Guide of Porto
and Douro Region
The Capital of the North of Portugal Oporto, (Porto in Portuguese), is the second most important city in Portugal after Lisbon. Its metropolitan area (Greater Oporto) has 1,600,000 inhabitants. It is located on the right bank of the Douro River, at its mouth in the Atlantic. It is the capital of the Northern region of Portugal, the richest in the country, in absolute terms and per capita income.
The municipality of Oporto has 15 parishes or parishes (equivalent to neighborhoods). The famous port wine owes its name to the city of Oporto, it is produced in the Alto Douro wine region and is exported to the whole world from the wineries that are on the left bank of the Douro River, in the city of Vila Nova of Gaia.
Its growth was always linked to the sea, and it was its port that fostered the development of the city, hence the name of the city, which means port. It is located 140 kilometers from the border with Galicia (Spain) and due to its cultural strength, it is considered the Portuguese Capital of the North, the most industrialized area of Portugal. The historic center of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.
History It is known that Cale was a settlement that already knew the Greeks located on the left bank of the river Douro, near its mouth. Later, the Romans founded another city in a place of better conditions where they could build a port, and thus the city of Porto emerged, on the right bank of the Douro River. These two cities were later populated by the Goths and later by the Muslims. After the Muslim invasion, Porto was reconquered and repopulated by the Kingdom of León, creating the county of Portucale, by the union of the two cities, Porto and Cale. This county extended from the Miño to the Duero and depended on the Kingdom of León, which belonged until independence.
King Alfonso VI granted this county his bastard daughter Teresa, married to Enrique de Borgoña and the son of both, Alfonso Henriques became independent king in 1143. That independent kingdom that would be born would be called Portugal and Alfonso Henriques, its first king. After the danger of Muslims and Normans, Porto was able to turn decisively towards the sea, building important shipyards where the ships that led to the great discoveries were made. When Enrique El Navegante, in the year 1415, decided to take the first step towards the African continent, he did it from Oporto. The city sacrificed all its cattle for the supply of the fleet, remaining only with the guts of the animals, hence the inhabitants of Oporto are known by the nickname of "tripeiros" and why the typical dish of Porto is "gut to Porto mode".
In the eighteenth century the wine trade acquired a great height. The grape growers saw with good eyes the arrival of the English who quickly promoted the cultivation of the vine, controlling its production and sale. It was a prosperous time for Oporto, in which beautiful Baroque monuments were built, which gave testimony of the flourishing of the city. In 1756 the MarquĂŠs de Pombal created the Alto Douro Agricultural Company and in 1757 he ordered the delimitation of the best productive areas of the Douro Valley with solid dividing granite signs, the so-called "Marcos de Feitoria".
Thus arose the first Demarcated Region of the world, or what is the same, the first denomination of origin of history. Porto always rivaled Lisbon with economic power. The rich class of industrialists in the region created, in the mid-nineteenth century, the powerful Portuense Industrial Association, now the Business Association of Portugal. At present, despite the progressive tertiarization of the city center, industrial activity continues to be of great importance, when manufacturing in its industrial belt textile factories, footwear, furniture, ceramics, metallurgy, goldsmiths and other industrial activities.
Visit City Speaking of Oporto is talking about the Duero and the six bridges that cross it and an old town that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site.
If Porto itself is the industrial capital of northern Portugal, its European cultural capital in 2001 gave the starting signal for a constructura and reforming city fever that included new urban transport infrastructures and more improvements. Its neighborhood of Ribeira shows magnificent views on the riverbank of centuries-old buildings, a unique atmosphere and the possibility of enjoying the wine to which this city gave its name.
Clérigos y Cordoaria From the old quarter of the city one of the main attractions is the baroque construction Torre de los Clérigos. It is in the upper part, on São Filipe Nery river, a few blocks west of Avenida dos Aliados. It was thought in 1763 as the highest point of Portugal with its 75 meters - today it remains the highest tower in the country. From this tower we can have the best aerial view of Porto and maybe the best photos. You can also visit the Church of the Clérigos that contains the tower, of curious oval shape. The whole church and tower is one of the emblems of the city. The church and tower schedule is from 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm; the church is closed on Wednesdays and the tower on Sundays and holidays.
