Porto (Portugal)

It’s an unpretentious city, Porto, an honest city, not one to put on airs. Whilst other cities of similar intrinsic interest might be said to “boast” various attractions, you’d never say that of Porto. It’s just not a boastful kind of place. This modesty is arguably no more than realistic. Porto isn’t, and couldn’t pretend to be, in the very top rank of Europe’s cities for art, architecture, history or grandeur. But it has its share of all of these and other merits too: it is scenically located; it is easy to reach and to get around; it is a good jumping-off point from which to visit other ... more

Oporto – where the Port comes from – is a designated Site of World Heritage according to UNESCO, which means that the city is one of the world's most precious cultural sites and has also been named European Capital of Culture for 2001 by the EU. This will come as a surprise to my father-in-law as I well remember his remarks when I returned from my first visit to the city. “So, what did you think?” he asked (in Portuguese) “It’s very old”, I faltered, with my poor grasp of the language. “Not old, - just dirty!” he countered with a grin. It ... more

Beautiful City, Excellent Night Life If you never been there it's a must. How do I know this? I'm Portuguese and used to live about 4 miles from there. I think 34 years it's enough to know that Porto is a Beautiful city with the Douro River (you can make a trip by ferry departing from Ribeira to Spain) as a great landscape and of course the tasteful Port (you can visit the Porto caves where this wine is made). If you're looking for fun, I suggest going to Ribeira and Foz where you can find great bars and discos. In the summer you have several beaches to go (not far from Porto, 4/5 miles away) ... more