Car Hire Porto - Mini guide to Porto

Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, is known as the capital of port wine. Once the home of the royal family of Portugal, this city contains many treasures from Portugal’s colonial past.

The port wine that is so famous in Porto is only brought from the vineyards near the city once a year, but several of the vineyards offer free tours. At the Solar Vinho do Porto, an elegant 18th-century villa ringed with roses, you can sample glasses of every port produced in Portugal.

The city contains numerous cathedrals, museums and treasures. The Terreiro de Se, is dominated by the 12th century fortress church; the Se. Nearby is the Casa Museu De Guerra Junquiero, a museum dedicated to the poet Guerra Junquiero. If you have a nose for culture, the Barredo Section, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, abounds with markets, churches, museums, monuments, and elegant buildings.

The city, especially the Barredo Section, offers fine dining, good accommodation and bars. If you have tired of the port wine, you can have a walk along the river or take a cruise.

Just across the river, and accessible by car and ferry, are the actual port lodges, where you can sample the locally grown wine. These places are hospitable and the samples are usually free of charge.

The Porto Airport has daily flights to Lisbon from where you can get a flight to most major cities in Europe. Porto also has daily rail connections to Lisbon.