Monica Stott is the Social Media Manager for Travel Bloggers
Unite and travel blogger at The Travel Hack
The beautiful city of Porto is the second largest in Portugal
and was built along the Douro river estuary in the
4th century. Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
thanks to the historic and cultural sights that fill the city and
make it such a unique place to visit.
Porto prides itself on being "the noble, faithful and invincible
city" and earned the reputation through a strong resistance against
Napoleon's troops in the Peninsular War. The locals still live up
to this motto and prove that there may be some truth in the
Portuguese saying, "Porto works, Braga prays, Coimbra studies and
Lisbon gets the money."
The city had a rustic yet modern vibe and the different areas
have their own unique style and atmosphere. In the centre of town
you can find grand baroque style buildings that dominate the
skyline with their impressive architecture. The quaint buildings
along the river couldn't be more different; their once bright
colours have weathered in the sun and they create a tall, slim
mismatch of crooked houses.
Porto is also home to some stunning and modern buildings that
prove this ancient city is bang up-to-date with stylish
architecture. The Casa de Musica and the Porto Vodaphone Building
are both examples of unique design that bring together the old and
new in Porto.
There are countless churches to explore and you will find the
insides are just as impressive as the outside. Igreja de Sao
Francisco is one the most famous Gothic churches with an
intricately designed interior with baroque guilt woodwork painted a
dazzling gold.
The Ponte de D. Luis is the metal bridge that arches over the
Douro River and is the iconic symbol of Porto and connects the city
with Vila Nova de Gaia. One of the best places to see Porto is by
crossing the bridge and seeing the stunning views from a
17th century monastery, Seera do Pilar, which
stands on a hill just above the bridge.
You can't leave Porto without tasting some of the local
delicacies and one thing you will find in every restaurant is code.
The Portuguese joke that they have 365 different recipes for cod
and would happily eat it every day of the year. A more traditional
meal is a hearty tripe based dish called Tripas a moda do
Porto.
Fancy the Douro youself? Why not visit our
European rivers destination page and find out more.