Porto: top attractions & road trip guide
Porto is Portugal's second city, spread across steep granite slopes on the north bank of the Douro River, where it meets the Atlantic. Its historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a dense stack of tiled townhouses tumbling down toward the riverfront Ribeira district, and its name gave the world port wine, still aged in warehouses across the water in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Top attractions
Ribeira district
A UNESCO-listed riverfront quarter of narrow lanes and colorful, crumbling townhouses stacked above the Douro, lined with cafés facing the water.
Dom Luís I Bridge
A double-deck iron bridge spanning the Douro, designed with input from a student of Gustave Eiffel, carrying a metro line above and pedestrians on both levels.
Livraria Lello
A neo-Gothic bookstore from 1906 known for its ornate carved wood interior and curved red staircase, one of the most visited bookshops in the world.
Porto Cathedral
A fortress-like Romanesque cathedral overlooking the old town from a hilltop, with a Gothic cloister decorated in 18th-century azulejo panels.
Port wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia
A row of historic wine lodges across the river from Porto's old town, where major port houses age their barrels and offer tastings with views back over the Douro.
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