On theDouro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers, and its core was named aWorld Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as the Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar. The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal.[17] The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Settlement dates back to the 2nd century BC, when it was an outpost of theRoman Republic. Its combinedCeltic-Latin name,Portus Cale,[18] has been referred to as the origin of the namePortugal, based ontransliteration and oral evolution from Latin.
Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, as the metropolitan area, and in particular thecellars ofVila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export offortified wine.[19][20] Porto is onthe Portuguese Way path of theCamino de Santiago. In 2014 and 2017, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency.[21] In 2023, Porto was named City of the Year byFood and Travel magazine.[22] In 2024, the city was named World's Leading Seaside Metropolitan Destination at the World Travel Awards.[23]
Before theRoman conquest, the region was inhabited by theGallaeci, aCeltic people. Archaeological ruins from this period have been uncovered in several locations.[24] Findings suggest that human settlements existed at the mouth of theDouro River as early as the 8th century BC, possibly indicating the presence of aPhoenician trading post.[25]
Under theRoman Empire, Porto (then known asPortus Cale) developed into a significant commercial hub, facilitating trade betweenOlissipona (modern Lisbon) andBracara Augusta (modernBraga).[25] During theSuebian andVisigothic periods, it emerged as a key center for the spread of Christianity.[26]
Porto Cathedral, built in the 12th century with Baroque and modern additions
Between 714 and 716, Porto came under Muslim control following theUmayyad conquest of Hispania.[27] It was reconquered by Christian forces underAlfonso I of Asturias in 741,[28] establishing Porto as a fortified Christian frontier town.
In 868,Vímara Peres, a Galician nobleman and vassal ofAlfonso III of León, was granted the fief of Portucale. He repopulated and fortified the area between theMinho andDouro rivers, founding theCounty of Portucale—later known as the County of Portugal.[29]
In 1093,Teresa of León, illegitimate daughter ofAlfonso VI of Castile, marriedHenry of Burgundy, who received the County of Portugal as dowry. Under their son,Afonso I of Portugal, the region declared independence in the 12th century and became the nucleus of the Portuguese nation-state.
By the 15th century, Porto had become a prominent shipbuilding and maritime center. In 1415, PrinceHenry the Navigator launched theConquest of Ceuta from Porto, initiating the PortugueseAge of Discovery. The nicknametripeiros (tripe-eaters) originates from this period, when better meat cuts were sent on naval expeditions, leaving tripe for the locals. The dishTripas à moda do Porto remains emblematic of the city's culinary identity.
Since the 13th century, wines from theDouro Valley had been transported to Porto in flat-bottomedbarcos rabelos. TheMethuen Treaty of 1703 strengthened commercial and military ties with England.[32] By 1717, English firms had established trading posts in Porto and began dominating the port wine trade. In response, Prime MinisterMarquis of Pombal created a state-controlled wine company and demarcated the Douro region—Europe's first protected wine region.[33] This led to the 1757Revolta dos Borrachos ("revolt of the drunkards"), during which company buildings were attacked.[34]
Between 1732 and 1763, architectNicolau Nasoni designed theClérigos Church and its tower, now a city icon. The 18th and 19th centuries saw Porto's emergence as an industrial center.[citation needed]
In 1806, Porto built the floatingpontoon bridge known as the Ponte das Barcas. During thePeninsular War, French forces underJean-de-Dieu Soult invaded the city. On 29 March 1809, thousands of civilians attempting to flee across the bridgecaused it to collapse, resulting in an estimated 4,000 deaths—the deadliest bridge disaster in history.[35]
TheLiberal Revolution of 1820 began in Porto, advocating a constitutional monarchy and the return ofJohn VI of Portugal from Brazil.[37] Although a liberal constitution was enacted in 1822,a civil war erupted whenMiguel I of Portugal seized power in 1828. Porto endured an18-month siege (1832–1833) by absolutist forces. The city's resistance earned it the epithetCidade Invicta ("Unvanquished City").[38]
On 19 January 1919, monarchist forces declared theMonarchy of the North in Porto during a brief counter-revolution. Although the movement was short-lived, Porto briefly served as the capital of the restored monarchy before republican forces regained control.[41]
Located approximately 280 km north of Lisbon, the historic center of Porto was designated aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1996.[25] Among the city's architectural landmarks, thePorto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, along with the small RomanesqueChurch of Cedofeita, the GothicChurch of Saint Francis, remnants of the defensive city walls, and several 15th-century houses.
