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Abroad, Porto, Portugal

Falling in love with Porto

posted by Dario
May 12, 2020 1188 0 0
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The adventure of being a Portuguese #Porto

There are two types of people in this world – one who adores the inimitable beauty of Lisbon and others who would not acknowledge the existence of anything better than Porto. The others who have not took any side… are just confused.

Porto

Jokes aside, but during the time I lived in Portugal, I listened to thousands of comments about these two cities, and not just. I won’t even forget that time when I was traveling in the Azores and a kind old lady spoke to me and it turned out she was from Porto and explained to me that Lisbon is really the prettiest city in Portugal, but in Porto, are the best and nicest people. Well, after these words it was impossible not to roll up my sleeves and not go to Porto to find out the truth for myself!

Porto streets

Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, is an important economic center of the country and the capital of the Norte region. But what distinguishes this city so much and its competition with the capital? Could it be that it borders the Atlantic Ocean, or does its location on the slopes of the Douro River make it unique? My answer is that all these factors makes it an interesting and different tourist destination that cannot be compared to another city.

Porto walk

So let’s head for our walk in Porto! Before I start my story, I want to share that my stay in Porto was 4 days, in each of them I took the train and went to another neighbouring town to enrich my tourist experience and knowledge about Portugal. Get ready to talk about in the following posts: Guimaraes, Braga and Aveiro, which are the other three treasures of tourism.

Porto tourism

  • São Bento
  • Ponte Luís I
  • Miradouro da Serra do Pilar
  • Igreja dos Clérigos
  • Livraria Lello
  • Walk through the streets of Porto

São Bento

One of the first attractions you will encounter is the Central Railway Station, city train station – Sao Bento. I have to admit that it is one of the most impressive train stations I have ever seen. The waiting room of the building is entirely covered by beautiful azulejos, depicting various historical events as well as landscapes from Portugal. Trivia in numbers: It took 11 years and 20,000 tiles to transform this art room.

São Bento

Ponte Luís I

The Louis I Bridge is a two-story metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. When it was built, its 172-meter span was the longest of its kind in the world.

bridge Ponte Luís I by day
bridge Ponte Luís I by night

You can walk on both levels, which gives you different types of views opening up in front of you. The lower level is for cars and the upper level is for the subway. A curious fact about the bridge is that it was designed by Gustav Eifel, namely the man we all associate with the Eiffel Tower and you may not know, but he also created the supporting structure of the Statue of Liberty. These days, the bridge has undergone several modifications due to the city’s growing needs and adaptations.

bridge Ponte Luís I construction
Ponte Luís I

Miradouro da Serra do Pilar

You already know that I am a fan of high views and so I did not miss the most famous and impressive panoramic view of the city. The place is a former 16th century monastery that has been transformed into a military barracks. You can reach by crossing the Louis I Bridge and continuing straight ahead, after 300 meters you will see a street on the left that will take you to the amazing, breathtaking view of the old town and the mouth of the Douro River.

Miradouro da Serra do Pilar by night
Miradouro da Serra do Pilar by day

Igreja dos Clérigos

The church of Clerigos was built in 1763 in baroque style by a project of the Italian architect Nicolo Nazoni. It also houses a second part, a bell tower, Torre dos Clerigos, which can be seen from different points of the city, and it was at that time that it served as a landmark for navigators and became one of the most characteristic symbols of the city.

Igreja dos Clérigos
Torre dos Clérigos

The tower is 75.6 meters high. You have to climb 240 steps, which go through six floors to reach its balconies, which offer incredible views of the city and the surrounding countryside.

Torre dos Clérigos view

Igreja dos Clérigos from above
Torre dos Clérigos panorama

Useful information:
Work time:
Every day: 09:00 – 19:00;

Ticket price:
Museum and tower: 6 €
Museum, church and tower: 6.50 €
Students and seniors: – 50%

Livraria Lello

Perhaps one of the city’s hidden landmarks is the Lello Bookstore, dating since 1881. It is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and is often ranked among the best bookstores in the world.

Livraria Lello art

A curious fact that adds value to the place is that this particular bookstore has been visited many times by J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series when she taught English in Porto and is believed she has been inspired to write right here.

Livraria Lello from above

Apart from the rich collection of books on sale, the interior is undoubtedly impressive. The connection between the two floors of the bookstore is a forked staircase. Above this staircase is a large staircase from 8 to 3.5 meters, with the central Decus motto in Labore and the owners’ monogram. The ceiling and interior are completely finished with painted plaster, designed to resemble sculptured wooden surfaces and decorative elements. The building still retained the railings and the wooden trolley used to move books around the store between shelves.

Livraria Lello

To visit the venue you need to buy a ticket worth 5 €, and when you buy a book from the bookstore you can use the ticket itself as a discount and reduce the value by 5 €.

Livraria Lello books

Walk through the streets of Porto

It won’t be a real Portuguese city unless I stroll through the city streets and show off some of its architecture and favorite art, namely graffiti, which adds to the charm and value of the city.

Porto buildings

Walking through the small and winding streets you will surely find yourself in the old neighbourhood of Ribeira, which will immerse you in the authentic spirit of the city. There you will have the opportunity to see various colorful and old buildings representing the history of the city, and as you stroll along the alleys and the streets you will come across random “modern” graffiti treasures.

Porto architecture
Old Porto
Porto art
Porto graffiti

Porto is a wonderful example for us of how a large and significant city in the country has adapted in a favorable way, retaining its old spirit and traditions. At the same time, it welcomes the new and the change, becoming a favorite and obligatory destination for every adventurer.

Porto instalation

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About me

Travel Blogger

Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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Dario • Exploring beyond Sofia
Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many p Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many places this year, sharing some of my favourite snaps of #2022 , can’t wait to see what adventures are awaiting me during 2023 🤩

#yearoftravel #europe
Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This year was full with surprises from our beautiful planet. In this video I gathered some of my most favourite nature spots and moments that I had the luck to record. And seriously there is no better caption to describe them than OH MY GOD 🤩

#ourplanet #ohmygod #momentsthatmatter
Life edition #2022 Life edition #2022
Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨ #Vatican #mus Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨

#Vatican #museum #wonders
The eternal city slaying since 751 BC #Rome #Ital The eternal city slaying since 751 BC

#Rome #Italy #eternalcity
“Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain “Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. I’d like to welcome everyone on Rightwing Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 10.000 km above sea level at an airspeed of 645 km per hour. The time is 3:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Rome approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I’ll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.„

#Rome #Italy #fly
Golden Athens since 508 BC #Greece #Athens #Sunse Golden Athens since 508 BC

#Greece
#Athens
#Sunset
Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two Let’s Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two

Let’s be honest, living during the ancient times of Greece was probably cool.

They had so many different and creative crafts that most of them we can witness until nowadays.

A good example for this is the new museum of the Acropolis. A modern building representing the exactly same proportions of the Parthenonas.

In the museum you can see fundamental artefacts picturing the believes and life from ancient times.

But probably the best part for me was the chance to see by myself all the perfect details crafted on different surfaces.

#Greece
#Athens
#History
Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one The hil Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one

The hill of Acropolis
- Parthenon since 432 BC
- Erechtheion since 406 BC
- Theatre of Dionysus since 520 BC

#Greek
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