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Porto Sao Bento-3

São Bento, Porto

Even if you’re not taking a trip, it’s worth ducking into this train station to get a history lesson. Here, 20,000 azulejos depict battle scenes, transportation history and other key moments in Porto’s development. Famed azulejo painter Jorge Colaço designed these over 11 years in the early 20th century. The structure dates from 1903 and […]

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Small but comfortable room

Palacio Das Cardosas Hotel, Porto

Porto has no shortage of nice hotels, but most of them are near the beach. Since we visited in the cool springtime and would therefore need more of an urban experience, we opted for the InterContinental Porto, located in an 18th-century palace. The hotel anchors one end of Avenida dos Aliados, a massive square lined […]

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Igreja da St Ildefonso, Porto

This colorful Baroque parish church is quite an attention-getter! 11,000 azulejo tiles depict scenes from the life of Saint Ildefonso and figurative imagery from the gospels. The structure dates from the 18th century and was built on the site of a 13th-century chapel. Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian starchitect who designed the Clerigos Tower, designed the […]

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Porto Azulejos-9

Azulejos

Porto is a colorful city, in part due to the traditional azulejos (hand-painted tiles) that adorn many building façades. In the 8th century, the Moors introduced decorative geometric tiles to the area. Back then, tiles were painted using thin ridges of clay to prevent the colors from colliding. The Portugese adopted the technique. In the […]

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Painted tiles adorn the exterior

Sé do Porto

Porto’s massive cathedral, Sé do Porto, sits high on a hill overlooking the city. It was founded in the 12th century and is one of Portugal’s significant Romanesque monuments. The plain façade features a Baroque porch and a Romanesque rose window and is flanked by two square towers with cupolas. The interior is striking with […]

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The flat bottom was necessary to navigate the rough waters.

Barcas Rabelos, Porto

I really liked these flat-bottomed wooden boats, barcas rabelos, that used to carry port wine casks from their upriver estates down the once-turbulent Rio Douro.

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Ponte de Dom Luís I, Porto

This iconic double-decker bridge was built in 1886 by a student of Gustave Eiffel. It was a big deal since it replaced a makeshift bridge made from old port boats tied together. Back then, the tumultuous river, Rio Douro, had no dams so people took their lives into their own hands when they crossed. The […]

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One example of a deserted building

Ribeira, Porto

We had a nice morning walk along Porto’s waterfront, which was once a rough-and-tumble dock quarter. Proving that gentrification is really only a matter of time, it is now a tourist area laden with (reportedly – I did not actually eat in any) sub-par and overpriced restaurants and stalls selling geegaws. I loved the colorful […]

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A common state

Porto

My husband and I were curious to check out Porto, thanks to friends’ rave reviews of the picturesque, hilly city, the sprawling beaches and the many port wineries. When Luxembourg’s one and only airline offered up an alluring sale, I couldn’t book it fast enough. Unfortunately, we didn’t hit great weather. If we waited for […]

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