TheBaroque style is richly represented in the ornate interior decoration of the churches of São Francisco and Santa Clara, as well as in the churches of Misericórdia and Clérigos, theEpiscopal Palace of Porto, and others. The 19th and 20th centuries introducedNeoclassical andRomantic influences, contributing notable landmarks such as theStock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa), the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the city hall, the buildings ofLiberdade Square andAvenida dos Aliados, the tile-adornedSão Bento railway station, and the gardens of thePalácio de Cristal.
A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, particularly the Arab Room, is a majortourist attraction.
Many of Porto's oldest buildings are at risk of collapse. While the population of the municipality has decreased by nearly 100,000 since the 1980s, there has been significant growth in the number of permanent residents living in the surrounding suburbs and satellite towns.[44]
Porto has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb,Trewartha:Csbk), typical of the northernIberian Peninsula.[46] As a result, the region combines features of both the dry, warm Mediterranean climates of southern Europe and the wet marine west coast climates of the North Atlantic.
Summers are typically warm and sunny, with average temperatures between 16 and 26 °C (61 and 79 °F), occasionally reaching up to 30 °C (86 °F) during heatwaves. These hot spells are usually accompanied by low humidity. The nearby beaches are often windier and cooler than inland areas. Porto's summers are generally milder than those of inland Portuguese cities due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Occasionally, summer weather is interrupted by brief rainy periods marked by showers and cooler temperatures around 20 °C (68 °F) in the afternoon. Annual precipitation is high, mostly concentrated in winter, making Porto one of the wettest major cities in Europe. Nonetheless, prolonged sunny intervals are common even during the rainiest months.
Winters are mild and damp. Temperatures usually range from around 5/6 °C (41/43 °F) in the morning to 14/15°C (57/59 °F) in the afternoon, and seldom drop below freezing. While long periods of rainfall are typical, sunny breaks also occur during the winter season.
Climate data for Porto (Fontainhas), elevation: 93 m, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1981–2007, sunshine & humidity 1961–1990
The Portuguese partyIniciativa Liberal (IL), founded and headquartered in Porto, is the only Portuguese party represented inparliament which is headquartered outside of the Lisbon area.
Estimates from 2016 show that the population is 55% female, compared to 45% male.[10] The largest age group, according to 2016 estimates, is 60 to 69, followed by residents in the 50 to 59 demographic. The majority 93.7% of residents were born inPortugal. The city also has residents born inAngola, Brazil,Cape Verde, and countries across Europe.
Religion in the municipality of Porto(Census 2021)[54]
The city's formerstock exchange (Bolsa do Porto) evolved into Portugal's largestfutures exchange before merging with theLisbon Stock Exchange to create theBolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto. This was later absorbed into the multinationalEuronext group, alongside the exchanges of Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris. The former stock exchange building is now a major tourist attraction, known for its ornate Salão Árabe (Arab Room).
Porto is the headquarters of the Banco Português de Fomento (BPF), a state-owned development bank established in 2020.
Jornal de Notícias, a prominent national newspaper, is based in the city. The building bearing its name was once among Porto's tallest, although it has since been surpassed by newer structures built since the 1990s.[56]
Porto Editora, one of the largest Portuguese publishing houses, is also based in the city. Its dictionaries and translations are among the most widely used in Portugal.
Porto's economic ties to the UpperDouro River region have been documented since theMiddle Ages and were further developed in the modern era.[citation needed] Products such assumac, dried fruits,nuts, andolive oil were historically exported from Porto's riverside quays to markets in theOld andNew World. Growth of thePort wine (Vinho do Porto) industry strengthened this interregional relationship. The trade in fortified wines established a complementary dynamic between the coastal urban center and the agriculturally rich Douro Valley. Much of the wine industry's infrastructure developed on the south bank of the Douro, inVila Nova de Gaia, where the amphitheater-shaped slopes house historic port wine cellars.
