Why is the city of Porto called the pearl of Portugal? The city of Porto, Portugal: attractions, description and interesting facts When is the best time to come to Porto.

Porto is one of the oldest European cities, which has preserved in its appearance the features of various eras. Locals say that Porto works for the whole country, and they are right. The city has a huge number of tourist places, industrial enterprises, places of trade and entertainment. The northern capital of Portugal, from which the state received its name, attracts with its many-sided image, deep antiquity and modernity, the flavor of antiquity and modernity. And finally, it is the capital of the world's most famous port wine, supplied to all countries, an attractive and unforgettable city, where the journey of many famous people of the past and present began.

Geography

The northern capital of Portugal is located where the Douro (or Duero) River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The distance to Lisbon is only 270 kilometers. Porto itself is located on the right bank of the river, while its suburbs are on the left. Development also occurs predominantly to the north and east, since in the west, just a few kilometers away, the ocean begins. The terrain where the city is located is quite hilly, with significant differences in height - from the Dora embankment to the highest points, more than 100 meters above sea level. This affected the architecture and the general layout of the streets, winding with many steps. The population of the city itself is just under 250 thousand people, but the entire Greater Porto agglomeration is inhabited by more than 2 million people. Despite its enormous importance and influence on the economy, culture and tourism in Portugal, the city has an area of ​​only 42 square kilometers, and the building density is quite high. In administrative terms, the division into districts has remained historical, with its ancient center and newer parts of the city. There are 15 districts in the city, and they are located quite compactly. Porto is located on the prime meridian, and therefore the time does not differ from Greenwich.

Climate

Just a few kilometers along the straight Avenida da Boavista street separate the city from the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore the climate here is completely maritime with the increased influence of the warm Gulf Stream. Porto experiences frequent rainfall and minor storms, which traditionally occur in the winter months. At the same time, the heat in Porto is practically not felt, due to the fairly high humidity and pleasant wind from the ocean. The influence of the continental climate is practically not felt. Winter is considered the rainiest, but quite warm, especially for Russian tourists. The average temperature from December to February does not drop below +5°C, but winds do occur. There are no frosts in Porto, and sub-zero temperatures are extremely rare. Spring and autumn are characterized by variable rainfall and changes in temperature, which occur almost imperceptibly, since over two months it falls (or rises) with stable indicators. The most popular time to visit Porto is the summer period, which nominally lasts from May to September with stable thermometer readings from +17°C in the morning to +28°C in the afternoon. At the same time, there may be virtually no temperature changes during the day, and there is practically no precipitation.

Story

Historians attribute the first settlements on the site of modern Porto to the period of the Celtic peoples who settled here in 300 BC. Before the Roman conquest in 136 BC. it was an ordinary village, which was converted into a fort with various buildings of military and commercial significance - the name was given to Portus Cale. Over time, with changes in languages ​​and pronunciations, this name became Portugal, as the entire country is called. After the conquest by the Visigoths in 540, a fortress was built here and a bishopric was founded, and the city became the center of a small region. Until 1096, when the city and the entire surrounding duchy were inherited by Henry of Burgundy, Porto was alternately under the rule of the Moors and the Kingdom of Leon. Each period left its mark on architecture, culture and art. According to historical data, the last Knights Templar fled to Portugal from the Pope and the French king. In 1387, the wedding of King João I and the British princess took place in Porto - which became the basis of the longest treaty of peace and partnership in European history - between England and Portugal. This document opened up unprecedented opportunities in trade with the British Isles, and subsequently with the British Empire.

In the process of its development, Porto, even having lost the title of capital of the kingdom, was constantly developing. In 1763, construction began on the famous Clérigos Tower, which was a landmark for ships entering the port. In 1762, a nautical academy was founded, transformed into a university, the second largest, after Lisbon. In 1876-1877, Gustav Eiffel and his student worked in Porto, designing two famous metal bridges over the Douro River. In 1872, a permanent tram service opened between the city's districts. The only war that directly affected the city was the Napoleonic invasion in 1809, but it did not last long as the British quickly liberated Porto and it returned to peaceful life. The Second World War spared the entire country, which was neutral and helped refugees.
The industrial revolution had a significant impact on the development of Porto - a large number of manufactories and enterprises were organized here, which formed the basis of today's industrial potential of the agglomeration. Porto has always been at the forefront of innovation, while remaining an authentic historical city whose entire center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sights of Porto

• The first thing a visitor to the city of Porto will notice is the constant use of decorative tiles in decorating the facades of houses. Brazilian immigrants began using tiles even more frequently in the 19th century, ushering in a golden age of Portuguese façade decoration. At first, tiles were painted by hand, but later, due to industrialization, manual work was replaced by mechanical printing of images. The most striking example of the use of Azulejo tiles is the Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas). The chapel was built in the 18th century and was nothing special. But in 1929, the walls of the chapel were decorated with 16 thousand azulejo tiles, after which this landmark of Porto became the “blue” among all the churches in the city.

