A stroll through the historic center, bridges and a perfect area to end a day in the city of Oporto.
Portugal was amazing and the people super friendly! I went there in 2013 and would love to go back and see more.
Porto (or Oporto) is the 2nd largest city in Portugal. You’ll find to the south the Rio Douro (river of gold) which it’s between the “Ribeira” and “Vila Nova de Gaia”, making this area, one of my favorite in the city.
I started touring the historic center where I couldn’t miss to ride the tram and go around the area. And that’s how I saw part of the beautiful and interesting city center. Very touristic but a nice time to relax, and better than those ‘hop on hop off’ (ok, I’ve done that too)
An area to walk around and maybe do some shopping, is the Rua Santa Catarina. Super crowded by the way, but there are some places you might want to visit as the Majestic Cafe, which it was opened in 1921! After walking in front of it few times, last morning, we had a simple breakfast and it was delicious! I think this is a must see or a must visit if you are in Oporto. Not only a nice place to eat, but gorgeous decoration that will take you back in time.
Among roads, I also visited the “Avenida dos Aliados”, the main one and the center of Oporto. Simply beautiful thanks to the buildings surrounding the 2 squares: Praça da Liberdade and Praça do General Humberto Delgado.
Other places you need to see, “Torre dos Clerigos”, churches and of course, several of the famous bridges, impossible not to pay attention to them, when you can see different styles and eras.
Walking, I arrived to the train station “São Bento”. It opened in 1916 and is well known for the decor in the walls with tiles describing the history of Portugal. Beautiful station!
After a while going around the city, I crossed the bridge “Ponte Luiz I” to see around the ‘next door’ town “Vila Nova de Gaia”. From this side, we could see several guys jumping off the bridge into the river. Looks like fun, but I think it might be a bit too cold for me to jump 🙂 and I don’t want to.
It was a wonderful day touring the city and visiting several points. By the end of the last night, I just relaxed walking along the Duoro, some entertainment, and of course I had to try a (few) glass(es) of the famous Oporto wine! I also enjoyed the lovely sunset. Love sunsets 🙂 Now I need to go back to visit some wine cellar! Who’s in??