The neighborhood below the tower constitutes the old university grounds and the Jardim da Cordoaria. Going down through the gardens, in Rua São Bento da Vitória is the Cadeia de Relaçao, the old jail and city court that, with its hundred windows crossed by bars, had as prisoners known members of the Portuguese culture, such as Castelo Branco or Ana Plácido The visit is free. The building was commissioned by Filipe II of Spain, I of Portugal and came to house half a thousand prisoners. It worked as a jail from 1961 to 1974, until the last prisoners were transferred to the cadeia of Custóias. Currently, its ground floor houses the Centro Português de Fotografia, also free of charge and whose hours are Tuesday to Friday from 15 to 18 and Saturdays from 15 to 19. It has temporary and permanent exhibitions, among which stand out those of Frederick William Flower (1815-1889), one of the landmarks of Portuguese photography. His photographs also have historical value as they are the first in Porto. The cordoaria area has the largest art galleries in Oporto in Rua Galeria de Paris (next to the Clérigos Tower) and in Rua Miguel Bombarda. A few minutes north of the Jardim da Cordoaria, in Praça Carlos Alberto, there is the Carmo Church in Porto 137 church of the 18th century
The bridges The city of Oporto is also known for its bridges, dating from different eras and from different architectural styles that unite the cities of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
María Pía Bridge So called in honor of María Pía de Saboya, it is an architectural work designed by the engineer Teophile Seyrig and built between January 1876 and November 1877 by the Gustave Eiffel company.
It was the first railway bridge to join the two banks of the Douro River. In the last quarter of the 20th century, it was evident that the bridge no longer responded to needs. It is equipped with a single line and only allowed to go at 20 km per hour, with very limited charges. It is in disuse since the opening of the San Juan bridge. In spite of the architectonic importance of the work, at the moment it is in process of degradation due to the abandonment caused by the lack of practical use.
Don Luis Bridge The bridge Don Luis I, replaces the old bridge of Doña María II (Ponte Pénsil) already dismantled, and was designed by the engineer Teophile Seyrig (partner of Gustave Eiffel), the same one that had already projected the Ponte María Pía. Its most remarkable feature is the fact of having two boards. Construction began in 1881 and the bridge was inaugurated on October 31, 1886. San Juan Bridge Designed by Edgar Cardoso, it is a railway bridge inaugurated on June 24, 1991 (San Juan's day) to replace the old María Pía bridge. It has three spans, two of 125 meters and one of 250 meters.
Bridge of the Infante Don Enrique So called in honor of Henry the Navigator, who was born in Oporto in the XIV century, is the most recent construction of the bridges between Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia, inaugurated in 2002. It was built by the Oporto Metro society.
It has a length of 371 meters and a span of 280 meters. It was designed by the engineer Adรกn Fonseca.
Bridge of Arrรกbida Designed by the engineer Edgar Cardoso, at the time of its inauguration, in 1963, it was the bridge with the largest concrete arch in the world, with a span of 270 meters. It is 615m long, and 27m wide. The arch is 52 meters high and the board rises 70 meters above the middle level of the river waters. It is the westernmost of all the bridges that connect Oporto with Vila Nova de Gaia, being a short distance from the mouth of the Douro River.
Freixo Bridge It is the easternmost of the bridges connecting Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Built by Antonio Reis, it has 8 bays, with the main 150 meters and houses 4 transit roads.
Church of Carmo. It is a church whose facade is tiled by Silvestre Silvestri and contains a rococo altar by Francisco Pereira CampanhĂŁ. Just next door is another church, the Iglesia das Carmelitas, less colorful. Separating the churches of Carmelitas and Carmo is the narrowest house in Portugal, a curiosity that is worth seeing.
