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Top Attractions in Porto District

Póvoa de Varzim

Póvoa de Varzim also spelled Povoa de Varzim, is a Portuguese city in Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. The population of the municipality was 63,408 at the time of the 2011 census. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants, with 42,396 living in the city proper. The city expanded, southwards, to Vila do Conde, and there are about 100,000 inhabitants in the urban area alone. It is the seventh-largest urban agglomeration in Portugal and the third largest in Northern Portugal. Permanent settlement in Póvoa de Varzim dates back to around four to six thousand years ago; around 900 BC, unrest in the region led to the establishment of Cividade de Terroso, a fortified city, which developed maritime trade routes with the civilizations of classical antiquity. Modern Póvoa de Varzim emerged after the conquest by the Roman Republic of the city by 138 BC, fishing and fish processing units soon developed, which turned out to be the foundations of the local economy. By the 11th century, the fish industry and fertile farmlands were the economic base of a feudal lordship and Varzim was fiercely disputed between the local overlords and the early Portuguese kings, which resulted in the establishment of the present day's municipality in 1308 and being subdued to monastic power some years later. Póvoa de Varzim's importance reemerged with the Age of Discovery due to its shipbuilders and merchants proficiency and wealth, who traded around the globe in complex trade routes. By the 17th century, the fish processing industry rebounded and, some time later, Póvoa became the dominant fishing port in northern Portugal. Póvoa de Varzim has been a well-known beach resort for over three centuries, the most popular in Northern Portugal, which unfolded an influential literary culture and artistic patronage in music and theater. Póvoa de Varzim is one of the few legal gambling areas in Portugal, and has significant textile and food industries. The town has retained a distinct cultural identity and ancient customs such as the writing system of siglas poveiras, the masseira farming technique and festivals.

Porto

Porto also known as Oporto in English, is the second-largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and one of the major urban areas in Southwestern Europe. The urban area of Porto, which extends beyond the administrative limits of the city, has a population of 1.4 million in an area of 389 km2 making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. Porto Metropolitan Area, on the other hand, includes an estimated 1.8 million people. It is recognized as a Gamma-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group, the only Portuguese city besides Lisbon to be recognised as a global city. Located along the Douro river estuary in Northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and its historical core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name "Portugal", based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. In Portuguese, the name of the city is spelled with a definite article . Consequently, its English name evolved from a misinterpretation of the oral pronunciation and referred to as Oporto in modern literature and by many speakers. One of Portugal's internationally famous exports, port wine, is named for Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the caves of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport and export of the fortified wine. In 2014, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency.

Maria Pia Bridge

The Maria Pia bridge, commonly known as Ponte Dona Maria, is a railway bridge built in 1877 by Gustave Eiffel in Porto, Portugal. Built of wrought iron, its two-hinged crescent arch used to carry the railway to Lisbon for 353 metres across the River Douro at a height of 60 m above the river. When constructed it was the longest single-arch span in the world. It is no longer in use as a rail bridge, a modern replacement having been constructed in 1991. In 1875 the Royal Portuguese Railway Company announced a competition for a bridge to carry the Lisbon to Porto railway across the river Douro. This was very technically demanding. The river was fast-flowing, its depth could be as much as 20 m when in flood and the river bed was made up of a deep layer of gravel. These factors ruled out the construction of piers in the river, so that the bridge would have to have a central span of 160 m . At the time the longest bridge span was the 156 m of the bridge built by James B. Eads over the Mississippi at St Louis. Eiffel Cies design, priced at 965,000 French francs, was the least expensive of the four designs considered, around two thirds of the cost of the nearest competitor. Since the company was relatively inexperienced, a commission was appointed to report on their suitability to undertake the work. Their report was favorable, although it did emphasise the difficulty of the project: "The complete study of a structure of this size presents great difficulties. The methods of calculation known up until now can only be applied in practise with the aid of hypotheses which depart from established fact to a greater or lesser extent, and thus render the projected results uncertain." Responsibility for the actual design is difficult to attribute, but it is probable that a large part was played by Théophile Seyrig, Eiffels business partner, who presented a paper on the bridge to the Société des Ingénieurs Civils in 1878. Eiffel, in his account of the bridge which accompanied the 1:50 scale model exhibited at the 1878 Worlds Fair, credited Seyrig, along with Henry de Dion, with work on the calculations and drawings. The structure consists of a deck 352.7 m long, supported by two piers on one side of the river and three on the other, with a central arch with a span of 160 m and a rise of 42.6 m . Another innovation was the method of construction used for the central arch. Since it was impossible to use any falsework, the arch was built out from the abutments on either side, their weight being supported by steel cables attached to the top of the piers supporting the deck. The same method was also used to build the decking, temporary tower structures being built above deck level to support the cables. This technique had been previously used by Eads, but its use by Eiffel is a good example of his readiness to use the latest engineering techniques. Construction started on 5 January 1876, and work on the abutments, piers and approach decking was complete by September. Work then paused due to the winter flooding of the river, and the erection of the central arch span was not started until March 1877. Construction was completed on 1 October 1877 and the bridge was opened on 4 November 1877 by King Luís I of Portugal and named after his queen, Maria Pia. In 1982, the bridge was designated a National Monument by IGESPAR . The bridge is often confused with the Dom Luís I Bridge, built nine years later and located a kilometre to the west, which bears a strong resemblance but has two decks. In 1991, the bridge was superseded by the new St Johns Bridge, designed by engineer Edgar Cardoso.

