Before setting off for the great northern city of Portugal, it’s essential to know that it is a city best explored on foot. Therefore, choosing the right footwear is key. Oporto is discovered by strolling through a street map where flat terrain does not exist; it is all an ongoing ups and downs. In return, the reward is to experience an urban area declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
At the highest point of the complex awaits the Cathedral, with its solid fortress-like appearance thanks to its medieval stone walls and two towers flanking the facade. Next to it is the Episcopal Palace, a perfect spot to contemplate the tangled historical core, dominated in the distance by the bell tower of the Clerigos Church.
It is necessary to head in that direction, but many stops arise before reaching there. For instance, visiting the São Bento station and its thousands of tiles in the lobby that narrate Portuguese history is a must. It’s also worth approaching the Church of the Grilhos, with its baroque architecture and views over the Douro River. Additionally, reaching the Church of San Ildefonso is recommended, known for its facade entirely covered in tiles.
A tip: to comfortably travel from the Church of San Ildefonso to the Clerigos, you can choose to ride one of Oporto’s historic trams. This makes the journey shorter and allows you to feel the city’s past in this age-old mode of transportation.
And once at the Clerigos Church, in addition to feeling small beneath its 76-meter-high bell tower, take a stroll around. This is the way to see the university buildings or the unique Hidden House that is barely one meter wide, separating the Carmo and Carmelitas temples. Also nearby is the Portuguese Center for Photography, integrated into what was once a prison.
All these attractions are situated in a high part of the city, but it’s time to descend toward the Douro. In fact, Oporto cannot be understood without its river and the Ribeira district. There, several interesting monuments await, such as the Stock Exchange Palace with its noble salons decorated in the late 19th century during the commercial boom. It is also necessary to visit the Casa do Infante, the birthplace of Henry the Navigator, the architect of the great Portuguese overseas empire.
This house beautifully integrates into the labyrinth of alleys in Ribeira. A network that eventually opens up to the banks of the Douro and offers the most typical postcard of the city. An image that features its famous bridges, including the Maria Pia and the impressive Luis I Bridge, built in 1877 by a disciple of Eiffel.
This iconic postcard of Oporto also includes the rabelos, the boats that once transported wine from the inland vineyards to the cellars of the most famous Portuguese wine. These cellars are, in fact, located on the other side of the river, which is home to the town of Vila Nova de Gaia.
However, even if it is administratively leaving Oporto, no one should hesitate to cross the Luis I Bridge to visit some of those cellars. They are the best place to learn all the secrets of Port wine and, of course, to taste it. This can also be done at WOW, the new cultural center in Oporto dedicated to its most international product.
The WOW (World of Wine) is a fabulous place to appreciate an overview of the city and to raise a toast to this quick getaway to Oporto. It is a welcoming destination that holds many other attractions for future visits, such as the Serralves Foundation, the Lello Bookstore that immortalized Harry Potter, the beautiful interior of the Church of Santa Clara, or the journey to the Belle Époque prompted by the Café Majestic salon. But we will leave all that for another occasion.