Avenida dos Aliados and Batalha We propose as a starting point to know the city of Porto Avenida dos Aliados, the most important avenue in the city and a magnificent starting point for the traveler. In its beginning we find the Municipal Chamber (1920-56), of a style deliberately older than it is to fit in the neoclassical set of its surroundings. Very close to the beginning of Avenida in Praça da Liberade, a few meters to the southeast, there is the São Bento Station, train station and one of the most attractive buildings in the city. Built on an old convent in 1903 by José Marqués de Silva, the 20000 tiles of its entrance, the work of Jorge Colaço, are impressive. If we stop for a while to observe his drawings are mainly about the history of transport and the history of Portugal. In the same area of Avenida dos Aliados, and north of the Estación de São Bento, there is the Mercado do Bolhão, open Monday to Friday from 8 to 17, Saturday until 1 pm; It is a market of ancient and remarkable construction where we can buy meat, fish, flowers, fruit and some other things.
This place is considered a typically Castilian place of Porto and lately it is decaying due to the competition of the great modern surfaces of the periphery. In the street of the market, in the Rua Formosa we will find several cod shops (bacalhau) that for the most part have not been modernized and keep their old look. In the Rua de Passos Manuel, two blocks to the south of the Mercado do Bolhão is the Porto Commercial Ateneu, a very outstanding 19th century construction. Its profusely decorated hall and its cultural agenda (exhibitions, concerts, gastronomy) are its main attractions. It opens from 2pm to 7:30 pm and its access is free. Infante D. Henrique Av. Allies, Porto Bridge Don Luis I, Porto Detail of the National Theater of Porto 136
When leaving the Ateneu, very close to the São Bento Station, there is the Praça da Batalha. It is a perfect place to eat something in one of its cheap restaurants and observe the São João National Theater, Parisian inpiración and raised at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the same square the Church of Santo Ildefonso, a church that treasures more tiles of Colaço like those we saw in the Estação de São Bento. The church can be visited from Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 12 and from 15 to 18.30 during the week, Saturdays until 19.45 and Sundays from 9 to 12.45 and from 18 to 19.45. Going down Rua Augusto Rosa we can finish the walk up to Funicular dos Guindais. There is one every quarter hour, from 8 to 19 except Monday. This funicular has been recovered in 2004 after more than a century without working. Uploaded in it we can contemplate the medieval wall of Porto. Its route links the areas of Batalha with Ribeira and leaves us at Puente Luís I (Av. Gustave Eiffel).
The neighborhood of Ribeira The Plaza de la Ribeira is one of the meeting points of the city. It is a square of medieval origin, transformed in the eighteenth century, at the suggestion of the English Consul J. Whitehead.
The nascent, south and west sides would be closed by an archway. The plan was interrupted, subtracting from it only elements in the western facade and in the great fountain that served as background. Between the square and the bridge there is an arcade, supported in part by the Fernandina wall and articulated with the upper passage and the respective hamlet. Although it was built in the nineteenth century, it was inspired by the Adelphi, the disappeared warehouses in the port area of London. The quay of the Ribeira (Cais da Ribeira), dominated by the Luis I metal bridge, is the most picturesque place in Oporto.
Its ancient houses, narrow and high, whose windows hang hanging clothes, dominate the pier, animated by a market of fish and vegetables. Here some old ships remain moored, reminiscent of the port's origin of the city. When passing through the Ribeira dock, you can see nailed to the walls of several buildings, marks of the different floods that have affected this area of the city over the years. The old quays and the Ribeira district, where wines and other merchandise from distant lands were unloaded and loaded, are now lively restaurants, cafes and bars along the Duero. It is very pleasant to eat in one of these restaurants or enjoy a wine in one of the terraces overlooking the Douro. The neighborhood of Ribeira has also become a point of animation of the nightlife with many trendy bars and cafes.
