Ports of Call

Cruising to Porto, Portugal

Porto (Oporto), Portugal tourist information.

Porto, PortugalPorto offers everything, from a beautiful historic center, the iconic Douro river and nearby beaches. There’s modern restaurants and bars and also traditional ones, with many decades of existence. Located along the Douro river estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, registered UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The city’s actual name is Porto, but when preceded by a definite article ‘O’ in Portuguese meaning ‘the’ in English, it is written as ‘o Porto’ meaning ‘the port’ in English. As a result, the English name evolved from oral evolution, is now referred to as ‘Oporto’ in modern literature.

Things to do in Porto

Porto Historical Centre

Classified as a World Heritage Site since 1996, Porto historical centre contains a monumental and landscape richness where you can see several urban conceptual solutions varying from the medieval times to early modernity.

The City Centre

Porto’s City Centre area has suffered an incredible change the last three years. With the help of a growing night life and a consistent planning by some art galleries, the city centre embracing Aliados Avenue, Torre dos Clérigos and Palácio de Cristal has enlarged its own way of life.

Wine Tasting in Porto

The fashion of tasting Porto wine started in 1960’s and since then it’s very popular. There are more than 50 varieties, but not all, are for the visitors, though they have a number of choices to choose from.

Sunset from a beach side esplanade

Porto’s excellent climate is conducive to sunbathing and walks along the various blue flagged beaches in the area. There are a variety of esplanades in Foz, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia areas that are perfect for enjoying the sunset, admiring the Atlantic Ocean and relaxing with a cool drink at the end of the afternoon.

Cruise Douro River

Take a short cruise down the Douro River and under the 6 bridges of Porto aboard one of the typical “Rabelo barcos”, which in the past were used to transport Port wine.

Palácio da Bolsa do Porto

Visit the Palácio da Bolsa do Porto (stock exchange building), one of the most beautiful buildings in Porto.