Porto Tourist Attractions

Porto in northwestern Portugal was founded in the 12th century and is credited with being the birthplace of modern Portugal. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Porto has a huge amount to offer in terms of cultural heritage, but the tourist trail is not all about religious monuments like Porto Cathedral or São Francisco Church! Attractions also include fun things to do, like visiting some of the city's wine cellars. The famous port wine has been created by master wine producers in Vila Nova de Gaia's "caves" for several centuries now.

Modern-day Porto is also represented with attractions like the Casa da Música and the Serralves Museum for example, or the Café Majestic in Rua Santa Catarina, a Belle Époche cafe that is as hip today as it was when it first opened in the 19th century. Literary legend has it that J.K. Rowling used to sip her coffee here, well before Harry Potter and Butterbeer ever popped into her mind.

Medieval Ribeira is Porto's wonderful riverside district, where narrow cobbled streets wind their way past imposing merchants' houses. This is a lovely place to come for a stroll.

Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa lies along the Douro River and its tributary, the River Côa. The park not only contains rare species of plants and animals, but also open-air art created by humans from the Neolithic and Iron Age periods, opening up a window into time some 25,000 years ago. The Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of this art since the 1990's.

Located in Massarelos, Porto's Crystal Palace Gardens is a small paradise in the middle of the city. Tree-lined waterways allow for total relaxation on a hot day and the views of the Douro River are quite something, too.

Livraria Lello is Porto's famous art nouveau book shop, a place that inspired Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling reputedly with its Gothic design and stained glass windows, not to mention its amazingly intricate red staircase, which found its way into the Potter books in slightly altered form.

São Bento Train Station is one of the world's most beautiful railway stations. Inside you'll discover that its lobby walls are decorated with 20,000 painted tiles, which were created by painter Jorge Colaço over a period of 11 years. These tiles show life in Portugal's past.

Foz do Douro overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is almost a small city in its own right. The former beach resort offers tourists great cafes and restaurants, and attractions like the Queijo Fort, the Passeio Alegre Fountain and the Felgueiras Lighthouse.

Porto is also an excellent base from which to explore the northwest of Portugal. Many historic towns and cities are within an hour's drive or less. Take the A3 and A7, and you'll reach lovely Guimarães within 40 minutes. The castle is spectacular and the fortified city walls and historic center make this another UNESCO World Heritage Site not to be missed.

The city of Braga lies just 41 minutes from Porto via the A3 motorway. Built over 2,000 years ago, the city was founded by Emperor Augustus, and the original city was located along one of the main ancient Roman roads of the Iberian Peninsula. Braga Cathedral was built in the 12th century and is probably the oldest cathedral in Portugal.

Simply rent a car and start exploring!