Five reasons to visit Porto
The pleasures of Porto: A truly atmospheric and charismatic Portuguese city. Situated on the River Duoro in northern Portugal, the ancient port of Porto is steeped in history and tradition. Asides being a city that gave its name to port wine, UNESCO gave both the old part of the town and the Duoro valley World Heritage status in 1996.
This highly atmospheric city is one of Europe’s most charismatic towns, with Lonely Planet voting Porto the fourth best city in Europe in its value for money destinations list 2012. Here’s five reasons to visit Porto;
The Duoro Valley
With exceptionally green and fertile scenery both sides of the Duoro Valley, it is easy to comprehend why this stunning region of exceptional natural beauty remains one of Northern Portugal’s most treasured valleys. Plenty of river cruises are available down the Duoro River, from shorter one-hour trips to all day expeditions.
The Harry Potter connection
For Harry Potter fans you may be interested to learn that author J.K. Rowling lived in this city where she worked as an English teacher. It was in the city of Porto that J.K. Rowling started to write her first Harry Potter book.
F.C Porto
F.C Porto has certainly had its fair share of major tournament success, having won the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup twice. The club’s stadium was built for the European Championships in 2004. Architect Manuel Salgados’ “Estadio do Dragao” is a modern architectural triumph and is worth visiting even if you do not like football. The Rolling Stones performed at Porto’s grand stadium on a leg of their 2006 world tour.
Invincible city
Porto is often referred to as “A Cidade Invicta” (The invincible city) ever since repelling Napoleons’ troops in the peninsular war.
Spectacular dwellings
Being a hilly city, many of the dwellings in Porto are spectacularly built into the cliff face, perched up high, overlooking the river. Stairs are cut into the rock and offer an exciting and exhilarating walking tour. For the less active, there is a the cable railway system, which connects the Ribeira to Batalha Square in the city centre, and provides a splendid panoramic view of the River Duoro below.
The 14th century Sao Francisco Church is one of the main attractions in Porto, as are the old wine cellars over the river at Vila Nova De Gaia.