Porto Portugal - 10 amazing places

welcome to Porto the second biggest city in Portugal and one of the most beautiful places in the world let's take a look [Music] Porto has a city population of about 230 000 people but this increases drastically to about 1.7 million when including the wider metropolitan area located on the Dora River Porto is famous for its port wine Fine Food and many historic buildings with the core of the city now a UNESCO world heritage site the history of the city stretches back to ancient times when it was an important Roman port later it fell under Moorish control between 7 11 to 997 before being reconquered and eventually becoming a part of Portugal the city's location close to the Atlantic made it a key trading port and a vital part of the Portuguese age of discovery the modern city can be easily reached by air rail or Road and also has an extensive public transport Network to help get around including its wonderfully decorated main train station the long history of Porto has filled it with a wealth of wonderful buildings and locations so many in fact that it was very difficult to choose just 10 locations so let me know in the comments below if you disagree with my choices here is my top tip where better to start than a historic church with a tower that can be climbed to give breathtaking views over the entire city clericos church was constructed in the Baroque style between 1732-1750 from inside you can clearly see the elliptical shape of the Nave which is typical of Baroque buildings and is also lavishly decorated a huge 75 meter high tower was added a little later completed by about 1763. for a small fee you can climb to the top it's quite exhausting holding yourself up to 240 steps to reach the top so when you get there you'll be rewarded with panoramic views over the entire city Rivera is Porto's Riverside quarter and is the delightful place to stroll around and explore as well as a lovely Riverside scenery there are many many narrow streets to get lost in but plenty of shops and restaurants here are some highlights [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] Porto Cathedral is a large mostly romanist building construction on the current Church started in the 12th century and continued on and off until the 16th century with later Baroque additions the West front with its Mighty Twin Towers is situated on a large open Plaza with lovely views over the city so make sure you take a little time to walk around and have a look the interior can be visited for a small fee and it's definitely worth it and can be combined with the neighboring Palace which we will look at later the huge Romanesque Nave with its thick and heavy Pierce is very impressive especially the Crossing with its lofty Tower so make sure you look up [Music] the choir has been altered over the years and is now wonderfully decorated Baroque space complete with a highly decorated Baroque cult piece the gothic Cloisters are decorated with ornate tiles typical of Portugal they're also numerous and interesting attachments to look around in the roof of The Cloisters can also be accessed from here you can visit a small Museum full of interesting objects as well as climbing the steps to the top of one of the towers for some lovely views over the city when you have finished looking around the cathedral don't miss The Bishop's Palace next door this Moroccan Rococo building is now a museum with many ornate roads full of interesting objects and paintings however the main attraction here is the absolutely amazing grand staircase definitely one of the finest I've ever visited [Music] thank you [Music] our next stop is the bolster Palace which houses the stock exchange which is located on the impressive infanta de henrique Square sorry I probably totally mispronounced the name of that the palace was built on the site of the ruined Cloisters of the church next door which we will have a look at later polsa Palace was built in near classical style and was mostly complete by 1850 although work continued for many decades on the Interiors because as you're gonna see they are lavish the palace can be visited by guided tour only and you will need to book a time slot the Interiors of this building are spectacular so it's definitely worth it the huge Central Atrium is perhaps the most impressive space with a huge iron and glass Dome just below a Fresco's a coat of arms of Portugal and other places that were key trading partners at the time leading from The Atrium is a Monumental staircase under an impressive ceiling this leads up to a series of ornate rooms that are full of authentic Furniture decorations and frescoes however the best room is saved for last and it will blow you away with its sheer extravagance and ornamentation the Arab room was built in the Morris Revival style and was used as a reception hall for important people [Music] it's hard to find any part of it that is not glittering with Sumptuous golden decoration I know I use the word a lot but this room really is the definition of stunning [Music] when you're finished with the palace make sure you stop by the monument church of Saint Francis which is next door here you'll find fascinating Museum and also a church with yes another stunning interior covered in amazingly detailed golden decoration that will simply Dazzle you [Music] attached to the church is a small Museum full of interesting rooms and items there is also another chapel and below the complex you will find the catacombs where you can admire the many tombs inside it's a little spooky outside of the church is also the first stop for the famous historic tram number one which you can write all the way along the river to the beach district and the Atlantic Ocean Porto is famous for its bridges and none more so than the Dom Louisa Bridge this large double decker archdine structure was completed in 1886. it was designed by tfl sarig who was a pupil of the famous gestap Eiffel you know that chap that built the Tower in Paris the best place to view the bridge is From the Terrace of the nearby Monastery Sarah de Pilla which is also worth visiting due to its interesting circular design the views of the bridge from the monasteries Terrace probably the most iconic in Porto especially in the evening the bridge can be crossed by the upper or lower deck giving access to both sides of the river it looks kind of Epic no matter where you view it from [Music] [Music] us surrender [Music] having crossed the bridge we find ourselves in the Villa over digaya District this historic area has wonderful views along the river where you can see many of the rebello boats that were famous for transporting Porto Wine Up and Down the River also located on the side of the river is the Gaia cable car which connects the Riverside to the top of the Dom Lewis Bridge [Music] Crossing back over the bridge tucked away somewhat is a church of Saint Claire the church is attached to a former Convent and from the outside it's somewhat unremarkable now if you weren't already feeling overwhelmed by the exuberant decorations seen earlier then this place will probably finish you off once you get inside the name of the church is absolutely glittering with gilded gold carvings and decorations it makes you wonder if perhaps there was a surplus of gold just lying around back in the 17th century when the older building was remodeled with a current Baroque stylings the best viewers from the upper Gallery where you can look across the expanse of the church I recommend bringing sunglasses as a Sumptuous Decor will make your eyes pop out no great city is complete without a great market and Porto has its own bolio Market the location dates back to about 1839 with a current multi-floor neoclassical building dating from about 1914. here you'll find lots of food to buy as well as many other interesting things there is an upper level with walkways you can stroll around if the crowds below get too much I don't normally talk about food as it's too subjective but I did find Porter to have some of the tastiest treats I've ever tried I especially enjoyed the spicy pork buffaners from the famous Conga restaurant which is just around the corner from the market and no trip to Portugal is complete without scoffing a six-pack of the famous pastel dinata custard tarts hopefully you're not bored of churches because next up we have twin churches both are worth visiting and there is also a tiny little house squeezed in between them that can be accessed from the Carmo Church on the right side is the Baroque Rococo Carmo Church which was built between 1756 and 1768 on the exterior of some Exquisite blue and white tiles which are typical of churches in Porto the interior has another expansive name with highly decorated altarpieces the next door Carmelita's church is a little older and was constructed between 1616 to 1650 with a more mannerist style classical facade the interior is once again richly decorated and worth having a look around both churches also have little attached museums very close to these churches is the lello bookstore this shop is considered by many to be the most beautiful bookstore in the world however as you can see it gets extremely busy so I decided to skip it I wanted to mention it as no guide to Porto would be complete without it that's the top 10 however there is a lot more to see in Porto so let me know what your favorite places are thank you so much for watching I'd appreciate a thumbs up commentable better yet subscribe to my channel have a splendid day cheerio [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you foreign [Music]

Channel: Barnyz

Views: 12,121

Keywords: Porto 4K, Porto Portugal, Portugal 4K, Porto Travel, Travel Guide, Top 10, top 10 travel guide, Porto travel guide, porto top 10, 4k travel guide

Id: 4mq7Qgqxpsg

Length: 13min 39sec (819 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 17 2023