Sao Bento Station

Porto São Bento Station is one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. It is just off the Avenida dos Aliados, in the center of Porto. The hall is decorated twenty thousand hand-illustrated tiles both pastural scenes (so called Romance Style) and some of the historical battles and other scenes of important moments in Portuguese history, such as the battle of Valdevez, the conquest of Ceuta in 1415 or the visit of King John I with his wife Felipa of Lancaster to Porto.

The building is made of granite and was created by the architect José Marques da Silva. The tiles are the work of the artist Jorge Colaço. The first train to arrive at São Bento was 1896, when the building wasn’t even finished. It was officially inaugurated in 1916, but its tiles were manufactured as early as 1905.

We thought we would scout out our departure for the morning, but the ticket office won't be open when we have to leave, the ticket machines were not available in English and the departure boards were confusing so think Uber would be an easier plan. Czytaj więcej