Porto (or Oporto) is the capital of northern Portugal, built steep and dense above the right bank of the Douro river. It is Portugal's second city and its working heart — less polished than Lisbon, more industrial in character, and proud of it. The Portuguese saying goes: "Lisbon shows off, Braga prays, Coimbra studies and Porto works."
The city is most striking from the water. The Ribeira quarter — coloured tiled facades stacked five storeys high above the riverfront quay — is the image that appears on every travel piece about the country. Across the Ponte de Dom Luís I, the iron double-deck bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel's partner Théophile Seyrig, the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia line the opposite bank. The upper deck of the bridge is the best viewpoint in the city.
Porto gave its name to port wine, and the Vila Nova de Gaia cellars — Taylor's, Sandeman, Graham's and the rest — all offer tours and tastings. But the city's appeal goes well beyond wine tourism. São Bento station is one of the finest railway stations in Europe, its concourse covered in 20,000 hand-painted azulejo tiles. The Igreja de São Francisco contains what is arguably the most spectacular church interior in Portugal, its Gothic nave buried under 400 kilograms of gilt Baroque woodwork. Livraria Lello is one of the world's most beautiful bookshops. Casa da Música, Rem Koolhaas's fractured concrete concert hall, is one of the most significant buildings of the early 21st century.
The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rewards aimless walking. The Cathedral Sé at the top of the hill has a cloister lined with azulejos. The Carmo and Carmelitas churches stand side by side separated only by a famous three-foot-wide house. The Bolhão Market, restored and reopened in 2022, is the city's best food market. Café Majestic on Rua de Santa Catarina is worth a coffee if only to stand in its Belle Époque interior for twenty minutes.