South side of the Douro River: Vila Nova de Gaia
Porto is a gateway to northern Portugal and to northern and western Spain. Within a two-hour drive ofFrancisco de Sá Carneiro Airport, travelers can access four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and popular Spanish destinations such asSantiago de Compostela.
In a 2006 study on the competitiveness of Portugal's 18 district capitals, conducted by researchers from theUniversity of Minho and published inPúblico, Porto was ranked lowest.[57] The validity of the ranking was questioned by local leaders and business figures, who argued that Porto functions as part of a larger conurbation and cannot be evaluated in isolation.[58]
A 2007 survey published byExpresso ranked Porto as the third-best city to live in Portugal, tied withÉvora and behindGuimarães and Lisbon.[59]
The Porto metropolitan area had a GDP of €43.1 billion (US$46.6 billion) in 2023, with a per capita GDP of €24,075 (US$25,989).[60][61][62]
The Ribeira area along the Douro River, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
In recent years, Porto has experienced a significant rise in tourism, aided in part by the establishment of aRyanair hub atFrancisco de Sá Carneiro Airport. The city was named European Best Destination in 2012, 2014, and 2017.[21] Between January and November 2017, the city received 2.8 million overnight visitors and 1.4 million day-trippers, 73 per cent of whom were international tourists. Tourism revenues increased by over 11 per cent during that period, according to a 2018 report.[63]
A 2019 report noted that over 10 pre cent of Porto's economic activity is generated by tourism.[64] The hotel occupancy rate in 2017 was 77%.[65]
According to a 2019 scholarly study, "Porto is one of the fastest-growing European tourist destinations that has experienced exponential growth in the demand for city-break tourists".[66]
TheVia de Cintura Interna, or A20, is an internal highway connected to several motorways and city exits. TheCircunvalação is a 4-lane peripheric road bordering the north of the city and connecting the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore. The city is connected to Valença (Viana do Castelo) by highway A28, to Estarreja (Aveiro) by the A29, to Lisbon by the A1, toBragança by the A4 and to Braga by the A3. There is an outer-ring road, the A41, that connects the main cities around Porto, linking the city to other major metropolitan highways such as the A7, A11, A42, A43 and A44. In 2011, a new highway, the A32, was completed to connect the metropolitan area toSão João da Madeira andOliveira de Azeméis.
Luís I Bridge, September 2019
TheDom Luís I Bridge (Ponte de Dom Luís I) is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the River Douro between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Built in 1886, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was then the longest of its type in the world. The top-level is used by pedestrians and the Porto Metro trains, while the lower level carries traffic and pedestrians.[68]
During the 20th century, major bridges were built:Arrábida Bridge, which at its opening had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, and connects the north and south shores of the Douro on the west side of the city,S. João, to replaceD. Maria Pia andFreixo, a highway bridge on the east side of the city. The newest bridge isInfante Dom Henrique Bridge, finished in 2003.
Porto is often referred to asCidade das Pontes (City of the Bridges), besides its more traditional nicknames of "Cidade Invicta" (Unconquered or Invincible City) and "Capital do Norte" (Capital of the North).
Porto is served byFrancisco de Sá Carneiro Airport in Pedras Rubras, Moreira da Maia civil parish of the neighbouringMunicipality of Maia, 15 kilometres (9 miles) to the north-west of the city centre. The airport underwent a massive programme of refurbishment due to theEuro 2004 football championships being partly hosted in the city. It is connected to central Porto by metro's line E. By 2024, the airport served nearly 16 million passengers, being the second busiest airport in Portugal and the37th busiest in Europe.[69]
Porto's main railway station isCampanhã railway station, in the eastern part of the city and connected to the lines of Douro (Peso da Régua/Tua/Pocinho), Minho (Barcelos/Viana do Castelo/Valença) and centre of Portugal (on the main line toAveiro,Coimbra and Lisbon).