The Cathedral (SĂŠ) The SĂŠ or Cathedral of Oporto, is a church-fortress that has a structure of Romanesque style of the XII and XIII centuries. It rises in the highest part of the city.
It underwent numerous renovations, especially in the Baroque period (seventeenth and eighteenth centuries), although it still retains its hermetic and fortified appearance.
Ribadouro Ribadouro is known for its landscape and diversified ecosystem, because in addition to the aquatic fauna and flora (Douro River) there are also hills where you can see a beautiful flora and fauna!
There are a few small villages scattered around the parish known as Pala, Porto Manso and Mosteirô, all known as Pala da Laranja. Porto Manso has a Roman road that in ancient times (supposedly) called Emérita Augusta (now Mérida) Lusitania to somewhere in Spain, part of the way was used by people who had their daily chores like us, more recently, people took to the parish of Campelo (Baião) kilos of food or other daily utensils. Mosteirô is known for the CP station of the Douro line.
This locality of the interior of Portugal has an enormous level of social desertification, for this reason it can be said that here the time has stagnated and the technology is very scarce, nevertheless it has its advantages because it is a great place of rest.
However, this is not even a tradition, since this is a very traditional village
Lamego One place that you have to visit in your journey by the douro is the Lamego Town. With origins before the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, Lamego is known for its historic city center, having a long history as a principal city of the former Trås-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province. Legend holds that the first Portuguese Cortes were held in Lamego, in 1143.The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lamego is based in the city center.
The area around Lamego was inhabited by Ligures and Turduli, and during the Roman presence it
was occupied by Coelerni, which left behind several monuments. Due to the placement of the castle, it is likely that a castro originally existed on the site. During the Inquirições (Inventory/Enquiries) of King Afonso (during the 13th century) there was reference to the Castro de Lameco, referred to as a medieval fortification. Destroyed by the Romans, the inhabitants were forced to descend into the valley and cultivate the land, as part of the Roman reorganization of the land.
Lamego became Catholic when the Visigothic king Rekared I converted to Catholicism. In 569, during the Council of Lugo, there appeared references to Sardinário the Bishop of Lamego.[3] During the reign of Sisebuto (612-621), the Visigothic monarch coined currency from Lamego, indicating the importance of the region to commerce and culture. Just outside the city center is the tiny 7th century São Pedro de Balsemão Chapel, a Visigothic chapel believed to be the oldest in Portugal (and second oldest in Europe).[3] A region alternated between peace and war in the following years as Christians and Muslims fought the territory during the Reconquista, until Ferdinand I of León and Castile conquered the region definitively on 29 November 1057. As a consequence the bishopric was moved after these events (to later be restored in 1071).[3] In 1128, the nascent national Egas Moniz, had his tenancy in Lamego while his residence was in Britiande, as master of the Riba–Douro, between Paiva and Távora (in addition to the lands of Côa). [3] The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, built in 1129. The most significant moment in the town’s history was in 1139, when nobles declared Afonso Henriques to be Portugal’s first king. The town’s Gothic cathedral was built by him, although only the Romanesque tower is left from the original building, with its carved Renaissance portal and
fine cloister dating from the 16th and 18th centuries. The 12th-century castle preserves a fine keep and a very old and unusual cistern with monograms of master masons. King Sancho I issued a charter of independence in 1191, as the local community grew around two poles: the ecclesiastical parishes of Sé and Castelo. In 1290, King Denis provided a market charter to the city, attracting merchants from Castile and Granada with their oriental spices and textiles. Lamego had a privileged positioned on the routes from western Iberia, as a transit point within the settlements of the Além-Douro, Braga and Guimarães, from Alcântara and Mérida to Córdoba and Seville.[3] It was also one of the preferred routes on the Saint James Way pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. But, two events changed the economic and social circumstances in the region: the conquest of Granada which drove the last of the Moors from the Peninsula; and the discovery of the maritime connection to India, which resulted in a slow decline for the region.