Ribeira district
Narrow coloured housefronts on the Douro, under the Luís I bridge.
Duration
1 hr 30 min – 2 hrs 30 min
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The Ribeira is Porto's medieval quay, which stayed the city's port until the silting of the Douro made it unusable. The houses are very narrow because tax was levied on the width of the frontage, and very tall to compensate.
The Luís I bridge, opened in 1886, spans above it: two decks, the lower for cars, the upper for the metro and pedestrians. The upper deck can be walked and gives the best view over the quarter, free of charge.
Getting there
Metro to São Bento, then ten minutes downhill through the lanes. The climb back is steep: the Guindais funicular saves it, up to the bridge's upper deck.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Sportswear
Rules on site
The quayside restaurants charge for the view: one street back, the same dishes cost considerably less. The lanes are cobbled, steep and slippery after rain.
Other places in Porto
- Livraria LelloA carved red timber staircase under stained glass, in ten square metres of neo-Gothic.
- Vila Nova de Gaia port lodgesThe port lodges on the far bank, where the wine has aged in cask for three centuries.
- São Bento stationTwenty thousand blue azulejos telling the history of Portugal, in a working station hall.
- Clérigos TowerSeventy-five metres and two hundred and forty steps, above the tiled roofs.