Northern Portugal has a lot to offer. Pitoresk small villages, some only made out of 4 houses. Sometimes it seems you have gone back in time! Lovely valleys with small rivers and waterfalls, national parks, city's with old parts and castles worth a visit. The beautiful Douro Valley with all the vineyards scattered on the hills, they almost seem like ricefields! On this page we will highlight some of these great spots to check out!
Porto
Porto is the second largest city of Portugal and is mostly known for its Port wine. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on the west side and the Douro river on the South side. Porto is one of the oldest European centres and the historic centre is on the world heritage sites of Unesco. All the Port houses are located on the other side of the Douro river, Vila Nova de Gaia. Porto is a beautiful city, it has lots of great places to eat and there are some great tours to be booked from Porto, for example a day trip on the douro river.
Sites worth a visit in Porto
São Bento train station: The mainhall of São Bento trainstation is tiled with azulejos showing the history of both Porto and its transport.
Historic centre: The historic centre of Porto is shaped by the old citywalls that were build in the 14th century. Allthough most of the walls were demolished some structures can still be found and have been a national monument since 1928.
Palacio da Bolsa: This is the old stock exchange palace of Porto. It was build in the 19t century and especially the Arab room is worth a look.
Torre dos Clérigos: The highest church tower of Porto. It's a long and narrow climb to the top but the view is worth it!
Ponte Luiz I: This bridge was designed by architect Theophile Seyrig, who was one of the founders of the company Eiffel et Cie. The Ponte Maria-Pia was also designed by him. Cars only pass the lower part, the high part is only used for the Metro and for pedestrians. The view is amazing!
The Porto Cathedral: This cathedral was build in the 12th century. You have a great view over the Douro river from the square in front of the cathedral.
Coimbra
The medieval capital of Portugal for more than a hundred years and the best university of Portugal is situated there.