[3] Early modern era Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remédios, built in 1750. Manuel I of Portugal issued a foral (charter) in 1514. Also in the 16th century, Manuel de Noronha (one of the more notable prelates of Lamego) was appointed the Bishop of Lamego, occupying the role for the next 18 years and referred to the “great builder”, responsible for the cult of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Our Lady of Remedies).[3] In the 17th and 18th century, the solares (country estates) were slowly constructed in Lamego, resulting from the wine commerce down the Douro. The economic growth of viticulture along the Douro resulted in the issuance of a writ by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, to designate the area as the Região Demarcada do Douro and the establishment of the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro (General Company of the Wine Agriculture of the Upper Douro).[3] In 1835, Lamego was the capital of the district, but lost this title to Viseu (December 1835), under the authority of the King’s Minister Luís Mouzinho de Albuquerque. In 1919, in an attempt to restore the monarchy, Lamego became the capital of the district for 24 days.[3] During the second half of the 19th century, during the presidency of the Viscount of Guedes Teixeira, Lamego begins a process of modernization with the construction of new avenues.[3] After the establishment of the First Republic, during the presidency of Alfredo de Sousa, Lamego undergoes a new phase of building, including the construction a bridge over the Coura River.[3]
GASTRONOMY During the preparation of the conquest of Ceuta, in 1415, the citizens of Oporto delivered to the expeditionaries all the meat available in the city, staying only with the guts to survive. Since then, the portuenses have the nickname of "tripeiros" and their traditional dish is guts like Oporto, (with white beans, ham, chorizo, pork trotters, tomato, onion, garlic). Another typical dish of Porto and very popular in all of Portugal is the cod Gรณmez de Sรก (baked cod, with potatoes, onion, garlic, boiled egg, olive oil and ground white pepper). There are numerous restaurants throughout the city, but especially in the Ribeira neighborhood (next to the Don Luis I bridge) restaurants abound where you can taste the rich cuisine of Porto. For those who prefer fast food, the francesinha (French) is originally from Oporto and consists of a white bread sandwich stuffed with various types of sausages and meat, covered with cheese gratin and served in a spicy sauce (molho de francesinha). It was supposedly invented by a migrant chef who came back from France, hence his name.
THE WINE OF OPORTO Oporto wine (portuguese vinho do porto), also known simply as port, belongs to the genre of wines known as fortified wines. These wines were born in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as a result of the addition of brandy to wine when it is in the process of fermentation. In this way, wine stabilization is achieved, achieving a wine that withstood the variations in temperature and humidity of the long sea route imposed by the trade of the time. Oporto wine is produced in the vineyards of the Douro River Valley, in Portugal. Before the seventeenth century, this region was already known for its wines, reds and whites, although they were little consumed outside of Portugal.
In 1678, England and France enter the war, causing a shortage of wine in the British kingdom. To cope with the shortage, England turned to the wines of Portugal, its ally of three centuries. Douro Valley wine began to become popular in Britain, mostly because of its ubiquity in times where French wine was scarce or nonexistent. A version about the origin of port wine as it is known today, says that in 1678, Liverpool merchants adopted a technique used in a monastery in Lamego to modify the wine. • Chez Lapin , rua dos Canastreiros 40. This technique consists of adding brandy to the wine during fermentation, thus interrupting the process of fermented. The result is a wine with a higher alcohol content (up to 25 ° G.L.), And with a sweeter flavor, due to the remaining sugar that did not finish fermenting. The success of this type of wine in Great Britain led to the establishment of several wine houses in Portugal, of British origin. By the eighteenth century, there was a de facto British monopoly on the production of port. This monopoly lasted until the founding of the Real Companhia Velha in 1756, which marked the entry of the Portuguese into the production and marketing of this wine. The red port is made from grapes Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga and Tinta Çāo. The white port is obtained from the Malvasía Dourada, Malvasía Fina, Gouveio and Rabigato grapes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OF OPORTO The Oporto metro network runs underground and over the city and its metropolitan area and is managed by the company Metro do Porto, which is part of the TIP system, Intermodais do Porto Transport (Intermodal Transportation of Oporto). The Oporto metro has more than 70 kilometers of lines. The layout of the first line of the Oporto Metro that connects the stations of Senhor de Matosinhos and Trindade was inaugurated on January 1, 2003.