From Campanhã station, bothlight rail andsuburban rail services connect to the city center. The maincentral station isSão Bento Station, a notable landmark in the heart of Porto. This station was built between 1900 and 1916, based on plans by architect José Marques da Silva. The large panels of azulejo tile were designed by Jorge Colaço; the murals represent moments in the country's history and rural scenes showing the people of various regions.[70]
Porto is connected with Lisbon via high-speed trains,Alfa Pendular, that cover the distance in 2h 42min. The intercities take slightly more than three hours to cover the distance. Porto is connected to the Spanish city ofVigo with theCelta train, running twice every day, a 2h 20min trip.[71]
The major network is thePorto Metro, alight rail system. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built for urban traffic, replacing the Dom Luís I, which was dedicated to the light rail on the second and higher of the bridge's two levels. Six lines are open:
Line D (yellow) runs from Hospital S. João in the north to Vila d'Este on the southern side of the Douro river.
Line F (orange) runs from Senhora da Hora (Matosinhos) to Fânzeres (Gondomar).
The lines intersect at the centralTrindade station. The whole network covers 70 km (43 mi) with 85 stations, and is the biggesturban rail transit system in the country.[72]
In 2019, Porto Metro transferred the management of theFunicular dos Guindais to Porto city hall.[73] Expansion of the network is underway, with two lines under construction and abus rapid transit expected to open during 2025.
The city has an extensivebus network run by theSTCP (Sociedade dos Transportes Colectivos do Porto, or PortoPublic transport Society) which also operates lines in the neighbouring cities ofGaia, Maia, Matosinhos,Gondomar and Valongo. Other smaller companies connect towns such asPaços de Ferreira andSanto Tirso to the town center. In the past, the city also hadtrolleybuses.[74] A bus journey is €2.50, which must be paid in cash.
Construction of atram network began in 1895, the first in theIberian Peninsula. Only three lines remain, including a tourist line on the shores of the Douro. The lines in operation all use vintage tramcars, so the service has become aheritage tramway. STCP operates these routes as well as atram museum. The first line of the area's modern-tram, orlight rail system,Metro do Porto, opened for revenue service in January 2003, after a brief period offree, introductory service in December 2002.[75]
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Porto, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 47 minutes. About 6.5% of public transit riders ride for more than two hours every day. The average time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 12 minutes, while 17.4% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people ride in a single trip with public transit is 6 km, while 5% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.[76]
The first Portuguese moving pictures were taken in Porto by Aurélio da Paz dos Reis and shown there on 12 November 1896 in the Teatro do Príncipe Real do Porto, less than a year after the first public presentation byAuguste and Louis Lumière. The country's firstmovie studios Invicta Filmes was also erected in Porto in 1917 and was open from 1918 to 1927 in the area of Carvalhido.Manoel de Oliveira, a Portuguese film director and the oldest director in the world to be active until his death in 2015, was from Porto.Fantasporto is an international film festival organized in Porto every year. TheDCEU filmThe Suicide Squad (2021) was set in and partly filmed in the city.[78]
Porto has several museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas,art galleries, libraries and bookshops. The best-known museums of Porto are theNational Museum Soares dos Reis (Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis), which is dedicated especially to the Portugueseartistic movements from the 16th to the 20th century, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of theSerralves Foundation (Museu de Arte Contemporânea).
Porto houses the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the largest in Europe –Kadoorie Synagogue, inaugurated in 1938.[citation needed]
Porto's most popular event is the street festival of St. John (São João Festival) on the night of 23–24 June.[81] Another major event isQueima das Fitas, which starts on the first Sunday of May and ends on the second Sunday of the month. The week has twelve major events, starting with the Monumental Serenata on Sunday, and reaching its peak with the Cortejo Académico on Tuesday, when about 50,000 students of the city's higher education institutions march through the downtown streets till they reach the city hall. During every night of the week, a series of concerts takes place on the Queimódromo, next to the city's park, where it is also a tradition for the students in their second-to-last year to erect small tents where alcohol is sold to finance the trip that takes place during the last year of their course of study; an average of 50,000 students attend these events.[82]
Porto was the birthplace in 1856 ofSusanna Roope Dockery, an Anglo-Portuguese watercolour painter who produced many paintings of the city and the people and landscape of the surrounding rural areas. An Englishman,Frederick William Flower, moved to Porto in 1834 at the age of 19 to work in the wine trade and subsequently became a pioneer of photography in Portugal. Like Dockery, he drew his inspiration from the city, the Douro river and the rural areas.