• The main attraction of the city of Porto and its symbol is the titanic bridge of King Luis I, built according to the design of Gustave Eiffel's student and companion - Thiophile Seyrig in 1886. The bridge, built 7 years before the Eiffel Tower, reaches a length of 80 meters more than the tower itself - 385 meters and weighs more than 3 thousand tons, the height of the bridge is 44.5 meters. This grandiose creation has two levels - the lower one is for cars, and the upper one is for metro trains. There are pedestrian paths on both levels.
• The calling card of the city of Porto is also the bell tower of the Church of the Brotherhood of Clerics. The construction of the architectural complex consisting of a church and a bell tower was started in 1732 by the church brotherhood, and completed in 1750. Various people worked on the construction of the ensemble, but especially noteworthy is Niccolò Nasoni and the mason Antonio Pereira. The bell tower, which crowns the building on the western side, is considered one of the masterpieces of Niccolo Nasoni and is recognized as one of the main attractions of the city of Porto. With a height of 76 meters, the bell tower is the tallest church tower in Portugal. It is worth noting that it was in the Church of the Brotherhood of Clerics that the famous architect Niccolo Nasoni was buried.
• The Church of Santo Ildefonso was built by an unknown architect between 1730 and 1737. Despite the discreet facade, the altar retablo demonstrates the sophistication and elegance of the building. The engraving work was carried out by master Niccolò Nasoni. In 1932, the Church of Santo Ildefonso was decorated with tiles by Jorge Calaso. The tiles depict the life of the church patron - Saint Ildefonso, after whom the church was named.
• Another attraction of Porto is the Church of Carmo and the Church of the Carmelites (Igrejas do Carmo and das Carmelitas). Their peculiarity is that these two churches are located so close to each other that they can be mistaken for a single building. The men's church of Carmo (located on the right) was built in the second half of the 18th century and designed by the architect José Fgueiredo Seicas. The façade, lined with stone, is crowned by a pediment, inside of which there are figures of the evangelists. The side facades of the church were covered with Azulejo tiles in 1912. On the left is the Carmelite Women's Church. It is noteworthy that the churches are separated by a house that is only one meter wide (one of the narrowest houses in the world). The appearance of this house is due to the law according to which two churches cannot have a common wall.
• São Bento Station in Porto was built at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary. The vestibule of the Station is covered with 20 thousand Azulejo tiles (these tiles are one of the highest artistic achievements in Portugal of the 20th century). The tile compositions show scenes related to the railway and the history of transport, as well as famous events from the history of Portugal.

Events and festivals

• Porto often hosts various events and celebrations dedicated to certain holidays. As the former capital of Portugal, the city celebrates national dates with some pomp, such as Independence Day (December 1) and Republic Day (October 5). At the same time, the city often hosts other festivals, mostly dedicated to religious holidays.
• The most popular and colorful event in Porto is the Day of St. John, the patron saint of the city. Every year on June 23-24, the whole of Porto is decorated in festive colors, and fairs, processions, theatrical performances and open-air treats are held everywhere.
• Christmas (Natal) and Easter are traditionally the most beloved holidays in Portugal, and Porto is no exception. Widespread celebrations, parades, performances and fairs are just a small part of what happens in the city over the course of several days (or the whole December, in the case of the New Year holidays).
• No less popular in Portugal is bullfighting, which has its own characteristics and distinctive features, is more humane and, in a sense, spectacular. The opening and closing dates of the season are always citywide holidays with their own rituals and clearly regulated actions.
• The beginning of autumn is also characterized by widespread wine festivals, which are very important for the city where port wine was born. During the fairs, young and aged wines, the best varieties and brands of port wine, and brandy are presented.
• In addition to the main holidays, Porto constantly hosts various events dedicated to museums (Open Day), cinema (science fiction festival Fantasport), music, architecture, books and other areas of art.
• In February, as throughout Europe, a seven-day Carnival is held in Porto, with processions, parades, performances and other entertainment events. Another notable festival takes place in September - the International Puppet Theater Festival - an entertaining event for adults and children, when the best troupes come from all over the world to present their skills.

