Old Town of Porto

Old Town of Porto

Attraction Introduction The Old Town of Porto is situated on the hillsides of the right bank of the Douro River, just 5 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. By the 14th century, the Old Town of Porto had already developed into a prosperous port city. The streets in the old town are steep, narrow, and winding. Most of the buildings date back to the 13th to 19th centuries. The Church of Clérigos was built in the mid-18th century, and its 76-meter-high bell tower is an iconic landmark of the Old Town of Porto as well as a navigational reference point for ships at sea.

The Luis I Bridge, which spans the Douro River, was designed in 1881 by Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and is also one of the symbols of the Old Town of Porto. Since the 17th century, Porto has been renowned across Europe for its advanced winemaking industry. Vast wine cellars stretch for miles along the banks of the Douro River. In 1756, Port wine became the world’s first protected designation of origin wine.

Porto, Portugal