Porto City Breaks

Porto – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Portugal’s second largest city after Lisbon, Porto straddles the Rio Douro a mile or so inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Winding medieval alleyways, tidy squares, majestic churches, and wide, sweeping streets lined with elegant beaux-arts architecture give the city a jumbled, eclectic feel. A great destination for anybody interested in a historical city break, Porto’s old city centre has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its steep, spiralling lanes, tottering staircases and picturesque tiled churches. While it embraces its glorious past, however, Porto is also a city looking firmly to the future, as seen in the various urban renewal projects underway and its fast, efficient metro system.

A fantastic city break choice

A great way to save money in Porto is to invest in the Porto Card. This gets you free admission to municipal museums, as well as discounts at a number of other museums around the city. The card also gets you discounts at cultural institutions, various shows, cruises on the Douro River, restaurants, city tours, shops and other places of interest, as well as free travel on almost all metro connections, free travel on the CP suburban trains, from Valongo to Coimbroes and free travel on the STCP network (buses, tram, aerobus, Guindais funicular). There is plenty to see and do in Porto, including the Port Wine Museum (Museu do Vinho de Porto), detailing the history of the city’s most important export; the Igreja de Santa Clara, a fascinating 15^th century church with stunning 17^th century interior artwork; and the 12^th century Catedral Se, an impressive fortress-like landmark amongst other sights.

Great shopping and nightlife

The highlight of any city break to Porto is undoubtedly the city’s famous fortified wine, but local handicrafts such as pottery and ceramics are also of high quality and very popular. For a traditional Portuguese weekly market, head to Rua de Santa Catarina which hosts markets regularly, or for more specific products such as handicrafts and antiques go to the markets on Rua Candido dos Reis, Galeria Lumière and Passeio das Fontainhas. Nightlife in Porto is varied and lively, with countless bars, cafes and clubs as well as two casinos. There are also a number of live music venues and a theatre catering for alternative music events.