Porto and the Ribeira

Porto is Portugal's soulful second city, its UNESCO old town tumbling in steep, tiled lanes down to the Douro, where colourful houses crowd the Ribeira waterfront. The great iron Dom Luis bridge arcs across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port wine cellars age their fortified wine, and grand tiled churches, an ornate bookshop and a working, weathered charm make it endlessly atmospheric.

What you actually see

• The Ribeira - the colourful waterfront of tiled houses on the Douro.
• The Dom Luis Bridge - the great double-deck iron bridge across the river.
• The port cellars - the wine lodges of Gaia across the river.
• The tiled churches and Livraria Lello - the azulejo facades and the ornate bookshop.

When to go

Spring and autumn for mild weather and the best light; summer is busy. The city rewards a couple of days, with a port cellar tour across the river and a river cruise beneath the bridges.

Honest expectations

It is very hilly and cobbled, tiring to walk, and now very popular, so central sights and the famous bookshop queue and charge. The weather is wetter than the south. Its charm is the atmosphere and the port wine rather than grand monuments.

Nearby

The port cellars of Gaia are across the river; the Douro valley runs inland.