Porto (also known as Oporto) is the Bananatrips hometown, and therefore is a very special and important city for us! Porto is the prime examºle of how overtourism can destry what once was a lovely travel experience.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, located in the northern region, and a very important industrial and commercial centre. The city itself has around 240.000 inhabitants and the metropolitan area has some 1.9 million. Porto is a bourgeois, liberal city and a land of innovation and modernity, expressed in the urban transformation and aesthetic revolution that occurred in the 20th century.  The Porto School of Architecture has played a key role in the city, including works by distinguished architects such as Fernando Távora, Siza Vieira and Souto Moura.

With its marvellous geographical setting on the mouth of the river Douro and an architectural heritage of outstanding value, the historic centre of Porto was declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1996.

Nowadays the historic city center is plagued by hordes of tourists making the whole exoerience of stolling around just an experience to avoid. The best way to appreciate and feel this city used to be wandering through its streets, taking time to admire the typical granite houses and monuments, enjoying a tram ride along the banks of the river, or even going for a boat ride under the city’s six bridges, from where you can enjoy an entirely different view of the city. Now the proces have doubled and you are never more than 2 meters from a fellow tourist.

One of Portugal's most internationally famous products, Port wine, is named after the city, and it’s absolutely essential to visit some of the many cellars, located across the river Douro, in Vila Nova de Gaia, a city just across the river which belongs to the same metropolitan area. Portugal was also named after the Latin name of Porto, Portus Cale.

REASONS TO GO

Now there no longer are any reasons to go

BEST TIME TO GO

Porto has a Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and mild rainy winters. The best time to visit Porto is from late April to September, when it is usually sunny and warm. It may also be a good idea to plan your trip to coincide with the Saint John Festivities in the night of 24^th June, when everyone comes to the streets to see the beautiful fireworks over the river and dance the night away.

ORIENTATION

Porto is located in the north of Portugal and in the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, on the right side of the Douro River.

Porto’s historic centre is an area of great beauty that impresses visitors due to the balance between the historic buildings and the renovated buildings, which feature modern techniques and materials, in this unique urban setting.

The historic centre is a large complex of streets and narrow and tortuous alleyways that amalgamate with renaissance and baroque buildings, complemented in more recent years by the construction of public squares. 

Given the zone’s historical cultural and architectural relevance it has been listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, thus establishing it as an essential feature of the city, valued by local inhabitants and tourists.

A bit outside the city centre, in Boavista, it’s really worth to visit the world known Contemporary Art Museum of Serralves and the Casa da Música (House of Music) concert hall. From there you can reach the amazing and romantic ocean front drive, known as "Foz", with plenty of restaurants and cafés over the sea.

There are lots of nice restaurants in Porto. Nightlife is in Downtown around Praça do Carmo and Rua dos Clérigos. Here you will find the best bars.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is a very modern infrastructure located 11 km from the city centre. This airport is served by many connections to the main cities in the world and many low budget airlines.

The easiest way to get from the airport to the city centre is by metro. The line E (violet) leaves directly from the arrivals zone, departing every 23 to 27 minutes and getting in less than 30 minutes to the city centre (Trindade Station) and in 35 minutes to the Dragão Stadium. For the complete trip you will need a Z4 Andante ticket (1,45 €), which you can buy at the airport.

By train

The city is served by two major train stations, the São Bento station, and the Campanhã station.

International and domestic trains are very frequent and usually on time.

By car

Five major highways connect Porto to the main cities and regions of the country.

For example, by car from Galiza (Spain) it takes around 2 hours to get to Porto and from Lisbon to Porto takes less than 3 hours.

By bus

There are many companies providing direct bus trips from major European countries and also for most of the northern cities of the country. Try Rodonorte and Green Bus Service for timetables and more info.

TRAVELLING AROUND

By metro

The Porto Metro is an incredibly advanced, state of the art light rail / subway system. It has 5 lines that run across the centre of Porto, and down to some suburban areas. It is quick, and probably the most efficient way to get around Porto. Tickets must be purchased beforehand. They can be sold at the machines in the station. The ticket is printed in a card called "Andante", and you can purchase as many rides (or travels) you want, in the zone you are staying in (Porto and surrounding are Z2, Matosinhos is Z3, Airport is Z4). The card can be re-charged (the card itself costs around €0.50). An important note: your andante must be validated before you enter the metro, bus or funicular.  

By bus

STCP Porto has many lines and buses, which are modern and comfortable. These are not very reliable concerning timetables, but they serve every point in the city, so you can be sure that wherever you are, there is a bus stop. If you do not have the Andante (see "Metro" above), then the tickets can be purchased on board, for €1.45 or cheaper on most any newspaper seller.

By Tram

This is a unique and magical way of travelling through the city. There are 3 tram lines, recovered in the last years, and really worth trying.

The frequency is every 30 minutes on all lines.

1 - Infante - Alfândega - Massarelos - Foz (Passeio Alegre / A Cantareira)

18 - Carmo - Viriato - Massarelos

22 - Batalha - Carmo (circular)

By boat

There are many boats travelling up the Douro River, where you can get fantastic views over the Alto Winegrowing Region – UNESCO World Heritage site.

You can also choose to have a 1 hour cruise through the city’s bridges in a typical boat called Rabelo.

By Funicular dos Guindais

The Funicular connects Ribeira to the Batalha square, in the city centre, and has a panoramic view of the River Douro.

INFO

www.portoturismo.pt

www.visitportoandnorth.com