are still residential. The block descends to the Caix da Ribeira embankment with the help of a system of steep stairs and narrow streets, among which it is easy to get lost. On the embankment there are taverns, restaurants with traditional cuisine of Portuguese fishermen and observation decks with benches.

    Ribeira Quarter
    Freedom Square

    Freedom Square

    The central square of Porto, surrounded by charming mansions and administrative buildings of the XIX-XX centuries in the Art Nouveau style. The appearance of the square and the surrounding neighborhoods is strikingly different from the chaotic development of the old part of the city, since all the structures were built according to a single architectural plan. In the middle there is a monument to King Pedro IV, created in the middle of the XIX century.

    Santa Catarina Street

    The commercial heart of Porto, where the maximum number of shops, souvenir shops, cafes and pastry shops are concentrated. Because of this, the street is very popular with tourists. Here you can buy shoes, bags and other products made of local cork oak, original Portuguese port, taste a variety of pastries or drink a glass of excellent wine from the grape varieties of the Douro River valley.

    Santa Catarina Street
    Livraria Lello Bookstore

    Livraria Lello Bookstore

    "Livraria Lello" is famous not so much for its assortment as for the interior decoration and architecture of the building in which it is located. This store is considered the most beautiful bookstore in the world. It consists of two floors, an elegant red staircase leads to the second, the roof of the store is made of elegant stained glass windows. The store opened at the end of the XIX century, at the moment it is ranked among the national monuments of Portugal.

    Majestic Cafe

    A famous cafe with a magnificent Art Nouveau interior, where you can taste many varieties of aromatic coffee and order delicious pastries. The cafe is located on Santa Catarina Street, so it is always packed to capacity with tourists. You need to try very hard to find a free table there. The cafe was opened in a building built at the beginning of the XX century, very quickly it became popular with the local aristocracy, and later was noticed by the guests of the Port.

    Majestic Cafe
    House of Music

    House of Music

    One of the main concert halls of Porto. The building was erected in 2005 by architect R. Kulhaas. After opening it, for some reason, it was immediately assigned a Porto symbol. Some experts in the field of architecture call the House of Music an outstanding modern project and compare it with the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao and the Berlin Philharmonic. The concert hall is designed for 1200 seats, inside there is a restaurant, an outdoor terrace, a music store.

    Serralves Museum

    The museum was built in the middle of the XX century according to the project of A. Vieiro. The building itself, where the exposition is located, is built in a minimalist style, it is surrounded by a magnificent landscaped park. The museum specializes in contemporary art, exhibitions of famous masters are often held here. Visitors can relax in the park, which itself can be called a separate art object.

    Serralves Museum
    Soares duj Reis Museum

    Soares duj Reis Museum

    One of the most important city museums, located in the Pencil Palace. A rich collection of Portuguese national art is exhibited here. An impressive part of the exhibition is occupied by a collection of sculptures by Antonio Suarez Reis. The museum was opened at the beginning of the XIX century with the participation of King Pedro IV. The first exhibits were works of art confiscated from monasteries and works by court artists.

    Porto Cathedral

    The main city cathedral, which is located at the highest point of Porto. Therefore, it can be seen from almost any part of the city. The uniqueness of this temple is that it was built in the XII century and has come down to us in its original form. The cathedral was not rebuilt, expanded or demolished. The Porto has been growing around the massive Romanesque building for several centuries. The cathedral is decorated with traditional azulejush ceramics.

    Port
    Clerigouche Church and Tower

    Clerigouche Church and Tower

    The Clerigos Tower is a recognizable symbol of Porto, it can be viewed from anywhere in the city, like a cathedral. For many centuries, the structure has served as a landmark for ships entering the harbor of Porto from the Atlantic Ocean. The tower itself is the church bell tower of the temple, erected in the middle of the XVIII century.

