This official video for the track Porto by the French DJ and musician Kevin Rodrigues, who is better known as Worakls gives a really good flavour of the city of Porto. There are no lyrics the images say it all.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and lies along the Douro River estuary in Northern Portugal. It was one of the most westerly cities of the Roman Empire and its name literally means “port” or “harbour”. The centre of the city has been a UNESCO heritage site since 1996.
The British have had a long term relationship with the Portuguese. In 1387, Porto was the site of the marriage of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, the daughter of John of Gaunt. This symbolised a long standing military alliance between Portugal and England, this alliance is the world’s oldest recorded military alliance.
Traditionally we imported our wine from France, but the British decided to look further south for a new source after a few disagreements. At the time Portuguese wine didn’t travel that well and one day the story goes by accident Port was born. The wine was fortified with grape brandy and took on the flavour of oak from the barrels and the rest is history. This long connection is why many brands of port have English sounding names, like Croft, Taylor and Graham.
Porto is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Europe and it’s not difficult to see why. The old parts of the city are best visited on foot, however, be prepared for some steep climbs. A retreat at the top of a steep hill was always a good option in case of attack! You might like to fortify yourself with a traditional Portuguese custard tart “pastéis de nata”. They have become so popular that they are now found in many UK supermarket bakery sections.
Porto is famous for the ornate blue azulejo tiles, that you will see around the old town. Head for the Church of St. Ildefonso and the railway station at Sao Bento to see some of the best used on both interior and exterior walls. Sao Bento station was completed in 1916 and the murals represent moments in Portugal’s history and the people of various regions within the country.
A good way to see the sights is to take the historic tram and whilst you are at it why not take in the “Tram Museum” or “Museu do Carro Eléctrico”. An entry ticket to the museum will give you a free ride on the historic tram so planning ahead would be useful here.
The Tram Museum is on the bank of the River Douro and the historic tram will take you to Infante where you will be a short walk from the Cais da Ribeira where you will find Porto’s riverside area. Here is a large collection of bars, coffee shops and restaurants.
The upper walkway in the Cais da Ribeira is built on the top of the original mediaeval city walls. There is a network of narrow streets and alleyways behind the riverfront where you will find a mixture of dilapidated buildings and restored buildings. Here you will find several river cruises which is a great way of seeing some fantastic views of the city.
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Yearning for more of Portugal, why not visit Lisbon with travellogs.