In 2005, the municipality funded apublic sculpture to be built in the Waterfront Plaza ofMatosinhos. The resulting sculpture is entitledShe Changes[83] by American artist,Janet Echelman, and spans the height of 50 × 150 × 150 metres.
In the field of dance, Porto was also home to the Spanish-born ballet dancer and choreographerPirmin Treku who settled in the city in the 1970s and later founded thePirmin Treku Classical Dance School (Academia de Bailado Clássico Pirmin Treku). His school became one of Porto’s notable training centres for classical ballet, contributing to the development of several generations of Portuguese dancers.[85][86]
The historic area includes the cathedral with its Romanesque choir, the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara. The entire historic centre has been a National Monument since 2001 under Law No. 107/2001. The "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar" is a Unesco World Heritage site.[17]
Francesinha is the most popular native snack food in Porto. It is a kind of sandwich with several types of meat covered with cheese and a sauce made with beer and other ingredients.
Rojões (fried pork meat) andsarrabulho (a pig blood-based dish) are typical dishes ofNorte Region which are popular in the regional capital, the city of Porto. As in almost all coastal areas of the Portuguese littoral where fresh fish are available,sardinha assada (grilled sardine) is also a usual dish.
Port wine is widely accepted as the city'sdessert wine, especially as the wine is made along theDouro River, which runs through the city.
Porto has several institutions of higher education, the largest one being the state-managedUniversity of Porto (Universidade do Porto), which is the second largest Portuguese university, after theUniversity of Lisbon, with approximately 28,000 students, considered one of the 100 best universities in Europe.[89] There is also a state-managedpolytechnic institute, thePolytechnic Institute of Porto (a group of technical colleges), and private institutions like theLusíada University of Porto,Universidade Fernando Pessoa (UFP), the Porto's Higher Education School of Arts (ESAP- Escola Superior Artística do Porto) and aVatican state university, thePortuguese Catholic University in Porto (Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto) and the Portucalense University in Porto (Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique).
There are many sports facilities, most notably the city-ownedSuper Bock Arena (formerly Pavilhão Rosa Mota), swimming pools in the area of Constituição (between the Marquês and Boavista), and other minor arenas, such as the Pavilhão do Académico. Sports played include handball, basketball, futsal and field hockey, rink hockey, volleyball, water polo and rugby.
Porto is home to northern Portugal's onlycricket club, theOporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. Annually, for more than 100 years, a match (theKendall Cup) has been played between the Oporto Club and the Casuals Club of Lisbon, in addition to regular games against touring teams (mainly from England). The club's pitch is off the Rua Campo Alegre.
As in most Portuguese cities,football is the most popular sport. There are two main teams in Porto:FC Porto in the parish ofCampanhã in the eastern part of the city, andBoavista in the area of Boavista in the parish ofRamalde, in the western part of the city, close to the city centre. FC Porto is one of theBig Three teams in the main Portuguese football league, and was European champion in 1987 and 2004, won the UEFA Cup (2003) and Europa League (2011) and the Intercontinental Toyota Cup in 1987 and 2004. Boavista has won the championship once, in the2000–01 season and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2003, when the team lost 2–1 toCeltic F.C..
Salgueiros fromParanhos, Porto was a regular first division club during the 1980s and 1990s but, due to debt, the club folded in the 2000s. The club wasrefounded in 2008 and began playing at the regional level. It now plays at the third level of Portugal's national football pyramid.
The biggest stadiums in the city are FC Porto'sEstádio do Dragão and Boavista'sEstádio do Bessa. The first team in Porto to own a stadium wasAcadémico F.C., who played in the Estádio do Lima. Académico was one of the eight teams to dispute the first division. Salgueiros sold the grounds ofEstádio Engenheiro Vidal Pinheiro field to thePorto Metro and planned on building a new field in the Arca d'Água area of Porto. It was impossible to build on this plot of land due to a large underground water pocket, so the team moved to theEstádio do Mar (owned byLeixões S.C.) in the neighboringMatosinhos municipality. For theEuro 2004 football competition, held in Portugal, the Estádio do Dragão was built, replacing the oldEstádio das Antas, and the Estádio do Bessa was renovated.
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