Between the Fort of São Francisco Xavier and the Fort of São João Batista is a strip of seafront ideal for strolling and commonly known as Foz. This is, of course, the mouth of the Douro River and corresponds to a different area of Porto: it is flatter, has more houses and fewer buildings, is next to the sea and is a more expensive residential neighborhood.
Let's start at Praça Gonçalves Zarco, where the Forte de São Francisco Xavier or Castelo do Queijo as it is better known is located, a 17th century building that was used to defend the city from pirates and was built on top of a granite rock. half-rounded and looked like cheese, hence its popular name. Nowadays it is an excellent spot to watch the sunset. In this same square there is the Sea Life Porto, a space with several aquariums, many activities, lectures and an ocean tunnel to see sharks “face to face” as well as the turtle Mariza, one of the attractions of the Sea Life.
Continuing towards Porto, next to the sea, along Avenida Montevideo, we have an area where you can walk, cycle and run, but it is still far from the center so take a bus and if you want, get off at Forte São João Batista, a livelier area with cafes, terraces, restaurants and Jardim do Passeio Alegre, whose origins date back to the end of the 19th century. In addition to the beaches and the fort, we have the Felgueiras Lighthouse and the Barra do Douro Lighthouses, on the pier that marks the end of the Douro River.
We leave the beach area and enter Rua do Passeio Alegre, now parallel to the river and on a much tighter street, although there is still space to walk and run along the riverside. This whole part has beautiful views, but it is still far from the center so try to take a tourist bus or tram (br: tourist bus or tram).
After passing the Ponte da Arrábida, a bridge with six lanes that connects the south bank of the Douro to the north bank, stop only when you see the World of Discoveries, an interactive themed museum and amusement park dedicated to the Discoveries. If you are interested, there is more information here
From this point at Alfândega do Porto, which is nowadays a congress center and which is right in front of the World of Discoveries You can now walk to the Ribeira area, especially because it is about 1km to Cais da Ribeira and deserves to be discovered on foot. To find out more about this area of Porto you can see the other article which I wrote published on the Portugal Afora website.