Porto Cathedral

The Porto Cathedral, located in the historical centre of the city of Porto, Portugal, is one of the citys oldest monuments and one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Portugal The current Cathedral of Porto underwent construction around 1110 under the patronage of Bishop Hugo and was completed in the 13th century, but there is evidence that the city has been a bishopric seat since the Suevi domination in the 5th-6th centuries. The cathedral is flanked by two square towers, each supported with two buttresses and crowned with a cupola. The façade lacks decoration and is rather architecturally heterogeneous. It shows a Baroque porch and a beautiful Romanesque rose window under a crenellated arch, giving the impression of a fortified church. The Romanesque nave is rather narrow and is covered by barrel vaulting. It is flanked by two aisles with a lower vault. The stone roof of the central aisle is supported by flying buttresses, making the building one of the first in Portugal to use this architectonic feature. This first Romanesque building has suffered many alterations but the general aspect of the façade has remained romanesque. Around 1333 the Gothic funerary chapel of João Gordo was added. João was a Knight Hospitaller who worked for King Dinis I. His tomb is decorated with his recumbent figure and reliefs of the Apostles. Also from the Gothic period is the elegant cloister, built between the 14th and the 15th centuries during the reign of King John I, who married English Princess Philippa of Lancaster in Porto Cathedral in 1387. The external appearance of the Cathedral was greatly altered during Baroque times. In 1772 a new main portal substituted the old Romanesque original and the tower cupolas were altered. Around 1732 Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni added an elegant Baroque loggia to the lateral façade of the Cathedral. During the War of the Oranges whilst the battle at Amarante was taking place a group of Spanish soldiers briefly took control of the Cathedral before being overcome by the locals of the town. A marble plaque with a Magnetite backing now hangs up behind the altar in order to remind everyone of those who lost their lives whilst regaining control of the chapel. The magnetite backing was chosen in order to remind those travelling near the cathedral by interfering with the direction in which their compass points, The interior was also altered during the baroque era. In one of the chapels there is a magnificent silver altarpiece, built in the second half of the 17th century by Portuguese artists. Also in the 17th century the romanesque apse was torn down and a new one was built in baroque style, later decorated with new wall paintings by Nasoni and choir stalls. The altarpiece of the chapel, designed by Santos Pacheco and executed by Miguel Francisco da Silva between 1727 and 1729, is an important work of Portuguese Baroque. The three red marble holy-water fonts, supported by a statue, date from the 17th century. The baptistery contains a bronze bas-relief by António Teixeira Lopes, depicting the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. The South transept arm gives access to the Gothic cloister, which is decorated with baroque azulejos by Valentim de Almeida . They depict the life of the Virgin Mary and Ovids Metamorphoses. The remains of the Early-Romanesque ambulatory contain a few sarcophagi. The terrace is decorated with tile panels by António Vidal. The coffered ceiling of the chapter house was painted with allegories of moral values by Pachini in 1737.

