1. The Ribeira and its quays
The riverfront of the historic centre, part of the area UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 1996. Coloured houses, quays and terraces between the Dom Luís I bridge and the Cais da Estiva; the stretch was refurbished for Porto 2001, European Capital of Culture. Come early in the morning or at sunset, when the light hits the Gaia side.
2. Casa do Infante
At Rua da Alfândega 10, this was the old royal customs house. Tradition says Prince Henry the Navigator was born here in 1394, though the exact place of his birth is not proven. Today it belongs to the city, with the municipal historical archive and exhibitions on Porto’s history.
3. Rua da Bainharia and Rua dos Mercadores
Two of the oldest streets in town. Rua da Bainharia is first documented in 1296, and its name comes from the craftsmen who made sword scabbards. Next door, Rua dos Mercadores was for centuries one of the city’s trading streets. Narrow, uphill and full of granite: this is the medieval Porto the drone cannot see.
4. São Lourenço, the church of the crickets
Built by the Jesuits in the 16th century, the Igreja de São Lourenço is better known to locals as the Igreja dos Grilos. Legend says the name comes from the crickets once heard singing there. The former college now houses a museum of sacred art and archaeology.
5. The Sé
Porto’s cathedral was begun in the 12th century under Bishop Hugo and still looks Romanesque from the outside: two towers, a rose window, three naves. The Gothic cloister is from the 14th century and the side loggia, by Nicolau Nasoni, from the 18th. The terrace in front is one of the best free viewpoints over the old town.
6 and 7. Two worth a bus ride
Casa da Música, designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA after an international competition in 1999, opened in April 2005 near the Rotunda da Boavista. Serralves, a foundation created in 1989, brings together an Art Deco house, a contemporary art museum by Álvaro Siza Vieira opened in 1999, and a park of about 18 hectares. Both are outside the historic centre.
The Walk, in Order
Start: Casa do Infante, then down to the Cais and Praça da Ribeira.
Climb: Rua dos Mercadores and Rua da Bainharia.
Finish: São Lourenço, then the Sé and its terrace.
Then: take a bus or metro to Casa da Música and Serralves another day.
Where the footage comes from
The drone views on this page are part of a film that plays on the screens of Capa na Baixa, our own restaurant on Praça de Dom João I. If you eat there, you will see these places go by while you wait for your francesinha; this page is the written version.
Quick answers
What can I see on foot in Porto’s historic centre?
The Ribeira and its quays, the Casa do Infante, Rua dos Mercadores and Rua da Bainharia, the Igreja de São Lourenço and the Sé, all within a short, steep walk.
When was Porto’s historic centre listed by UNESCO?
In 1996, as World Heritage.
Was Henry the Navigator born in the Casa do Infante?
That is the tradition, with the year 1394, but the exact place of his birth is not proven.
Are Casa da Música and Serralves in the historic centre?
No. Both are outside it, towards Boavista and the west of the city; take a bus or the metro.
Sources. Dates and attributions follow the Infopedia entries on the Ribeira, the Casa do Infante, the Igreja de São Lourenço, the Sé, the Casa da Música and Serralves, and Porto Secreto on Rua da Bainharia.
Disclosure. Porto Inside Guide is published by the team behind Capa na Baixa. The drone footage comes from the film shown in our restaurant.