What to visit in Porto
CITY CENTER
Address: Praça do General Humberto Delgado, 4049-001 Porto
Tel.: +351 222 090 400
Website: www.cm-porto.pt
Visits: first Sunday each month (11:15 am)
Construction began in 1920, but only in 1957 was it considered complete, after several interruptions and changes to the original project. The building consists of six floors, a basement and two courtyards. The top of the 70m high, central tower, with its chiming clock, can be reached by climbing its 180 steps. Consisting primarily of marble and granite, the interior of the building has some nobly furnished rooms, in which the most solemn ceremonies and the usual Municipal Assemblies and Executive meetings are held.
Address: Rua de S. Filipe de Nery , 4050-546 Porto
Tel.: +351 220 145 489
Website: www.torredosclerigos.pt
Opening hours: Daily 09:00-19:00
This baroque work by Nicolau Nasoni was built in the first half of the eighteenth century. The Clérigos Tower is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city of Porto. The panoramic view over the city and the river Douro which can be seen from the top of the tower makes the 240 step climb worth the effort.
Address: Terreiro da Sé 4050-573 Porto
Tel.: +351 222 059 028
E-mail: catedraldoporto@gmail.com
Opening hours: Daily 09:00-19:00
Construction dating from the twelfth/thirteenth century, in Romanesque style, that has been enlarged and renewed over the years up to its final setting, in the twentieth century, resulting in an idealized reconstitution of the medieval cathedral.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Address: Rua das Carmelitas, 144 4050-161 Porto
Tel.: +351 222 002 037
Website: www.livrarialello.pt
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-19:30 Sat-Sun 11:00-19:00
The building where the bookshop is now located was inaugurated in 1906. Special mention goes to its beautiful Art Nouveau façade with neo-Gothic details. On the inside, the bookshop is decorated in painted plaster imitating wood and presents a magnificent staircase linking it to the upper.
Address: Av. da Boavista, 604-610 4149-071 Porto
Tel.: +351 220 120 220
Website: www.casadamusica.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 09:30-19:00 Sun 09:30-18:00
The House of Music is a major concert hall space in Porto which houses the cultural institution of the same name with its three orchestras Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Barroca and Remix Ensemble. It was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas with Office for Metropolitan Architecture in association with the agency of scenography dUCKS scéno, the acoustician Renz Van Luxemburg and Arup-AFA. Intended as part of Porto's designation as the European Culture Capital in 2001, it immediately became an icon in the city. Featuring a 1,300-seat auditorium suffused with daylight, it is the only concert hall in the world with two walls made entirely of glass.
DOURO RIVER
Address: Avenida de Vímara Peres, Porto
Design: Two-hinged double-deck arch bridge
Total length: 395 metres (1,263.9 ft)
Height: 44.6 metres (146 ft)
Planned by the engineer Teófilo Seyrig, a disciple of Eiffel, it was inaugurated in 1886 and it is composed by two overlapping iron decks. The bridge has 395 metres long and 8 metres wide, and its arch is still considered to be the world's biggest one in forged iron. Nowadays the upper deck is used by the Metro of Porto, connecting the area of Porto's Cathedral to the Garden of Morro and to the Avenida da República in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Port Wine Museum and Port Wine Cellars
Address: Rua de Monchique, 98 4050-394 Porto
Tel.: +351 222 076 300
Website: www.cavesvinhodoporto.com
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-17:30 Sun 10:00-12:30
The Port Wine Museum was inaugurated in 2004 and illustrates the importance that the Port wine trade has had in the development and cultural, architectural and social growth, evoking the memory of the transformations that have taken place, through the history of three united Ports: Porto city, Port Wine and the port of the river Douro.
The Port Wine Cellars are a Portuguese exlibris that ensure a professional and a high level service, to those who want to have a deeper knowledge about Port Wine history. Visit Port Wine Cellars, taste Porto Wine and enjoy the moment!
GARDENS
Address: Rua de D. Manuel II, 4050-346 Porto
Tel.: +351 225 320 080
Website: www.cm-porto.pt/jardins-e-parques-urbanos/
Opening hours: 1 Apr-30 Sep 8:00-21:00
The Romantic Gardens of Crystal Palace occupy an area of 8 hectares in Porto's centre over the river Douro and they were designed in the 19th century by the German landscape architect Émille David, in the context of constructing the building of Crystal Palace. We can also contemplate magnificent panoramic views over the river and the city that the viewpoints in strategic places offer to us.
Serralves Park and Contemporary Art Museum
Address: Rua de D. João de Castro, 210 4150-417 Porto
Tel.: +351 226 156 500
Website: www.serralves.pt
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00 Sat-Sun 10:00-20:00
The Serralves Park (18 hectares), from the first half of the twentieth century, was the first private national garden built on the basis of an architectural landscape project. Completed in 1940, the garden fits the neoclassical profile of the art of French gardens, slightly modernized, moving away from the traditional concept of gardens in Porto.
The Serralves Museum, designed by the architect Siza Vieira, is located in the unique spaces of the Serralves Foundation, which include the Park and Villa. Through its permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, educational programme, public sessions, concerts, dance shows and performances, editorial activity and national and international partnerships, the Museum fosters the enjoyment and understanding of contemporary art and culture.
Address: Estrada Interior da Circunvalação, 15443 4100-183 Porto
Tel.: +351 225 320 080
Website: www.visitporto.travel
Opening hours: 1 Apr-30 Sep 8:00-24:00
The City Park is the largest urban park in Portugal, with an area of 83 hectares that stretch out as far as the Atlantic Ocean, which is globally something of a rarity. It was designed by the landscape architect Sidónio Pardal and inaugurated in 1993 (1st phase) and finalized in 2002. The presence of stone takes on a preponderant characteristic of this park.
BEACH
Address: Avenida Norton de Matos, 4100-274 Porto
Website: www.visitporto.travel/visitar/
Opening hours: All year round
Bathing season: June to September
Porto faces the full force of the Atlantic Ocean which provides some of the best surfing beaches. Porto also scores well with its Blue Flag beaches. These beaches are rated not only on their excellent water quality, but on the facilities available and therefore make excellent family beaches. Matosinhos is Porto's main beach. A long stretch of fine sand backed by apartment blocks, an esplanade and any number of small and pleasant cafes.
Further information: Turism of Porto