Restaurants and cafes

As throughout Portugal, in Porto you can find a variety of catering establishments - both ordinary cafes with minimal prices, and expensive restaurants with Michelin stars. The local cuisine is quite simple and satisfying, as, for the most part, it has developed historically and is based on seafood. However, there is one dish that sets the city apart from all the others. Unofficially, the residents of Porto are called Tripeiros, literally “tripe eaters” - which many are proud of. Indeed, the local specialty is "Tripash" - made from beef tripe with a variety of vegetables. You also can’t ignore “feijoada” - meat cooked with rice and beans; “Francesinho” is an analogue of a sandwich with ham, fried beef and sausage with tomato-beer sauce. The bulk of the menu of any establishment consists of seafood, since fresh catch is delivered to the city every day, where you can find not only traditional types of fish, but also quite exotic ones - for example, monkfish, served in some restaurants. On the streets, the embankment and in many areas there are small cafes and bars where you can have a hearty and inexpensive meal and try some of the varieties of the famous port wine.

Shopping

The history and development of the city of Porto is closely connected with trade, and therefore it is not surprising that there are many places where you can buy a variety of goods. Tourists are recommended to definitely visit the old and colorful Bolhao market, located on Ria de Sa da Bandeira, where fresh seafood, vegetables, fruits and a variety of goods are constantly sold. Porto has a large number of shopping centers, branded boutiques, shops and outlets, which represent both famous brands and local manufacturers. There are often family shops where you can buy various handicrafts. From the northern capital of Portugal you should definitely bring as a souvenir or as a gift:

• port wine - the city is the capital of this drink, in the vicinity of which dozens of types and varieties are produced. It is better to buy real port wine in specialized stores, or in the cellars of producers - where excursions with tastings are organized;
• Azulejos are famous ceramics, traditional only for Portugal. In Porto, almost everything is decorated with it - from the facades of buildings, to small boxes, key rings, chests and other utensils;
• products made from cork are another symbol of Portugal and Porto in particular. The country occupies one of the leading places in the production of this type of wood, and local craftsmen will offer a variety of crafts made from cork, including shoes, bags, accessories;
• jewelry - the heritage of the Moors, Romans and other peoples who inhabited the area influenced crafts. Silver and gold products from local workshops are attractive, original, unusual and magnificent. There are a lot of varieties of jewelry, and you can choose products at any price;
• olives, cheese, jamon, egg cream, wine - traditional gastronomic souvenirs from Portugal;
• figurines and goods with images of historical sights - there are a lot of such goods in all souvenir shops, and they are distinguished by their originality and variety;
• football symbols - the city is the home of the famous clubs "Porto" and "Boavista" - their paraphernalia can be bought in many souvenir shops and brand stores.

How to get to Porto?

The only way to quickly get from Russia to distant Portugal is by plane - there are direct flights to Lisbon from almost all major cities. There are also connecting routes and they can take quite a long time, as they require transfers in Germany, France and Spain. In Porto itself there is a large international airport, Francisco de Sa Carneiro, located 11 kilometers from the center, receiving planes from all over Europe, including low-cost airlines, but the remoteness of the country leaves its mark on the trip. From Lisbon you can travel by train and bus. You can also get there from Russia using these types of transport, but with many transfers in large transport hubs, such as Zurich, Madrid, Barcelona and others. Travel time is very long and sometimes a transit visa is required to cross certain countries. It is possible to get to Porto by your own car, but it is quite difficult, even though the city is located on one of the most important highways on the Iberian Peninsula. You will have to cross at least five countries to get to Portugal. Still, the fastest way is aviation, be it direct flights to Lisbon, or connecting flights to other cities around the world. As a rule, when using low-cost airlines, you can fly to Porto in a maximum of 30 hours.

Transport

The city of Porto is famous for being one of the first in Europe to have a tram, despite its rather hilly terrain. To this day, the historical capital of Portugal has an extensive public transport network:

• metro - five lines laid under the city unite all its districts and allow access not only to the main attractions, but also to the main transport hubs. For example, at the airport, at the train station, there is immediately a metro stop that allows you to quickly get to any point in the city;
• The tram is a historical mode of transport, which is a landmark in itself. The routes, and there are only three of them, are laid out quite intricately, but they encircle the entire Porto, and most pass through the historical center, which will allow you to enjoy the views of the city while traveling from one end of the city to the other;
• Bus is a popular and very common form of transport that covers Porto, buses are connected to metro and tram interchange hubs. There are even three regular routes to the airport, which makes moving around the city much easier. There are also several buses running at night, so getting to the hotel will not be a problem;
• Bicycles are a growing type of transport that can be rented at dozens of rental shops. There is one caveat for Porto - due to the hilly terrain, it will be quite difficult to move around on a bike, especially for an unprepared person;
• taxis - black, green and cream cars are everywhere, and their prices are quite affordable. You can call a car by phone or catch it on the street - the price will not differ. Taxi drivers are perhaps the most polite and there are very few cases of rate hikes;
• car rental - despite the size of Porto, there are sometimes jams and difficult traffic, but there are a lot of free parking throughout the city, and the paid ones do not cost much. There are both international and national car rental companies operating in the city. It's worth taking a car if you plan to visit the picturesque suburbs, which is a must when visiting Northern Portugal.

