Porto's Ribiera, or Riverfront

The city of Porto, (237,000 people) is known as the capital of the North of the country and is the second largest city in Portugal. Its historic centre has been classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

The amazing thing about this city is that it has been continuously inhabited since at least the 4th century, when the Romans referred to it as Portus Calle, which is the origin of the entire country's name.

We are staying in an apartment near the cathedral on the north bank of the Douro River, but on a very high escarpment. Six bridges connect our side of the river with the south bank where Vila Nova de Gaia is, with its Port wine cellars. The 172m long double decker bridge, that we could walk across, was designed by Théophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel. In the late 1800’s it was the longest metal arch bridge in the world. It is also very high - 44.6 m or 146’.

So we are staying on top of an escarpment, in what we feel is the city centre.

Now, another interesting area is called the Ribeira de Gaia. It is a long ways down on the riverfront. To get down there, you can walk down stairs or steep, cobblestone streets, or take a streetcar, tuktuk or taxi. It wasnt that hard to walk down though. The Riviera is a very old section of the town with narrow, dark streets flanked with colourful 4 or 5 storey buildings with laundry hanging from the balconies.

It was originally the centre of commerce for the city, with big sail ships docking and unloading at the Cais (pier) da Ribeira. The docks are no longer located there but further north in Matasinhos and Leca. Now-a-days the riverfront is the city's most popular night spot, with lots of small bars, cafes and night clubs scattered around the square, riverside and numerous winding streets.

To the west of the Ribeira is the Alfandega (customs house). We were here with Vaughan to see the beautiful stock exchange building and puppet theatre, but there is another impressive 14th century mansion called the Casa do Infante (or Casa da Alfândega Velha). It now houses the city archives and contains a museum displaying archeological finds from a Roman palace on the same site. It is also known as the place where Henry the Navigator was born. We didn’t have to pay an admission and we really enjoyed this museum. Exhibits were really well-displayed.

The first section had a display of items and photos from old stores - cash registers, money boxes, shelving. The collection was interesting. Old Portugal stores.

The building itself was originally built in 1325, by Afonso IV, to house the royal warehouse and the customs services. All the goods that entered the Douro river, especially those coming from Venice and Northern Europe, were stored here.

Around 1370, King Fernando I added to the Custom House a new service: the royal mint, where most of Porto’s coins were produced between 1370 and 1721. At the same time, the major warehouses continued to be used.

In 1924, the building was classified as national heritage. Several archeological diggings where made in Alfândega in the 1990s, and many forgotten treasures from the past were found - even a Roman mosaic floor.

People-watching is a must in this area. There is so much going on.

Later in the afternoon, we took the Funicular dos Guindais, or cable railway system back up, more for the experience than to avoid the steep walk up. It was quick and inexpensive with great views.Read more