Ribeira Square

The Ribeira Square is a historical square in Porto, Portugal. It is included in the historical centre of the city, designated World Heritage by UNESCO. The square is located in the historical district of Ribeira, part of the São Nicolau parish. The Ribeira district spreads alongside the Douro river and used to be a centre of intense commercial and manufacturing activity since the Middle Ages. Also since that time the Ribeira Square was the site of many shops that sold fish, bread, meat and other goods. In 1491 the buildings around the square were destroyed in a fire, and the houses were rebuilt with arcades in their groundfloors. During this rebuilding campaign the square also gained a pavement made of stone slabs. In the mid-18th century the city needed new urban improvements to provide for the swift flow of goods and people between the Ribeira neighbourhood and other areas of Porto. In this context, governor João de Almada e Melo opened a new street, the São João Street, that connected the Ribeira Square and the upper town, and promoted the reurbanisation of the square itself. The project, executed between 1776 and 1782, is credited to John Whitehead, English consul in Porto. The square was to become enclosed on its north, west and east sides by buildings with arcades, while the south side of the square, facing the Douro, was enclosed by the mediaeval walls of Porto. These walls were torned down in 1821, opening the square to the river. The northern part of the square has a monumental fountain, three storeys high, built in the 1780s and decorated with the coat-of-arms of Portugal. The niche of the fountain is occupied by a modern statue of St John the Baptist by sculptor João Cutileiro. The square also has a modern cubic sculpture by José Rodrigues over the remains of a 17th-century fountain. Nowadays the Ribeira Square is a favourite spot for tourists.

Funicular dos Guindais

The Funicular dos Guindais, or Guindais funicular railway, is a funicular railway in Porto, Portugal. The original line was constructed in 1891 but closed just two years later after a serious accident. As part of a larger initiative to improve the transport infrastructure of Porto, it was re-modelled and re-opened on 19 February 2004. The line runs down a steep cliff from Batalha to the quayside at Ribeira. The funicular is single track, with a central passing loop, is 281 metres long, and descends 61 metres . The upper 90 metres are in tunnel, and the section of the line below the passing loop has a markedly steeper gradient than the upper section. The two vehicles have a capacity of 25 persons each, and operate at a maximum speed of 5 metres per second . Because of the variation in gradient along the line, the cars have self-levelling equipment which keep the car floor horizontal irrespective of the track gradient. Although the journey is short at approximately 3 minutes, after emerging from the tunnel at the top, descending passengers are given a panoramic view including the Dom Luís I Bridge, the quaysides of Ribeira and Cais de Gaia, the multitude of port wine lodges and traditional port boats on the Gaia side of the Douro River, and of course the river itself. Once at the bottom, tourists can either walk across the bridge on foot, join a river cruise or enjoy the restaurants and bars of Ribeira. The service is also used by locals and commuters wishing to get from Ribeira and Cais de Gaia to the metro or train at São Bento without climbing the steep hill on foot. It runs from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, with services running until midnight on weekends and holidays. It is owned by the Porto Metro company and accessed using the Andante ticket, allowing a trip on the funicular to be combined with a journey on the Porto Metro and selected bus routes.

Salgueira Beach

Salgueira Beach is an extensive maritime beach of the city Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. The beach has white sand and very few rocks, in the central spot with a northern rocky side, near Buddha Club, known as Praia Azul . Salgueira is very popular in the summer, with less crowds during weekdays or out of the summer season. Salgueira is crossed by Banhos Avenue, Póvoas main waterfront avenue. The beach took the name of a former district and is a classic surfing beach, very popular amongst bodyboarders, as the waves in the spot are more suitable for bodyboard, but with the high tide it will be good to longboard and surf, suitable for experienced surfers. In earlier times, the local surfer community barely allowed outsiders or beginners to surf in this spot, currently it is open for almost everyone. The southern tip of the beach is known as Carvalhido near Esplanada do Carvalhido — a beach-square, while the northern tip, near Buddah Club, is known as Praia Azul .