Accommodation

Such a historical city, where kings and aristocracy lived, offers a large selection of hotels of various classes, many of which are located in ancient mansions and residences. All types of hotels are represented in Porto - from exclusive five-star ones, like Torel Avantgarde, to hostels for 10 Euros per night. At the same time, you can settle in any part of the city, since it is small, and a developed public transport network will allow you to quickly get to your place of residence. Porto has hotels of all the world's famous chains - Hilton, Sheraton, Radisson, as well as a huge number of large and small hotels with varying levels of service and maintenance. The most expensive places to live are traditionally located in the historical center itself, and the further to the outskirts, the lower the cost. The suburbs also have a large selection of decent hotels, and getting from them to the center is not difficult. Among the four-star hotels, it is worth paying attention to the Porto A.S. hotel. 1829 Hotel is one of the oldest in the city, and the choice of three- and two-star hotels is striking in its diversity, both in location and in prices. It is worth remembering that it is quite difficult to rent a room during the season, so it is better to book it in advance so as not to overpay.

Connection

In Porto, regular telephone communication is quite common, not only in hotels, restaurants, but also just on the streets - calls to Russia are quite inexpensive, and at night there are additional discounts. Mobile operators of local and international scale are widely represented in the city, and coverage provides a normal connection anywhere in Porto. Wireless Internet access Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere, and it is usually free - in hotels, restaurants and bars, shopping centers, on public transport, near most attractions. Traffic allows you to easily track changes in social networks, communicate via Skype, and watch streaming videos.

1. Be sure to take a ride on rare trams around the city center and see all the sights.
2. Visit the famous Livraria Lello bookstore, which became the prototype for many places from the famous Harry Potter novel. Here you can purchase a variety of books of any subject and direction.
3. Another must-visit place is the small aristocratic Café Majestic, which was once a gathering place for the aristocracy and bohemia, but now delights with reasonable prices, original interiors and delicious dishes.
4. Use public transport with an Andante card - an analogue of a travel card with a limited validity period, but it allows you to save a lot while moving around the city, especially if you want to see as many interesting places as possible.
5. In winter and autumn, you should always carry an umbrella with you, as winds and rains can occur quite suddenly.
6. When using a taxi, it is better to choose a driver who knows English and with whom it is easier to negotiate. The cars of all services have meters, but sometimes the driver can drive more laps to increase the cost of the trip.
7. Climb the Clérigos Tower, 75 meters high, visible from anywhere in Porto and a symbol of the city. Entrance to the observation deck costs about 2 euros.
8. Stroll along Ponte de Dona Maria Pia and Ponte di Dona Luis First, bridges designed and built by Eiffel and his student Seyrig before construction began on the famous tower in Paris.
9. For those who do not have much time for a detailed examination of all the sights of Porto, an excursion boat trip along the Douro River is perfect, which will help you get acquainted with the main attractions of the city and, at the same time, save time.

Porto on the map, panorama

Porto, which gives the country its name (and the drink port), is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon.
This is a very old city, founded in the 12th century. it is located 270 km north of Lisbon. It is called the northern capital of Portugal.
The central part of Porto is the main attraction. The city is ancient, unusual and very interesting. Of course, the city has a lot of “official” attractions, many beautiful churches, a very interesting railway station, a stunning embankment, and, of course, wine cellars. I'll show you all this later, but today we'll just walk around the city.

The historical center of Porto is located on the right bank of the Douro River, a few kilometers from where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The city center has been declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
In the historical center of the city there is a cathedral from the 13th century. - Church of San Francisco (St. Francis). One of Porto's most striking landmarks is the baroque Clérigos Tower, the tallest in Portugal at 76 meters or 225 steps. Construction under the direction of the Italian architect Niccolo Nasoni began in 1754 and was completed in 1763. Among modern buildings, the House of Music stands out for its unusual shape.

Another very important attraction of Porto are its bridges.

There are many bridges across the Douro, connecting Porto with the satellite town of Vila Nova de Gaia. Some of them are unique technological solutions for their time. For example, the Ponte de Dona Maria Pia railway bridge, built in 1876-1877 according to the design of Gustave Eiffel, was one of the first projects that brought its author worldwide fame. Later, the same technological solutions were used by Eiffel in the construction of the Statue of Liberty (1884-1886) and the Eiffel Tower (1889). Another unique structure for its time was the two-level metal bridge Ponte de Don Luis, built in 1881-1886 according to the design of Eiffel’s student and companion Théophile Seyrig.
Built according to the design of Gustave Eiffel's student and companion Théophile Seyrig in 1886. Named after King Luis I.


