Porto Trip Overview
In City Center Tour you will be able to reach the highest points of Porto and have a fantastic view over the Douro River and its two banks. Start your journey up to the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal with magnificent views of the Douro River.
Then you will head to the heart of the city, and between narrow streets full of history, with surprising tile facades, you will arrive at Lello. This Bookstore, opened in 1906, is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and famous for having inspired author J.K.Rowling for her Harry Potter book saga. With more time, you will have to enter to visit this unmissable place.
AUTONOMY- You can customize your tour route
PRIVACY- Just your group. No more people
SAFETY (Covid-19)- We comply with all safety measures of Portuguese Gov and EU
TECHNOLOGY- Free Wi-Fi; GPS Guide; Live streaming & Tour recording
SUSTAINABILITY- Our cars are 100% electric and we’ve a green policy in all that concerns our activity
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Additional Info
* Duration: 2 hours
* Starts: Porto, Portugal
* Trip Category: Tours & Sightseeing >> Bus & Minivan Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Porto, Northern Portugal, Portugal
In City Center Tour you will be able to reach the highest points of Porto and have a fantastic view over the Douro River and its two banks. Start your journey up to the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal with magnificent views of the Douro River.
Then you will head to the heart of the city, and between narrow streets full of history, with surprising tile facades, you will arrive at Lello. This Bookstore, opened in 1906, is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and famous for having inspired author J.K.Rowling for her Harry Potter book saga. With more time, you will have to enter to visit this unmissable place.
AUTONOMY- You can customize your tour route
PRIVACY- Just your group. No more people
SAFETY (Covid-19)- We comply with all safety measures of Portuguese Gov and EU
TECHNOLOGY- Free Wi-Fi; GPS Guide; Live streaming & Tour recording
SUSTAINABILITY- Our cars are 100% electric and we’ve a green policy in all that concerns our activity
Share Your Experience
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Torre dos Clerigos, Rua Sao Filipe Neri, Porto 4050-546 Portugal
The Clérigos Church (Portuguese: Igreja dos Clérigos) is a Baroque church in the city of Porto, in Portugal. Its tall bell tower, the Torre dos Clérigos, can be seen from various points of the city and is one of its most characteristic symbols.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Livraria Lello, Rua Carmelitas 144 Vitória, Porto 4050-161 Portugal
Lonely Planet considered Lello & Irmão Bookstore as the third most beautiful library in the world. The building was inaugurated on January 13th, 1906, in an important social event for both Portuguese and Brazilian societies, attended by famous people from different spheres – among them Guerra Junqueiro, a renowned Portuguese writer. Rumor has it that J.K. Rowling’s inspiration to write Harry Potter has begun in Porto, particularly at this library. The well-known writer lived in Porto for 10 years working as an English teacher in the early 1990s and she used to drink a cup of coffee at the second floor of Lello’s bookstore. There are indeed great similarities between Lello’s bookstore staircase and the one described in Hogwarts.
It is also believed that the Hogwarts’ costume was inspired by the costumes of college students in Portugal, composed of a black suit and a black coat – these students are very likely to be found around this area, as the headquar-ters of the Porto University are located at Praça Gomes Teixeira (up ahead, where you can find a Lion’s fountain, hence the nickname “Praça dos Leões” – Lions’ Square, as the locals call it).
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Igreja dos Carmelitas, Rua Carmo Vitória, Porto 4050-164 Portugal
Located in downtown Porto, the Carmo and Carmelitas churches look like the biggest church in the city. In fact, they are two churches separated by one of the world’s narrowest houses. This house was built to make all contact between the nuns and the monks impossible. If you look closely, you’ll find Carmo Church (on the right) and Carmelitas Church (on the left).
