About Porto

Porto is located on the north-west coast of Portugal along the Douro river estuary. The 900 year old city of Porto, which won the title of best European destination in 2017 (as well as in 2012 and 2014), is one of the oldest European centres. Its historical core (Ribeira) was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire.

Porto is also known as the “city of bridges”. The most famous is the 72 m-high Luis I bridge, completed in 1886. The Infante bridge, with a 280 m span is the world’s largest single span concrete bridge. Further east is the Gustave Eiffel’s Dona Maria Pia bridge, an iron railway bridge, which was used up until 1991 when it was replaced by the adjacent São João bridge with its three concrete arches.