Ponte de Don Luis is a unique symbol of the city of Porto. His image can often be found on the labels of local port wine.
The bridge has a length of 385.25 m and weighs 3045 tons, while the length of the arched span is 172 m and its height is 44.6 m.


Directly ahead is the Kliregush Tower.




In front of us is the Church of Do Carmo. This very nice temple in the architectural spirit of classicism and baroque was erected in the mid-18th century according to the design of the architect José Fgueiredo Seicas. The stone facade is decorated with sculptures of the prophets Elijah and Elisha and statues of the four evangelists by the Italian Baroque master Nicolau Nasoni. Another remarkable part of the decor is a huge mosaic canvas in soft blue, depicting scenes from the founding of the Carmelite Order.


































Porto was the first city on the Iberian Peninsula to have tram traffic. These little trams run in Porto and Lisbon. Others simply won’t turn around on the narrow streets of cities.


















The Clérigos Church was built by the architect Nicola Nasoni between 1732 and 1750. The church was built specifically for the brotherhood of Clerics. Over time, the architect himself joined the Brotherhood, and after his death he rests in the church crypt.
The Clérigos Tower is located behind this church, but is not included in the frame from this angle.






Church and Tower of Clérigos.






The monument to Pedro IV, the first king of Brazil and Portugal, is located in Liberty Square in the city center.


Monument to the Newspaper Boy












































The majestic and beautiful Sae Cathedral in Porto dominates the city. This is the oldest cathedral in Porto, built in the Romanesque style.
The cathedral was built as a fortress and the entire city was built around it.
The most valuable thing in the cathedral is its altar, for which 800 kg of silver were used. A wonderful courtyard with azulejos, a large square with a magnificent observation deck where there are viewing binoculars to admire the red roofs of the houses and the Douro River.

An interesting feature of postal addresses in Porto: they do not have house numbers. Street names, too, as a rule, are not written on houses - only at the beginning and end of the street. And it happens that just at the beginning of the street there is a column with a sign on which its name is written. All. It is not mentioned anywhere else.
Along the street, it is not the houses that are numbered, but the front doors - the entrance doors. Continuous numbering along the entire street. You can see it in this photo - the numbers are above the doors. Then the address will read, for example: second floor, 1st apartment to the right.
And nothing, they find it.
There was a case. We took a taxi and went to look at the ocean (it is 7 km from the city), namely, at sunset - how beautiful the sun sinks into the sea. We let the taxi go, admired the sunset, and then decided to walk to the hotel and got lost. When we tried to find our way on the map, it turned out that this was completely impossible. We decided that it would be better for us to look not for our current location, but immediately for our hotel. Again, a bummer - the Portuguese, very friendly people, waving their arms, enthusiastically told us the way, but following the narration in Portuguese and taking advice, as it turned out, was also unrealistic. Meanwhile, things were moving towards evening, even towards night, and the question of returning home became acute. It’s impossible to just catch a taxi; you have to call it to the specified address. We saw a ballet school and stopped by to ask them to call us a taxi to their address (at least they know it).
It ended with one of the ballerinas taking us to the hotel in her car. Looking out the car window at the road, we realized that we would never have gotten there on our own, and upon arrival at the hotel there were no happier people than us.






A characteristic feature of Portuguese architecture is the cladding of buildings with tiles. This is not only beautiful, but also very useful - in summer, tiles protect houses from heat, and in the off-season - from dampness. Houses in Portugal most often do not have heating, so in all seasons, clothes are dried outside.


In this photo we see the exit to the Douro River embankment. I’ll show it in another post, and at the same time we’ll take a boat ride on it.


On the left is the Cathedral of St. Francis, on the right is the Bolsa Palace. The Bolsa Palace is the Stock Exchange and also the place where you can come to admire the palace interiors created by local architect Joaquim da Costa Lima Juniordla in the mid-19th century for ordinary merchants. Now it is a kind of museum, where exhibits: various sculptures, frescoes, paintings, furniture, dishes and others are specially selected and fit into the interiors of the halls. Thus, the Arab Hall with golden arabesques, the Court of Nations under an octagonal glass dome, the Tribunal Hall, the Assembly Hall, the Golden Hall and the staircase made of granite and marble look the most beautiful. Copied from the Internet, because we didn’t go inside. Well, maybe one of the readers will be interested and visit.

September 15th, 2012 , 02:11 am

A year ago I was planning this trip, but last year the choice fell on the Canaries and Portugal was postponed.
But this year, Portugal finally came true. After crawling through blogs and travel sites, three cities were chosen: Porto, Lisbon and Albufeira. The latter was chosen exclusively for a beach holiday, where in the summer without swimming and sunbathing.
My first story will be about the second largest city in Portugal - Porto.

Let's start with the route. In my opinion, this is the optimal platform for making some idea about this country.
By the way, A=G=Lisbon. Google put the dots one on top of the other and this is what came out.

