Here’s where to go and what to do when you’re there.Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details. Find things to do in Porto, Portugal. New, modern restaurants pop up in this quarter by the week, and when the sun is setting you couldn’t ask for a more romantic backdrop for stroll.This stern-looking building calls the shots from the oldest part of Porto.You’ll arrive on the Terreiro da Sé, an esplanade that lets you survey the city’s rooftops and monuments like the Clérigos Church Tower.Despite going through a lot of changes over time, the cathedral has kept big pieces of its original 12th-century architecture.When it was built it would have had a defensive role, as you may tell from the buttresses, arrow loops and crenellations.Inside there’s a narrow Romanesque nave and choir, conducting you towards the apse, which got an opulent Baroque redesign in the 17th century.With all your attention drawn to the Douro and the Ribeira you might neglect Porto’s beaches.On a hot day you can dip your toes in the brisk Atlantic and clear your senses in the breeze.If you want to include some of the outlying beaches a few minutes from the city you have at least 10 to choose from, many of which fly the Blue Flag every year.The most convenient is Matosinhos, just past the Parque de Cidade and with a massive bay that seems boundless when the tide is out.If you’re happy to travel a little don’t rule out the town of Miramar, which has a pretty 17th-century chapel on the rocks between its huge golden sandy beaches.There’s a length of Porto’s 14th century wall just up from the Luís I Bridge and runs almost parallel to the funicular.And although it belongs of the World Heritage Site, it’s an attraction a little underappreciated by tourists.You can get onto battlements at Largo 1. de Dezembro, and at the entrance the wall is surrounded by a gorgeous little garden with orange trees.As you walk the UNESCO signs will give you a little background on medieval Porto.But best of all, the view of the Douro up here is unbeatable.This was the site of Porto’s Crystal Palace, which lasted from 1865 to 1961 and was modelled on the monument in London.These gardens were devised to complement that palace and were landscaped by the German Émile David.His design is still in place, and there are fountains and allegorical sculptures to the seasons.The gardens are planted with gingko, pines, camellias, rhododendrons and beech trees, and your path might be crossed by a peacock or two.At the centre of the park the old palace was replaced by the semi-spherical Pavilhão Rosa Mota, which has hosted exhibitions in the past, but is awaiting renovation.Built next to the most prominent section of Porto’s medieval defensive walls, this church was completed in 1457 to replace a medieval convent.It has a similar story to other religious buildings in the city, undergoing an extravagant update in the first half of the 18th century.Shining against the red marble are gilded mouldings on the vaults, and gilded wooden carvings on the walls with such meticulous detail that it’s hard to take it all in.In Portugal this style is known as “Barroco Joanino”, coming from the reign of John V when the Portuguese Empire was at the height of its prosperity.The Parque de Cidade is the largest urban park in Portugal, spreading out over 83 hectares and going as far west as the 17th-century Forte de São Francisco Xavier by the Atlantic.After hours zigzagging through crowds, if you need somewhere to stroll or coast on a bike, come for these cool pine groves and abundant rolling lawns.A motif throughout the park is stacks of rectangular granite stones that look like ancient foundations.You also use the Parque de Cidade as a green detour on your way to the Praia do Matosinhos.This museum was founded in 1833 as an exhibition of religious art confiscated from Portuguese convents.A lot of these pieces are still on display, while much of the earlier art was taken from followers of the deposed King Miguel I. Don’t let it bring you down – get a spa treatment, relax by the pool or…Trendy and cool are this Portos neighbourhood’s middle names.It’s the longest avenue in the city – and we don’t want you to get lost.It’s the longest avenue in the city – and we don’t want you to get lost.Promenades that go for miles and good food by the seaside.There is a world to discover on the other side of the river. Wander around to the apse to ponder the long lancet windows and then head back to the main facade where an ornate portal is crested by a lovely rose window.The interiors were redecorated from the 1500s to the 1700s and have some of the most lavish gilded woodwork you could hope to see.The old Gothic vaults, walls and pillars are covered up by intricately carved panels representing birds, cherubs and foliage.Porto’s old stock exchange was built next to the Church of São Francisco after its cloisters burned down during the Siege of Porto in 1832. Though Porto is known for having quite a few bridges, the Dom Luis I Bridge is especially renowned because it was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, the mastermind behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The house has been kept as a museum to open a window on 19th-century noble life.This attraction opened in 1972, and Charles Albert’s great-great grandson was called in to help the city choose furniture and decoration to make it as authentic as possible.The Douro has travelled almost 900 kilometres from its source in Castile and León to reach the Atlantic at Porto.And most people who spend some time on or next to the Douro agree that there’s something special about the river.Around the Ribeira hour-long cruises are offered for around €15, and your guide will give you some insights about the port warehouses on the south bank, the Porto landmarks that soar high on the north bank and the various bridges.Upriver on the eastern limit of the city is the Maria Pia Bridge, ten years older than the Luís I and built by Gustave Eiffel.It would be very easy, but probably not a good idea, to do nothing but drink port and tour cellars in Porto.These are located on the south bank of the Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia.A few, like Real Companhia Velha, Caves Sandeman and Taylor’s Port, have histories going back hundreds of years and come with museums documenting their story.As for the wine, it becomes fortified by adding grape spirit, which halts fermentation and helps port keep its sweet flavour.From them on it is stored in oak barrels for anything between two years and four decades depending on the style.FC Porto are the second most successful in Portuguese football, having won the league 25 times and the cup 16 times.Add to that two Champions League/European Cups and two UEFA Cup/Europa League titles and you’ve got a legacy worthy of a museum.If you don’t know much about FC Porto you’ll soon realise what the team means to the city, and if you’re already a fan you can take a trip down memory lane, recalling greats like Deco, Mário Jardel and Teófilo Cubillas.The museum is in the east stand of the Estádio do Dragão and celebrates iconic players, matches and titles using interactive technology and multimedia.Guerra Junqueiro was an influential author and poet whose writing helped set the tone for the Portuguese Revolution in 1910, which abolished the monarchy.In 1940 his estate in the medieval quarter was donated to the city and became a museum in his honour.You don’t need to be an expert in Portuguese literature to enjoy this exquisite baroque house and garden.Guerra Junqueiro also had a taste for the finer things, and accumulated fine ceramic dishes from Nuremburg, faience from Viana do Castelo, plush furniture and a variety of religious art including some wonderful silverwork.You have to call in at this delightful bookshop on Rua das Carmelitas.The building goes back to 1906, though the actual business is much older, and the shop is often touted as one of the best in the world.A lot of this is down to the architecture: The Livraria Lello has an Art Nouveau design, with plenty of nods to the Gothic in its traceries, murals and pinnacles on the facade.The sinuous wooden staircase, ceiling piping and stained glass skylight inside are all stunning.And for a celebrity endorsement, J.K. Rowling was a fan when she lived in Porto as an English teacher.A little younger than Porto’s elaborate Baroque churches, the Igreja do Carmo has Rococo architecture from the 1750-60s.What dazzles the crowds though is the side facade on Praça de Carlos Alberto.Save for the stonework trimming the windows and ground, this wall is covered entirely with blue and white azulejos.These tiles form one large image conveying  the origins of the Carmelite Order and Mount Carmel in Israel.And if you can’t get enough of the Porto’s stunning gilded woodcarving there’s more inside this church in the side chapels and above the main altar.The Douro’s last bridge before the Atlantic is the Ponte da Arrábida, which opened in 1963. 21 Aug 2020, 9:00am 48 hours in .


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