Looking Around Porto
Hotel to downtown
The walk from the hotel where we stayed in 2010 to the center of town takes about 10 minutes. Much longer if you are looking at the sights. This is the Rua de Cedofeita, a pedestrian shopping street which runs south from near our hotel to the Praca de Carlos Alfredo.
The Rua de Cedofeita ends here at the north side of the Praca de Carlos Alberto.
Praca de Carlos Alberto. Head south (behind the camera) two blocks and you are in the Praca de Gomes Teixeira.
The large Praca de Gomes Teixeira.
Same Praca late in the day. The church is Igreja Do Carmo. More on it in the "Churches" section.
The night time view we saw often walking back to our hotel after a great meal somewhere.
Another two blocks south is this Praca da Cordaria. Street car is typical surface rail throughout the city.
The Praca da Cordaria s a large, beautiful park.
Walk east down the Rua dos Clergios towards the Praca de Liberdade.
Praca da Liberdade - heart of the city. Surrounded by classic architecture from the past - Gothic, Beaux Arts, Baroque, Nouveau and Portuguese Colonial. Worth mentioning here is the lack of heavy street traffic. This is due to the twin highway tunnels which enable auto traffic to rapidly bypass the central area. The combination of road tunnels, surface rail, metro underground, railroad systems, and ubiquitus (inexpensive) taxis combine to make this one of the most efficient and comfortable travel cities I have ever seen.
See what I mean?
If you look back up the Rua dos Clerigos you can see the Igreja dos Clerigos.
Here is a closer look. The tower behind the church provided the highest vantage piont to view the city.
The Torre dos Clerigos was built in the mid 1700s as an addition to the church. It is about 240 feet tall.
View from the Tower
It is a narrow, steep climb up the interior of the tower. But what a view. This is north.
East. The cathederal is in the center right, hiding the steel bridge across the Douro River.
South. Almost same as the east view.
And west. The Atlantic Ocean is about three miles away, just visible beyond the river.
Shopping and Markets
One popular shopping area is the Rua de Santa Catrina (right), a pedestrian street. This Art Nouveau clothing store is typical of many perfectly preserved architecturally significant buildings.
The Rua de Santa Catarina offers heavy duty shopping with many spots for refreshment.
There are also some world class malls hidden behind modest street entrances. The giant Bolhao produce market, located two blocks west of Rua da Santa Catrina is shown in a separate branch of this Porto website.
An interesting piece of art in the window of an artist's shop on Rua da Santa Catarina.
Another Art Noveau classic - the Majestic Cafe.
Inside the Majestic Cafe.
A really special place to enjoy an excellent breakfast or light lunch. Very popular.
An Art Noveau apartment.
Another.
Now a Victorian classic - The Portuguese Crafts Store. It was originally an elementary school. This is the ground floor.
And the second floor. Great handicrafts for sale.
How about a Gothic McDonald's?
With a Deco interior. Chandeliers in McDonald's???
Full spectrum. They make an excellent cappachino here! Good spot if you can't find a real coffee shop.
Fortunately for us, there are dozens of really excellent coffee shops. This is our favorite of all. I don't think it has a name, but It is located at 180 Rua das Flores, a popular pedestrian-only street.
This is the inside. Why do we like this place? Wonderful fresh baking and chief. Choice of French or Portuguese Crossants. Really delicious scrambled eggs with bacon cooked and served in a small frying pan. And, of course, wonderful coffee in any form you wish. I alternate between cappachino and late.
Typical neighborhood grocery shop.
Complete necessities, with half the store catering to the good wine palates of the neighbors.
Another neighborhood grocery.
Full pan of the Praca Almeida Garrett - Cathederal far left, Igreja de Santo Antonio dos Congregados far right, and The Railway Station Sao Bento immediately behind me. This is a good time to shift subjects to railroads old and new.
The Trains Old and New
On the right is the main entrance to The Estacao de Sao Bento, the main downtown rail station. Straight ahead is the Igreja dos Congregados, with the typical blue Azulejos tile exterior. Let's go into the railroad station.
Built in 1900, the station is adorned with many classical murals of azulejos tile.
The train platforms.
The tracks immediately disappear into a tunnel, necessary due to the very hilly terrain. Check out the advertisement on the signboard on the right...
Pretty good looking candy!
Amazingly, immediately below the railroad station is a metro stop. There is a new, state of the art light rail system buried under the city and almost invisible at street level. At street level there is also the original streetcar rail system, still in full operation.
This modern system not only covers the entire city, but also connects all the way out to the new airport.
And, this is the old method of travel. Originally horse drawn cars, the system was electrified in 1895. These remaining antique street cars are still in full service, although the system that once had more than 20 lines and served all of Porto has been reduced to only three lines in the city. This is the start of one section which connects the downtown waterfront area all the way out to the beaches along the Atlantic coast.
The cars have been meticulously restored and maintained. They look brand new inside with gleaming brass fixtures and soft leather seating.
One of many pleasant stops on the route to the ocean.
Several impromtu parties occuring along the route. Just another fun Sunday afternoon.
The streetcar route eventually ends here near the mouth of the Douro River. Still about one kilometer to the beaches. Really beautiful park ahead.
And, finally on the beach.
The Beach Area
Another way to see the Atlantic beaches is by tourist bus. These open top double-deck buses run all day and allow unlimited exit and reboarding at any stop. All for about 15 Euro per day.
On to the Douro River Waterfront