How we got to Porto is a different story. Since the plane landed in Lisbon very late and there were no trains to Porto at that time, we had to get there by Rede Expressos bus. We ran and ran, but we made it.
And voila - the city of Porto.
Our hotel was located in the center on Plaza Batalha. So in the morning we had a beautiful view of the Church of San Ildefonso, sun-drenched streets and crowds of tourists.
I tried to keep a lot of people out of the frame, so the streets look more or less deserted.

The first thing that struck me was the Church of San Ildefonso, the pearl of the square. It is all covered with tiles characteristic of Portugal.
These tiles are called azulejos and are of Arabic origin. Their number in Porto is huge; from a distance they are very reminiscent of Gzhel and tiles on Russian stoves.
It is interesting that they depict not just a repeating ornament, but various subjects and characters.
I’m very glad that the azulejos weren’t stolen for souvenirs, otherwise I’m tempted to pick them off.

Imbued with the Portuguese spirit, I endlessly clicked through the streets going uphill and downhill.
Such changes are very atypical for flat Petersburg, so it’s interesting to look at such outlandish landscapes.

When traveling around Portugal, you need to remember about comfortable shoes. The sidewalks are paved with very smooth paving stones, and the ups and downs increase sliding. And of course, you need to take into account the huge walking distances. I lost one pair of shoes in Porto while walking and had to walk part of the way to the hotel barefoot.
Although the sidewalks certainly look very elegant.

Despite the fact that Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, it does not have the Lisbon scale.
It’s good to wander around here, bumping into various architectural monuments without following a map.
Hanging linen everywhere adds a special chic. All colors and sizes. In every house, in the center and in the alleys.
I also couldn’t shake the feeling of Porto being neglected. On every street, several houses stand dilapidated or abandoned, with their windows covered. There was a feeling that people were leaving the city, although this could be deceptive and this is just another “raisin” of Porto.

Probably one of the features of Portugal that comes to mind is trams. Not even - trams.
Such a hello from the past. Although they look very decent, almost like new.
If you wish, you can travel by this type of transport. But when I looked at the crowd packed there like sprat, I lost such desire.
Well, he's cute, isn't he?

For me personally, Hop-on Hop-off buses have become an excellent alternative to excursions, even I would say a more advantageous option when traveling. As a rule, they have an audio guide in Russian; if it is not available, there is always an audio guide in English, free wifi and an excellent view from the second floor. Usually we make the first circle to get acquainted with the sights, and on the second circle we go out at the places we like for photography and walks.

We started our flight from Praça da Liberdade, where Monument to King Don Pedro IV.
Freedom Square is crowned by the city hall. In my opinion, it is very reminiscent of Wenceslas Square in Prague.
(Of course, I’m wildly sorry, but every time Don Pedro was mentioned, I was reminded of the Russian film “Hello, I’m your aunt!” I couldn’t resist remembering. :))

By the way, one more small detail. On Freedom Square there is one of the most luxurious McDonald's I have ever seen. It seems there used to be a restaurant there. The eagle would somehow be more typical for Germany. Inside, the room is also designed in an imperial-solemn style.

On sightseen buses I like to sit on the second floor, of course. I sit high, look far away + get sunbathing. True, in Porto on some streets the trees are not tall, you have to bend down.
In the photo below on the left, by the way, is the municipal building with a 70-meter bell tower.

The bus route passed along the ocean coast, so in Porto I saw the ocean washing the shores of Portugal for the first time. The weather was quite hot, so tourists and locals were relaxing on the beaches. Young people preferred more extreme methods of cooling, jumping from a helipad at the mouth of the Douro River, on which Porto itself stands.

By the way, the views of the city here are wonderful: houses hang over one another and, of course, garlands of laundry to dry.

On the other side of the Douro River, we were told, are the best fish restaurants. In general, judging by the number of fishing boats, there is definitely fish here.

Once you go to the river, it’s impossible not to bump into HIM! I am, of course, talking about the two-level bridge of King Luis I. It connects the Ribeira area with the cellars and wine warehouses of the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. Well, it was built according to the design of Gustave Eiffel’s student and companion Théophile Seyrig. Actually there is something in common.
Attention, many, many photos of the bridge!

The bridge is majestic, there are many of them. And having clicked it during the day from all sides, you definitely need to repeat the same thing at sunset and at night. By the way, in the pre-sunset hours the light is the most advantageous in my opinion.

Of course, this colossus is not the only bridge across the Douro.
I don’t know the name of the next one (can someone tell me?), but it looks impressive, yeah.

And the bridge, who would have thought... Ponte de Dona Maria Pia, named after the wife of King Luis I. Romantic, organ. Well, a whole family.

