"The Fairy Tale City in Portugal" a Porto Travel Page by el_ruso

The city is magical, in that it will instantly enchant you and will never be forgotten. Its beauty and ambience, the views and sounds will almways remain in your memory as one of the most wonderful experiences of your life.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and the capital of its Northern region. The city is located on steep hills of a canyon of the river Duoro, and its suburbs stretch all the way to the Atlantic. You do need to be fit to enjoy the city to the fullest, to be able to ascend and descend its steep streets. The main draw is the unique and beautiful architecture of its well-preserved historic center, which is truly the view you have to see at least once in your life. Also the city is the center of production of port wine, and if you are a lover of it, you have one more reason to visit here and have a chance to taste and buy countless varieties of this drink.

The city is about 3.5 hours by train from Lisbon. Its airport has flights to Spain, Lisbon and other cities. You may use Porto as a base for exploration of this region of Portugal, including Guimaraes and Braga.

The place overall is a lot cleaner and better maintained that the comparable areas in Lisbon, but it lacks major museums.