Portugal

The streets are often narrow and sometimes confusing to the first-time visitor; even
armed with a good map, you’re likely to get lost from time to time. Long accustomed to
entertaining foreigners, the people of Porto are generally friendly and hospitable, and will
point you in the right direction.
Begin your tour in the heart of the old town, at:
1 Terreiro de Sé
This square is dominated by the cathedral,
founded as a fortress church in the 12th
century and greatly altered in the 1600s
and 1700s. Square-domed towers flank
the main facade. “Cathedral Square” is
also bordered by an 18th-century former
Episcopal palace, now municipal offices.
Noted for its granite-cased doors and windows,
it contains an exceptional stairway.
Also on the square are a Manueline-style
pillory and a statue of Vímara Peres, the
warrior of Afonso III of León, who captured
ancient Portucale in a.d. 868.
To the rear of the cathedral is one of Porto’s most
charming streets:
2 Rua de Dom Hugo
If you continue along this street, you’ll pass
the Chapel of Our Lady of Truths. It’s
invariably closed, but you can peek through
the grille at the gilded rococo altar, with a
statue of the Virgin at the center.
Along this same street at no. 32 stands the:
3 Casa Museu de Guerra Junqueiro
This white mansion, now a museum, was
the home of the poet Guerra Junqueiro
(1850–1923). The Italian architect Nicolau
Nasoni designed this mansion.
Continue along Rua de Dom Hugo, a narrow street
that curves around the eastern side of the Sé, until
you come to some steep steps. These were carved
through remaining sections of the town walls that
existed in the Middle Ages. This brings you into one
of the most colorful and poverty-stricken sections of
Porto, the:
4 Ribeira district
The back streets of this historic neighborhood
have much charm. The area
abounds with arcaded markets, churches,
museums, monuments, and once-elegant
buildings.
Regardless of which alley you take, everything eventually
merges onto the:
5 Cais de Ribeira
The quayside section of the Ribeira district
opens onto the Douro. Locals come
here for the low-cost tascas (taverns) and
seafood restaurants, which were constructed
into the street-level arcade of the
old buildings.
The center of the district is:
6 Praça de Ribeira
Locals sit in the sun here telling tall tales.
From here, visitors can take in the portwine
lodges across the Douro at Vila Nova
de Gaia.
Now head north to the:
7 Ponte de Dom Luís I
This is the middle of the trio of bridges
over the river Douro. The iron bridge was
designed by Seyrig, one of Gustave Eiffel’s
collaborators, in 1886. It has an upper and
a lower span, both of which funnel traffic
to Vila Nova de Gaia.
After viewing the bridge and the river, retrace your
steps to Praça de Ribeira. At the west side of the
square, walk up Rua de São João to the:
8 Feitoria Inglesa (Factory House
of the British Association)
This is the headquarters of the Port Wine
Shippers’ Association. One of the most
fabled buildings in the Ribeira district, it
stands where Rua do Infante Dom Henrique
crosses Rua de São João. British consul John
Whitehead designed the “factory” in 1786.
Follow Rua do Infante Dom Henrique to the:
9 Casa do Infante
The Casa do Infante lies at the corner of
Rua de Alfândega. Porto-born Henry the
Navigator, who launched Portugal on the
Age of Discovery, reputedly was born in
this house.
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PORTO & ENVIRONS 13
WALKING TOUR: THE HEART OF PORTO