The views can be viewed from the bank on the Ribeirao side by going to the top on a lift or from the funicular on the other side.
True, the funicular is nothing special. The windows are somewhat stained, the view from the bridge or the shore from above is definitely better. Better save your money for port wine :) .

Well, since I said this magic word (“port”, I mean), then I need to develop this topic.
I think it won’t be difficult to guess that the word “port” comes from the name Porto.
So, the main concentration of warehouses and cellars with this drink is in the city of Vila Nova di Gaia, on the left bank of the Douro.
If you want to taste it, no questions asked - welcome. And it’s very pleasant to wander here. Then sit somewhere on the shore and sharpen sardines.
To be honest, I had a prejudice against port wine, I had never tried it before, but I heard enough negative reviews. True, we were talking about a portey bought in our country.
It turns out that there are several categories of port tawny, brankco, ruby, vintage, etc.
I won't brag. that I tried everything, but only tasted 3-4 varieties.
By the way, with a certain variety it is recommended to consume certain snacks: nuts, jam, ham with melon, fruit, lemon pie, etc.

By the way, from here you have an excellent view of the opposite shore.
The places are just made for photo shoots. Houses are piled on top of each other and there are crowds of walking tourists.
Having looked at all this, we quickly hurried to cross the bridge and join the evening bustle.

And a few words about what is located on the other side - Ribeira.
This area is filled with narrow, winding streets and dilapidated houses.
The impression was created that life here was by no means prosperous and people were slowly leaving this place.
But there is good news - the area is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and it seems to be slowly being restored.

By the way, in Porto there is one of the most beautiful railway stations in Europe - Sao Bento.
The walls are tiled with azulejos tiles in white and blue tones. The largest of them is made of 20 thousand tiles and decorates the waiting room. The painting depicts episodes from the history of railways.

Another interesting fact: the symbol of Portugal is the Barcelos rooster. The Barcelos rooster is roasted, so it is always black. Such cockerels can always be purchased in any souvenir shop in Portugal; its image can be found almost everywhere.

In conclusion of this part, I’ll add: to see Portugal, it’s still worth visiting Porto. It has small town charm and is completely different from other places in Portugal.

Porto is a city of port wine and football, a city of high arched bridges and noisy coastal bars, a city of unsightly and dirty streets, the city that gave its name to Portugal. So much has been written about Porto that trying to tell something new is a thankless task. But I’ll still try to tell and show.

The city is located north of on the right bank of the Douro River, which stretches almost 900 kilometers across the entire Iberian Peninsula.

The history of the city goes back to the Romans; it was from those times that Porto began to develop, first as a port and then as an industrial city. Moreover, over the past two millennia it has not lost any of its port charm, but more on that below...

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and is often called the northern capital.

One of the most recognizable symbols of the city is the Ponte de Don Luis, built at the end of the 19th century by Théophile Seyrig, a student of that same Gustave Eiffel. The bridge connects the two banks of the Douro River. The bridge is two-level: on the upper level, at a height of 45 meters, there is a metro line, while the lower tier, located directly above the water, is intended for cars.

But the most famous symbol of Porto is, of course, the famous fortified wine - port.

Only wine produced on the banks of the Douro River can be called port. This provision is enshrined in the legislative acts of Portugal and the European Union. So the Soviet “Three Axes” and other similar surrogate liquids, of course, not only have nothing to do with the noble sweet drink, but also borrowed its name completely illegally.

By the way, contrary to the opinion of the majority, port wine is not produced in Porto - the world-famous cellars in which oak barrels of wine are aged are located on the opposite bank from Porto - in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Previously, in order not to disturb the transport of wine along the rough Portuguese roads, it was transported from the vineyards to the cellars in barrels on flat-bottomed cargo boats with a square sail. In memory of those times, today you can see many moored boats, just opposite the cellars. Some of the boats have been converted into restaurants, at the tables of which you can endlessly sit and enjoy the fresh wind from the Atlantic accompanied by the pleasant sweet notes of fortified wine sparkling in a glass.

A few words about transport. In Porto, as well as in, there are old, rattling trams.

There is also more modern transport here. For example, the city metro is more like a tram.

A funicular line is laid along the old fortress wall from the Douro bank to the top.

The fortress wall also appeared here not by chance - at the very beginning of the reconquista, Porto occupied a border position. The border between Muslim lands and the newly autonomous Portuguese county ran along the Douro River.

The funicular runs quite rarely - the operator waits until the cabin is filled to capacity with people, like a jar of sprats.

And, probably, the most interesting form of urban transport is the cable car, which connects the area next to the Ponte de Don Luis bridge and the embankment of the Douro River next to the wine cellars.

Although, of course, this is no longer Porto, but Vila Nova de Gaia, but it is still very interesting.

