Porto is a vibrant and popular industrial centre which many describe as Portugal’s cultural capital. The riverfront area is particularly popular with a staggering choice of bars, restaurants and clubs. There are also plenty of museums, sights and shops to enjoy during your stay.
A mixture of Baroque, Neoclassical and Belle Epoque architecture buildings are preserved throughout the city for the pleasure of locals and tourists alike. This combination gives Porto an unrivalled atmosphere that visitors can’t help but fall in love with.
The city is built into the northern bank of the River Douro. Probably the area for sightseeing lies between the Ribeira and the Avenida dos Aliados: this is where you can find plenty of Baroque monuments in the mediaeval alleys and cobbled streets.
The University of Porto is very prestigious and is one of the country’s largest academic organisation. Porto boasts some 60,000 students which helps boost the city’s vibrant atmosphere, even though the permanent population of Porto is relatively low.
One of the most famous elements of Porto is of course port wine. You simply can’t avoid trying the beautiful fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley. Porto features several port wine lodges and they’re a huge attraction. There are approximately 50 of these within the city, though not all of them are open to tourists. On the riverfront you will find one of the most famous: Sandeman. Here, you can delve deeply into the history behind port production and explore the building’s fabulous wine cellars.
