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Portugal City Travel Guide: Porto

Porto © David McCullough

Porto

• Portugal's second city & gateway to the Douro valley.
• Commercial hub & historical centre of port wine trade.
• Grittier, northern, down-to-earth alternative to Lisbon.
• Dramatic hillside location at the mouth of the Douro River.
• Named European Cultural Capital 2001.

Much is made of the contrast and rivalry between Porto and Lisbon - 'Lisbon shows off, while Porto works' - and the two port cities are the centre of the urban and commercial life of the country.

Great Gifts From Portugal.

Giving its name to the nation, Porto dates from Roman times, prospering during the age of Portugal's overseas expansion as explorers and adventurers sailed to South America, Africa and Asia and its city merchants developed the lucrative wine trade with England in the seventeenth century.

With a typical 'work hard, play hard' port atmosphere, Porto makes an excellent base to explore the beautiful Duoro valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are luxury cruises available on the 65 cabin Douro Queen which was built in nearby Viana do Castelo. In the city itself attractions include the Praça da Liberdade, the fortress-like Sé cathedral and port tasting at the wine lodges south of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Interesting museums include the Electric Tram Museum which houses a collection of restored trams, the modern Port Wine Museum and two excellent art galleries: The Museum of Contemporary Art, 4km outside the city center and the Museu Nacional Soares Dos Reis.

Porto enjoys some lively eating and drinking - the local delicacy is tripe - and you can sample 100s of varieties of port wine at the upmarket Solar do Vinho do Porto. There's a thriving club scene too, though many are situated outside the centre. Take a night bus.

Within easy reach of the city is the pleasant coastal resort of Viana do Castelo and the beautiful Minho valley. There are also a number of excellent golf courses in northern Portugal.

Festivals

20th June. Popular Saints' Festivals or "City Festivals". St. John's Eve traditionally attracts large crowds to Fountain has Square, from which typical "rugas" throng through streets singing and dancing all night.

Porto Tourist Offices

Rua Clube Fenianos 25 (tel. 223 393 470)
Rua Infante Dom Enrique 63 (tel. 222 009 770)
Praça Dom Joao I (tel. 222 057 514)

Getting to Porto

Around 19 daily flights to Lisbon from Francisco Sá Carniero airport, 20 km NW of city.

Train

InterCity trains start from Campanha Station.
Regional services start from Sao Bento Station and pass through Campanha Station.
15-19 trains daily to Coimbra: 2 hours. 12 trains daily to Lisbon: 3 - 4 hours 20 min.
Rail information call 808 208 208.

Car

From Lisbon take the A1 highway north - 304km. Tolls around 15€+.

Bus

30 minutes to the airport by AeroBus.
Renex for buses to Lisbon. Hourly departures around 3 hours 30 mins. Braga around 75 minutes.
Rede Expressos for buses to most destinations. Coimbra around 90 mins.

There are various passes for extensive city travel: the Diário Porto EUR 2, 10 and the Diário Geral EUR 2.60 (includes Vila Nova de Gaia) are one-day passes available on buses; The Bilhete Porto 2001 is a 3-day pass valid for all zones on buses and the AeroBus and costs EUR 5. Porto Passes (1-day EUR 4; 2-days EUR 5.50), available from any Turismo, offer unlimited travel and discounts to the city's museums and other services.
Trams (which are historic trams) accept only Andante Tickets (same as metro do Porto).

Portugal Hotel & Hostel Accommodation

Featured Hotel

Le Meridien Park Atlantic Porto Hotel
Av. da Boavista 1466, Porto.
5 Stars, 20 minutes from the airport and located on the beach.

Book Accommodation in Porto

Hotel Douro

Grande Hotel do Porto

Le Meridien Park Atlantic Porto

Quality Inn

Vila Galé Hotel Porto

Pousadas

Villas & Self-catering

Hotels in Porto - Bookings

Hotels in Portugal – Bookings

Hotels in Portugal – HotelsPortugal

Hotels in Portugal – Almeida Hotels

Hostels in Portugal - Hostelworld.com

Hotels in Portugal - Accommodation Online

Hotels in Portugal - Agoda

Eating

A Brasileira
Rua do Bonjardim 118
Prices: around 15€. (Cafe next door).

Drinking

Ryan's Irish Pub
Rua do Infante Dom Henrique 18
Irish food & drink.

List your restaurant/bar/hotel contact Advertising

Internet Cafe

Local football teams

FC Porto
Stadium name: Dragão seats 52,000.
Boavista
Stadium name: Bessa Stadium seats 30,000.

The average high June temperatures for Portugal is between 22C and 26C.
Get more weather information for Portugal

Read a brief history of Portugal

Azores Albufeira Aveiro Braga Cascais Coimbra Estoril Faro-Loulé Guimaraes Lagos Leiria Lisbon Belém Madeira Porto Nazaré Obidos Setubal Sintra Tomar Viana do Castelo