And it’s interesting because from this cable car, in my opinion, the best view of the historical part of Porto opens.

The bishop's palace rises monumentally above the densely clustered residential buildings.

Next to it on the hillside is the ancient district of Bairro da Se - it is the poorest and at the same time the most picturesque quarter of Porto.

The embankment is lined with many small open-air restaurants that seem to be filled with drunken fun around the clock.

In the meantime, it's time to look at Porto from above. The best place for this is the observation tower of the Clérigos Church.

Its bell tower is the tallest in Portugal. For a long time it was a landmark for ships arriving from the Atlantic.

A narrow staircase of 225 steps leads upstairs.

Let's take a breath at one of the sites... We have only reached the roof level so far.

Well, here we are at the top.

We look at Porto.

We see red roofs descending in ledges to the banks of the Douro. We see Vila Nova de Gaia located on the far shore. We see wine cellars occupying almost the entire opposite bank of the river.

We see neat new roofs.

We see that there are picturesque ruins right in the center of Porto.

We see that the slopes of the hills on which Porto is located are quite steep, and sometimes you need to sweat a lot to climb the many steps.

We see modern blocks rising in the distance.

We see that huge parks and squares covered with green tree crowns stretch west all the way to the Atlantic.

All. We've seen enough of Porto from above. We continue to walk the streets.

Please note that entire facades of houses can be decorated here with blue tiles.

Let's feel the atmosphere of the Bairro da Se quarter, over which the bell tower of the Clérigos Church, which we visited a little earlier, rises like a mighty phallus.

The houses here are tall and the streets are narrow and dirty. It’s stuffy between the houses, the air seems to have frozen, having absorbed many aromas, ranging from the smells of cheap food coming from nowhere to the outright stench, so familiar from our native St. Petersburg pissed elevators. The feeling that you suddenly find yourself in a poor Asian country from a civilized European country.

Laundry is hung on the streets. From time to time you come across very dubious personalities whom you really wouldn’t want to meet on a dark street under the cover of darkness.

In general, it’s a real port city. For a greater ambiance, the only things missing are drunken sea wolves and cheap port prostitutes. Although, maybe I just didn’t look well?

I look more closely and begin to understand that the city is amazing!

Porto. City `s history.

Porto, the second largest city in Portugal with 500 thousand inhabitants, gave its name not only to port wine, but to the entire country. Once upon a time, on the left bank of the Douro there was a Roman settlement called Portus (Latin for “harbour”), and on the right bank was Calais (Greek “kalos” - beautiful). Based on the names of these villages, the Moors began to call the country between the Douro and Minho Portucale. After the expulsion of the Arabs in the 11th century, the Christian county of Portucalia arose here, which later became the kingdom of Portugal.

Porto has always lived by trade. In 1050, it became the most important economic center in the north of the country; in the 13th and 14th centuries it maintained maritime trade relations with England, Flanders and the cities of the Hanseatic League.

Close relations with England, on whose support the king counted in the fight against hostile Castile, were strengthened by the Treaty of Windsor in 1386 and the marriage of King John I to the Englishwoman Philippa de Lencastre, which took place in the cathedral in Porto. In 1394, their son was born in Porto, who later became Henry the Navigator.

English merchants who traded in colonial goods such as tobacco and sugar have long felt at home in Porto. Even today, British influence remains in the city, the roots of which are in the notorious enslaving treaty with England in 1703. This treaty opened the English market to Portuguese wines and provided English merchants with a monopoly position in the sale of port wine. Until now, some large port wine producing companies bear English names.

In contrast to Lisbon, the tone in Porto has always been set by the city's trading elite. From the early Middle Ages until the 17th century, there was a law prohibiting aristocrats from building palaces here and generally staying in the city for more than three days. Even the king did not have his own residence in Porto and lived as a guest in the Bishop's Palace. The city managed to win many civil liberties from the bishop, but resistance to the Lisbon authorities was, of course, unsuccessful. For example, a protest against a wine trading company founded by the Marquis de Pombal was suppressed by force, and Governor General Joao de Almada was sent to Porto. However, he himself and his son Francisco did a lot of good for the city. It is to them that Porto owes the success of the improvement and expansion of the city in the second half of the 18th century.

In the 19th century, Porto was a stronghold of liberal forces whose activities led to the overthrow of the monarchy. The first constitution was proclaimed here in 1822. The first, albeit unsuccessful, uprising of the Republicans took place in Porto. Salazar's dictatorial regime was not popular in this city from the very beginning.

Now Porto is an industrial center, and its harbor, Leixões, is Portugal's second largest port. The townspeople are distinguished by their hard work and unpretentiousness. Every Portuguese knows the saying: “They party in Lisbon, work in Porto, study in Coimbra, and pray in Braga.”