The best area to stay in Oporto is the downtown .If our hotel is near these neuralgic centers of the Portuguese city, we know that we are staying in the center of Oporto and we have the best location.
The Oporto’s historical center , declared World Heritage by UNESCO, stands out for its beauty and its cultural offer: The Cathedral, The Episcopal Palace, The Clergy Tower, The Stock Exchange Palace, The City Hall and some of its bridges.
The underground network is the best way to move around the city, as well as being connected to the airport and a few steps from the San Bento train station.
If you are interested in knowing where to stay in Porto , you may also be interested in knowing where to stay in Lisbon, where to stay in the Algarve, where to stay in Madrid and where to stay in Barcelona.
Downtown Oporto, the best area to stay
Oporto, the second largest city in Portugal, only after Lisbon, offers a wide historical heritage that starts in its very centre.In spite of its slopes, it is a city that can be enjoyed on foot due to its narrow streets, so what better than to stay in the centre, where its main attractions are located and, if the distances are longer or you are tired, have a Metro station nearby.
Liberty Square, the largest in Porto (Praça da Liberdade) and which is distinguished by having an equestrian statue of King Peter IV, is the nerve centre of the city.The Square connects the old and new parts of the city and has two underground stations, Aliados to the north and São Bento to the south, so from here you can easily visit any other area of the city, including the neighbouring municipality of Matosinhos, famous for its beaches and variety of restaurants.
It is also 100 metres from the São Bento train station, which was built at the beginning of the 9th century on the remains of the old São Bento Ave Maria convent, from which it takes its name.The façade is very interesting, but it is worth visiting its interior, see its iron and glass roof and see how its more than 20 thousand tiles tell the history of Portugal.
Located in the heart of the city, the Avenida de los Aliados is a shopping boulevard formed by large buildings and with a pedestrian area in the center that was remodeled in 2006 by the renowned architect Alvaro Siza Vieira.Most of the large buildings are hotels and banks, but we also find the City Hall with a 70 meter high bell tower, made of marble and granite, this building shows the influence of French architecture and a modernist statue of the Portuguese writer and politician Almeida Garrett.
On Avenida de los Aliados there are also many cafés, including the historic Guarany, founded in the 1930s and better known as the musicians’ café.
Very close to the square, in the area known as “hill of the hanged”, is the Church of the Clergy, a construction with baroque and rococo style made between 1735 and 1748. At one side is the Tower of the Clergy that with a height of 200 meters is the highest in Portugal.It can be climbed by an interior staircase with more than 240 steps.
If you want to go shopping, less than half a kilometre away is Rua de Santa Catarina, the most important shopping area in Porto.’, ‘There is also a wide range of restaurants, as it is full of places to eat or drink coffee, although if you want a special experience the best choice is Café Majestic, a meeting place for illustrious people from the 1920s.
When walking through this area you should not miss the Church of San Antonio de los Congregados, nor the Mercado do Bolhao, which has over 100 years of history and where you can buy local products.
Without a doubt, the best place to stay in Porto is the city centre.
Other areas to stay in Porto
Although the centre is the best area to sleep in Porto, there are other areas and neighbourhoods that are also interesting.
Staying in the Ribeira neighbourhood
One of the best varieties of nightlife is concentrated in the area next to the river, so the Ribeira neighbourhood is a good choice for accommodation.Here the charm is found by day or by night, because there are many restaurants with terraces from where you can enjoy the view of the Luis I Bridge and Vila Nova da Gaia. If you stay here you should not miss the opportunity to get lost in one of its streets while enjoying the colorful decoration of the facades of the houses.
Stay at Praça da República
For the seek tranquility, a little more far from the tourists, is the zone of the Square gives Republic. This is a zone commercial that, to weigh from meet plus to north, allows to reach easily to the attractive tourist center by transport public. also to 10 kilometers is the beach of Matosinhos, a of the plus famous and that counts with a outstanding offer gastronomic.