    Carmo and Carmelite Church

    Two temples located so close to each other that at first glance they can be mistaken for a single structure. The Carmo Church is built in the Baroque and Rococo style, the facade of the Carmelite Church is made in a more relaxed classical manner. The buildings are decorated with blue azulejus by the master Silvestre Silvestri. The interior interiors of the churches are richly painted and decorated, some elements are decorated with gold.

    Carmo and Carmelite Church
    St. Francis Church

    St. Francis Church

    Members of the Order of St. Francis of Assisi appeared in the Porto already in the XIII century. Almost immediately they started building their own temple. The work was completed in the XV century and since then the appearance of the temple has not changed much. The building is a striking representative of Portuguese Gothic. The modern interior was created later – in the XVII-XVIII centuries. It is distinguished by the splendor and splendor of the decoration.

    Capella das Almas

    A small church of the XVIII century, which at first did not stand out in anything special from the surrounding landscape. In 1929, it was covered with thousands of traditional azuleju tiles, after which it took one of the leading places in the list of attractions of Porto. There is no other building in the city that would be more richly decorated with blue and white traditional tiles with various historical and mythical subjects.

    Capella das Almas
    Bishop's Palace

    Bishop's Palace

    The history of the building began in the XII century, when a local church figure, Juan Rafael de Mendonza, wanted to build his own palace. But he did not wait for the completion of the work. The first structure was built in the Romanesque style, but over the centuries it has been rebuilt several times. In the XVIII century, the palace was once again rebuilt, Baroque elements were added to the architectural style.

    Exchange Palace

    A neoclassical-style palace located on the site of a former Franciscan monastery. The monastery burned down at the beginning of the XIX century, the ruins were quickly taken over by local merchants. They immediately started building a headquarters for their commercial association. The building was designed by architect Joaquim Junior. Many local craftsmen have worked on the decoration and interior design.

    Exchange Palace
    San Bento Train Station

    San Bento Train Station

    The main station of Porto, where trains come from all over the country. A lot of suburban trains depart from the station, which is an undoubted plus for tourists. The building was built on the site of a burnt-out (and gradually fallen into disrepair) Benedictine monastery. The foundation stone of the future station was laid by Carlos I in 1900. Sant Bento has become known all over the world thanks to its magnificent interior decoration - all the walls are decorated with picturesque azuleju tiles.

    Don Luis Bridge

    Railway bridge over the Douro River connecting Porto and the town of Vila Nova de Gaia. The structure was designed by Gustave Eiffel's student Theophile Seyrig. The bridge turned out to be very picturesque – the "openwork" pontoons seem to fly over the river, the elegant design harmoniously complements the surrounding landscape. The bridge offers a magnificent view of Porto, the city of Vila Nova de Gaia and the Douro riverbed.

    Don Luis Bridge
    Maria Piya Bridge

    Maria Piya Bridge

    Another iron bridge spanning the Douro River and adorning the city landscape. It was erected at the end of the XIX century with the use of advanced technologies that made it possible to install supports on the shaky gravel bottom of the river. The bridge was created by the architect of the Eiffel Tower — Gustave Eiffel. The design is considered a real engineering masterpiece, however, like all of Eiffel's creations.

    Dragao Stadium

    The home football arena of the local Porto team, a functional and modern European stadium. The World Cup matches were held here in 2004. The stadium also hosted performances by several well-known musical groups. The structure is designed in such a way that the spectator stands are as close as possible to the arena. The stadium holds about 52 thousand people.

    Dragao Stadium
    Port

    Port

    Porto is the birthplace of port wine and the location of the manufacturing companies of this drink. The offices, production facilities and cellars of the main wine companies (Calem, Sandeman, Cockburn, W. & J. Graham and others) are located in Vila Nova de Gaia. It is located on the left bank of the Douro River, opposite Porto. In the valley of the Douro River there are vineyards where special grape varieties for port wine grow. Some companies advertise vintage boats with barrels of port wine on the waterfront of Caix da Ribeira.