Carmo Church was built in the 18th century and is an amazing example of the baroque architecture. Outside, you will find a magnificent panel of blue and white tiles, representing the Brown Scapular imposition on Mount Carmel. The panel is rich in details, perspective and color and was designed by Silvestro Silvestri.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Porto Cathedral (Se Catedral), S/N0 Terreiro Se 3 Centro Histórico, Porto 4050-573 Portugal
Porto’s Cathedral, the Sé, is an historic landmark in the old centre, where the city was born. In fact, Morro da Sé is the oldest district in Porto. Its characteristic neighborhood and its residents are the most genuine part of the city. The Cathedral itself is a 12th Romanesque structure. It was built by Bishop Hugh, a French nobleman who came to Porto even before Portugal’s independence, and ruled the city from 1113 to 1136.
Despite its Romanesque roots, you will see that the cathedral, all over the centuries, has been suffering many changes of different architectonical styles, like the baroque roofs of the turrets next the front door, or even the loggia outside the north wall of the building, designed by Nicolau Nasoni, in the 18th century.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Serra do Pilar Viewpoint, Largo de Aviz Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, Vila Nova de Gaia 4430-329 Portugal
One of the best viewpoints in all of the city. World Cultural Heritage, it started being built in 1538, and was concluded only around 1670. At first it was created in order to accommodate the Augustinian Friars of the Monastery of Grijó. Later, during the Civil War of 1832-1834, the liberal army settled in the monastery. As a result of the war and of the constant attacks it suffered, it was in a terrible state of disrepair and neglect, until in 1834 with the creation of the Royal Brotherhood of Lady of the Pilar, and later the Group of Friends of the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, in 1925, the whole building was recovered. The church, of circular plan, has the dome surrounded by a balcony; the cloister is also circular, with 36 Ionic columns, the only example in Portugal. From its grand terrace one can see the whole riverside area of Porto and Gaia until the Arrábida Bridge, and the historic center, with emphasis on the Cathedral and D. Luís I bridge. In the opposite direction one can see that the zone of Fontainhas and the São João bridge.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Ponte de Dom Luis I, Pte. Luiz I, Porto Portugal
The Dom Luís I Bridge (in Portuguese: Ponte de Dom Luís I), or Luís I Bridge, is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the River Douro between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, in Portugal. At its construction, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was the longest of its type in the world. It has been confused with the nearby Maria Pia Bridge, a railway bridge that was built 9 years earlier (and located 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the east), that is similar in aspect to the Luís I bridge.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Ribeira Square, Praca da Ribeira, Porto 4050-513 Portugal
The iconic and traditional square. A must go site in the heart of Porto. The Ribeira Square (Portuguese: Praça da Ribeira) is a historical square in Porto, Portugal. It is included in the historical centre of the city, designated World Heritage by UNESCO. The Ribeira district spreads alongside the Douro river and used to be a centre of intense commercial and manufacturing activity since the Middle Ages. Also since that time the Ribeira Square was the site of many shops that sold fish, bread, meat and other goods. In 1491 the buildings around the square were destroyed in a fire, and the houses were rebuilt with arcades in their groundfloors. During this rebuilding campaign the square also gained a pavement made of stone slabs.
In the mid-18th century the city needed new urban improvements to provide for the swift flow of goods and people between the Ribeira neighbourhood and other areas of Porto. In this context, governor João de Almada e Melo opened a new street, the São João Street, that connected the Ribeira Square and the upper town, and promoted the reurbanisation of the square itself. The project, executed between 1776 and 1782, is credited to John Whitehead, English consul in Porto. The square was to become enclosed on its north, west and east sides by buildings with arcades, while the south side of the square, facing the Douro, was enclosed by the medieval walls (Muralhas Fernandinas) of Porto. These walls were torned down in 1821, opening the square to the river.
The Ribeira Square and its surrounding has been classified as Property of Public Interest since 1971
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Jardins do Palacio de Cristal, Palacio de Cristal Rua Dom Manuel II Corner to Rua Jorge di Viterba Fereira, Porto 4050-346 Portugal
The StockExchange Palace, in Porto, started being built in 1842. With a mix of architectonical Styles, the building presents features of the 1800’s neoclassic style, Toscani architecture, as well as English Neopaladin.
Duration: 15 minutes