Dom Luís I Bridge

The Dom Luís I Bridge is a metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. At the time of construction its span of 172 m was the longest of its type in the world. The government held a competition for the construction of a metallic bridge over the Douro River on a site that was adjacent to an existing bridge that it would replace. Téophile Seyrig had engineered the D. Maria Pia Bridge project nearby, whilst working as a partner of Gustave Eiffel. He now took sole responsibility for the new, major Luís I Bridge. The construction was begun in 1881 and the bridge opened on 31 October 1886 . Total length 385.25 m Weight 3045 tons The arch measures 172 m in length and 44.6 m in height Originally and for more than a century, the bridge carried road traffic on both decks. Along with other vehicles, electric trams crossed the upper deck from 1908 until May 1959, and trolleybuses crossed both decks from May 1959 until 1993. In 2003, the top deck was closed to private motor traffic and since that time the top deck has been occupied by Line D of the Metro do Porto light rail system and a pedestrian walkway, offering great views on the historic center of Porto, the Port wine caves of Vila Nova de Gaia and the river Douro. In 1982, the bridge was designated a cultural heritage "Property of Public Interest" by IGESPAR, the Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage, a federal agency. The bridge often is confused with the nearby Maria Pia Bridge, a railway bridge built nine years earlier and located a kilometre to the east. However, although they bear a strong resemblance to one another, the earlier bridge has only one deck.

Casa da Pedra

A Casa da Pedra or Casa das Águas Férreas is a residence located in the city of Porto in Portugal. The philosopher and writer Joaquim Pedro de Oliveira Martins lived in the house. The house is located in the parish of Cedofeita, in the Rua das Águas Férreas, between Rua da Boavista and the line of Metro do Porto, next to the Lapa. The house is rectangular and very simple, tiered, consisting of ground floor and first floor coupled with a ground floor annex. It has a walled garden and opens onto the street by a small decorated portal. This garden, includes decorative sculptures, including one in tribute to Joaquim Pedro de Oliveira, designed by the artist José Rodrigues and placed there by the City of Porto in 1995. The building dates back to the eighteenth century, in the area where a spring of sulphurous water had given rise to the place name. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century it was home to writer and philosopher Joaquim Pedro de Oliveira Martins who directed the construction of the railroad to the Póvoa de Varzim and Vila Nova de Famalicão The house then became famous for being the venue of intellectuals of the 19th century, known as the Generation of 70, in gatherings invigorated by Antero de Quental, Eça de Queirós, Guerra Junqueiro and Ramalho Ortigão. It was in this house that Antero de Quental attempted suicide the first time. The houses remains, even today, as private property with residential function.

Clérigos Church

The Clérigos Church is a Baroque church in the city of Porto, in Portugal. Its tall bell tower, the Torre dos Clérigos, can be seen from various points of the city and is one of its most characteristic symbols. The church was built for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos by Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect and painter who left an extense work in the north of Portugal during the 18th century. Construction of the church began in 1732 and was finished around 1750, while the monumental divided stairway in front of the church was completed in the 1750s. The main façade of the church is heavily decorated with baroque motifs and an indented broken pediment. This was based on an early 17th-century Roman scheme. The central frieze above the windows present symbols of worship and an incense boat. The lateral façades reveal the almost elliptic floorplan of the church nave. The Clérigos Church was one of the first baroque churches in Portugal to adopt a typical baroque elliptic floorplan. The altarpiece of the main chapel, made of polychromed marble, was executed by Manuel dos Santos Porto. The monumental tower of the church, located at the back of the building, was only built between 1754 and 1763. The baroque decoration here also shows influence from the Roman Baroque, while the whole design was inspired by Tuscan campaniles. The tower is 75.6 metres high, dominating the city. There are 240 steps to be climbed to reach the top of its six floors. This great structure has become the symbol of the city. In Porto, Nicolau Nasoni was also responsible for the construction of the Misericórida Church, the Archbishops Palace and the lateral loggia of Porto Cathedral. He entered the Clérigos Brotherhood and was buried, at his request, in the crypt of the Clérigos Church, with the exact place remaining unknown. In June 2015, the Clérigos Brotherhood announced that after 250 years, the Clérigos Tower and Church will open its doors during nighttime hours.

Casa da Música

Casa da Música is a major concert hall space in Porto, Portugal, which houses the cultural institution of the same name with its three orchestras Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Barroca and Remix Ensemble. It was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas with Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Arup-AFA, and was built as part of Portos project for European Culture Capital in 2001 but was only finished in the first half of 2005 and immediately became an icon in the city. The Building engineers were Arup together with Afassociados . Inside Outside designed the large 13 curtains, ranging from 22mx15m to 65mx8m, and the gold leaf wood grain pattern on the large auditorium. Although the opening day concert took place on 14 April with Clã and Lou Reed, the building was inaugurated on 15 April 2005 by the Portuguese president, when the Prime Minister and many other notable politicians and Porto society were present for a concert by the Orquestra Nacional do Porto.
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