Things to do in Porto

Porto sits on a ridge above the Douro, with Vila Nova de Gaia facing it across the water. The two banks do different jobs. One holds the city; the other holds the wine.

The city by the river

• Ribeira. The riverfront district, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996: tall painted houses, tiled façades, and lanes that drop straight down to the water.
• Dom Luís I bridge. A double-deck iron arch finished in 1886; the upper deck runs level with the top of the Ribeira and carries the metro some 45 metres above the river.
• Vila Nova de Gaia. Across the bridge, where the port houses — Sandeman, Graham's, Taylor's, Cálem and the rest — have aged their wine in riverside cellars for generations.
• Above the river. Clérigos Tower for the view, Livraria Lello for the staircase, São Bento station for the tiled hall most people only pass through.

What a day here looks like

• A cellar visit. Most Gaia lodges pair a short tour with a tasting; port comes dry, sweet or somewhere between, and the difference matters more than the brand on the barrel.
• The river itself. Short cruises pass under all six of the city's bridges; a rabelo, the flat-bottomed boat that once carried the wine downriver, is the classic version.
• Food. The francesinha, a sandwich under melted cheese and a tomato-and-beer sauce, is Porto's own dish and rarely found much beyond it.
• Out of the city. The train to Peso da Régua in the Douro Valley takes about two hours; most visitors book it as a day trip.

Practical

• Weather. Summer runs near 25C rather than hot; winter days sit around 14C, and Porto is wetter than Lisbon in every season, most of all October to March.
• Getting around. The historic centre is walkable but steep; the metro and the funicular dos Guindais cover the climbs the legs would rather skip.
• São João. On the night of 23 June the city takes to the streets with plastic hammers and grilled sardines; hotels fill up well before it.