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When visiting Porto take time to walk around the historic centre which is rich with monuments and churches, the centre of the medieval town is the Romanesque Cathedral (Se’) of the 12th century. Modified during the 17th and 18th centuries, only the rose window and the façade’s two towers are left of the original Romanesque structure.

The Torre dos Clerigos (Tower of Clerics) is a prominent monument and the symbol of Porto. Dating back to the 18th century, the 75.6m high tower has 225 steps that can be climbed to enjoy the views over the river and Vila Nova de Gaia.
In Praça do Infante you can admire the Ferreira Borges market, which was built in cast iron at the end of the 19th century and has been since refurbished and painted red; today it hosts art exhibitions. The Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange) is a fine example of 19th century architecture with inside the patio de Naçoes, surrounded by arcades and covered by a glass dome, a main staircase in granite and wrought iron leading to the upper rooms where are the Tribunal in French Renaissance style, the Screams Room with outstanding inlayed wooden floors and the Arabic Room featuring laminate gold decorations and 16 columns, this room was modeled on parts of the Alhambra in Spain.
The Dom Luis I Bridge dating back to the 19th century is on two levels, the lower part connects the Ribeira district on the south bank with the area of the wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, while the upper bridge links the old town with the hill of Vila Nova de Gaia where the view from the monastery of Serra do Pilar over the city and the river is outstanding. The monastery dating back to the 17th century is dominated by a dome and has a circular cloister with 36 Ionic columns.

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A few hundred metres from the Dom Luis I Bridge is the first suspended bridge built by Gustave Eiffel’s company in 1877 as part of the national rail, a 354-metre arch suspended over the river at 61m.
The wine lovers must go across the Douro River to Vila Nova de Gaia to discover the secrets of Port wine. There are 58 wine companies spread out between the river bank and the hill and they are open to visitors for tours of the cellars and wine tasting. Some of the better known names are Taylor’s, Sandeman and Ferreira.