Porto, the capital of northern Portugal and also known as the “invicta”, has a very rich center with many churches, historic buildings and attractions that you should not miss when visiting this city. Unlike Lisbon, which has a bustling center and then extends to Expo, to the east, and to Belém to the west, the Porto that interests visitors is much more compact and in a much more circumscribed area.
There is a lot to visit, but it is essentially in the triangle between the D. Luis I Bridge, the Bolhão Market and the World of Discoveries that most of Porto's monuments are found.
I won't list everything there is to see, but let's start next to the Douro River, at the D. Luis I Bridge, which connects Gaia to Porto. This bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, together with the Clérigos Tower, is one of the most photographed monuments and one of the symbols of Porto. It has united the cities of Porto and Gaia since 1886 and its beautiful iron structure has two trays: cars pass at the bottom and the metro passes above, although both trays are accessible to pedestrians. Its architect was Théophile Seyrig and it took five years to build. This bridge, together with Ribeira do Porto, Igreja de São Francisco and on the Gaia side with the Port wine cellars, form an area of immense tourist interest, excellent for taking photos and strolling around on foot.
Still in this area, be sure to visit the Porto Cathedral area because the view there is worthy of some photos. This church began to be built in the 12th century, but underwent several changes over time, resulting in a mixture of architectural styles, with medieval and Gothic predominating. Entrance to the church is free and entry to the cloisters costs €3 (but if you have a Porto Card you still get a 35% discount).
The Sé and São Nicolau area is right above the Ribeira area and is one of the oldest in Porto. It is a tangle of narrow streets, but two of the best-known streets are Rua Escura and Rua da Bainharia, which date back to the 13th and 14th centuries respectively. Going down the latter and, taking the small Travessa da Bainharia, you reach Rua Mouzinho da Silveira and in a short time you are in Jardim do Infante D. Henrique. And it is here that a very beautiful and visited church in Porto appears – the Church of São Francisco.
The Palácio da Bolsa, currently the headquarters of the Porto Commercial Association, is a building dating from 1910 in a neoclassical style and its Arab Room stands out. This oval hall is decorated on the walls and ceiling with stucco embossed in gold with Arabic script. This building was erected on the ruins of the Convent of São Francisco and precisely on its back is the Church of São Francisco that I mentioned earlier.
This church is different from many others because it is somewhat hidden and is not facing the street or the Douro River, but rather alongside them. But it is a very old Gothic church, whose construction began in 1383 and was part of a Franciscan convent. It has a lot of sacred art and the gilded covering was later, between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Its baroque interior is exuberant because more than 200kg of gold is embedded in the altar, pillars and columns.
The Jesse Tree stands out, in gilded carving, carved between 1718 and 1721 and which represents the genealogy of Christ, in the form of a tree. Casa do Despacho is located right in front of the church and was added in the 18th century. Its author was Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect of vital prominence in Porto and also responsible for the Clérigos project. Casa do Despacho is currently a museum and is where you can access the Catacumbal do Porto Cemetery. The church ticket is valid for the museum and catacombs and costs €7 (25% discount with the Porto Card).
We went down Rua da Reboleira and, once on the Douro River, we passed Cais da Estiva and the famous Praça da Ribeira, where there is the cube-shaped fountain sculpture and the statue of São João, designed by João Cutileiro. Cais da Ribeira is an old area of Porto and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here we find a lot of life with restaurants, cafes and lots of people walking along the river.
The Ribeira area was one of the first to be inhabited and has many narrow, winding streets. But it's well worth it for the ride and the magnificent scenery that the D. Luis I Bridge provides.