Porto

Trip preparation

About Porto Porto is the most important city in Portugal after Lisbon, and the capital of the Northern Region. It is located at the mouth of the Douro river. There is a rivalry between Porto and Lisbon.

Best travel time

Porto's climate is maritime which means that temperatures are mild throughout the year, but there is a high humidity. The average winter temperature is 14ºC and in summer there is an average of 25°C.

History

Although there is a legend saying that one of the Greek Argonauts founded the city, this settlement was already known by the Greeks before.

Transportation

Public transportation in Porto began in the nineteenth century. The Collective Transport Company of Porto is responsible for operating the buses and tram lines. Porto has the a metro with 5 lines that reach even metropolitan areas. The company that operates it, Metro do Porto, also carries the Funicular Guindais.

By plane

International Airport Francisco Sá Carneiro (OPO) is very important.

Sights

Porto's old town is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, so worth a visit without any doubt. Some of the monuments that are worth visiting include: • Bag Palace • Cathedral • Tower of Clerics • Crystal Palace • City Council • Serralves Park • and various bridges (Ponte das boats, the Bridge of Pennsylvania, ...) There are also many museums, for example: • Museum of Contemporary Art (the most visited museum in Portugal) • the Port Wine Museum • Museum of Sacred Art • Castle do Queijo • Fernando de Castro, War Junqueiro, Marta Sampaio and António Carneiro Ortigão Last but not least, you must visit the wineries of Vilanova de Gaia where a very famous port wine is produced.

Food

The locals are popularly known as "tripeiros"because the traditional dish is "guts à moda do Porto". Other dishes include cod Gómez de Sá and caldo verde. The typical drink is, of course, port wine.