Currently the Oporto Metro has 5 lines, of which four branch off from a common trunk. In addition, two new lines are in the construction phase. Likewise, the company Metro do Porto also manages the Funicular dos Guindais. The Oporto metro uses the Andante contactless card, an intermodal card, which can be used in other means of transport in the metropolitan area of Oporto. Andante is a card with a built-in computer chip, whose use makes the Oporto metro the first public transport infrastructure in the world to use low-cost non-contact tickets, the user being able to keep the card in his purse or wallet having only to spend by the scanner to validate the trip. The single metro ticket costs 0.90 euros (valid for 1 trip inside Oporto) and can be purchased at the stations' vending machines. The subway timetable is from 6 in the morning to 1 in the morning.
Hotels and Logement in Porto There are a great hotels in oporto and its sourrondings . We can Remark these ones. Hotels in Porto and Douro Jase hotels en Douro & Porto Bridge Hotel en Porto Douro Royal in Ribadouro
Belver: Beta Porto en Porto Douro Palace en Santa Cruz Do Douro Other hotels in Portugal Nau: Palacio Governador en Lisboa Empire Lisbon en Lisboa Belver: Principe Real en Lisboa Quinta do estreito Camara de Lobos
Chales da Montanha Penhas Da Saúde Prazer Natureza Vilar de Mouros Luna Serra da Estrela en Penhas Da Saúde Luna Esperanca Centro en Setúbal hotel Principe Real Singular: Tempus en Ponte Da Barca
Public transport buses The Oporto Collective Transport Society (STCP) is the public transport company that organizes public transport buses in the city. It has numerous lines that run through all points of the city. There are stops throughout the city and the schedule of the different lines is marked at the stops. The single bus ticket costs 0.90 euros if purchased before boarding. Buying it inside the bus the price is 1.40 euros. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Sao Bento train station or at the central tourist office (rua Clube dos Fenianos 25). There is a daily ticket that costs 5 euros valid for all public transport in the city. Practical Information Interior of the Cathedral of Porto 141 TAxIS To call a taxi in Porto the telephone numbers are: 22 507 3900/22 507 6400 i OFFICES OF Tourism - Central tourism office. Rua Clube dos Fenianos 25, (next to the Town Hall). Tel 22 3393 470. From 9 to 17,30h. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays until 16.30. -Office of D. Joao I. Plaza D. Joao I. Tel. 22 2057 514. From 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays until 15.30. -Infant Office. Rua do Infante D. Enrique 63 Tel. 22 2009 770. From 9 to 17,30h. Saturdays, Sundays and Sundays until 4.30pm.
SHOPPING AREA Rua Santa Catarina is the commercial street par excellence of Oporto. There you can find the most important shopping area of the city with numerous shops and the shopping center Via Catarina.
RESTAURANT AREA The popular neighborhoods of Ribeira and Miragaia, along the Douro River, have a large number of lively restaurants and bars and are a very pleasant area to enjoy the gastronomy of Porto. Crossing the Douro, in Vila Nova de Gaia, in addition to the famous wineries where the port wine ages, there are also many restaurants and bars. Some restaurants of traditional Portuguese food: • Vitorino , rua dos Canastreiros 44. Tel 22 200 6418. En Ribeira. • Mercearia , Cais da Riberia 32. Tel 22 200 4389. En Ribeira. • Escondidinho , rua Passos Manuel 144. Tel 22 200 1079. • Tripeiro , rua Passos Manuel 195. Tel 22 200 5886. • Mesa Antiga , rua de Santo Ildefonso 208. Tel 22 200 6432.