NGI FORUM PORTO, SEPTEMBER 2018
HOW TO GET THERE? CITY OF PORTO 2
AIRPORT TO CITY CENTRE Metro (http://en.metrodoporto.pt/ ): The Porto metro has a station at the airport with trains into the city every 20 minutes for most of weekdays, otherwise every 30 minutes every day including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. This is by far the cheapest and quickest way to get to the city. Single journey: 2.45. A taxi ride costs about 20 to 30 Euros from the airport to the city and you can prebook or directly board a cab off the terminal where there are plenty of Englishspeaking taxi drivers and who are extremely helpful. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Metro and Buses fares: You should buy a ticket at a metro station which is valid for public buses and metro (http://en.metrodoporto.pt/pages/397 ) 1-4 days Card: Use the public transport system to get around, and get over 170 discounts and benefits, including free access to 11 museums and a free visit to a port wine cellar. (http://visitporto.travel/visitar/paginas/portocard/portocard.aspx). 3
USEFUL WORDS IN PORTUGUESE 4
SAYING HI! Hello Olá Good Morning Bom dia Good afternoon Boa tarde Good Night Boa noite Goodbye - Adeus INTERACTING AND FRIENDLY! Thank you Obrigada Excuse me Desculpe Please Por favor You are welcome De nada How are you? - Como está? What is your name? Como se chama? My name is Chamo-me I am from Sou de Pleased to meet you Prazer em conhecê-lo I don t speak Portuguese Eu não falo Português USEFUL DURING THE STAY! Port wine vinho do Porto I would like a Francesinha (typical dish) please - Queria uma francesinha por favor Porto is a great City, I am glad to be here! O Porto é uma cidade fantástica, estou muito feliz por estar cá! 5
TOURISTIC INFORMATION CITY OF PORTO 6
The history of Porto dates back to the 1st century BC when, under Roman rule, the city played an important role on the main trade route between Lisbon and Braga. At the time, the city was known as Cale, or Portus Cale (Port of Cale, the origins of the name of Portugal), and was situated on the banks of the Douro River where today Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia are located and indeed, The Yeatman. Blessed by the deep waters of the Douro River, Porto was crucial in the 14th and 15th centuries in the development of Portuguese shipbuilding, and was the port from which in 1415 Henry the Navigator set sail to explore the western coast of Africa and initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery. Under his command, the islands of Madeira and the Azores were reached in 1419 and 1427, respectively. During this time in the history of Porto, its people earned their nickname as tripeiros, or tripe-eaters, as the good cuts of meat were sent with the ships for sailors, leaving the people of Porto to eat whatever was left, such as tripe. By the 1700s, wine was already an important part of the economy and contributed enormously to the growth of Porto, with boats known as barcos rebelos transporting barrels of wine down the Douro River from the vineyards of the Douro Valley. In 1703 the Methuen Treaty established trade relations between England and Portugal, and by 1717 the first English trading post for Port wine was already operating out of Porto. The 18th and 19th centuries were a period of growth in the history of Porto, and also brought conflict. Napoleonic troops invaded in 1809, with the population fleeing across the pontoon bridge, Ponte das Barcas, which collapsed under the weight. Fortunately, the French troops were outflanked by Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington who commandeered wine barges to cross the river with his troops from the banks of Vila Nova de Gaia. The Ponte das Barcas bridge was the first of many to cross the Douro River in Porto, linking north and south banks. After its collapse, it was replaced in 1843 by the suspended bridge Ponte Dona Maria II, the supporting pillars of which can still be seen to this day alongside the Ponte Dom Luís. The first iron bridge was also inaugurated in 1843. A railway bridge, called Ponte Dona Maria which stands to this day, it was designed by Gustave Eifel and was considered a feat of engineering at the time. The more famous Ponte Dom Luís, an icon today for the city of Porto, was opened to the public in 1886, and was designed by Teophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eifel. At the end of the 19th century, in 1891 unrest by Republicans led to a revolt in the city, a key event in the history of Porto and Portugal that would eventually culminate in the declaration and creation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. 7
WINE CELLARS http://www.visitporto.travel/visitar/paginas/descobrir/listavisit.aspx?areatype=3&area=7 DOURO VALLEY http://www.dourovalley.eu/en/ With three World Heritage Sites recognised by UNESCO, there is no shortage of reasons to visit the Douro Valley, one of the most stunning landscapes in all of Portugal. Following the river Douro upstream, you reach the Alto Douro Wine Region. This is a land of traditions, a place of enchantment and mysticism, a great stretch of land where Nature reigns in perfect harmony with the inhabitants that have shaped the valley slopes and organised the land into vineyards. Each of these vineyards can be accessed by winding roads that pattern the landscape. 8
PALÁCIO DA BOLSA http://www.palaciodabolsa.com/home Address: R. de Ferreira Borges, 4050-253 Porto Description: A National Monument, the Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) is the property and headquarters of the Commercial Association of Porto. It was designed by Joaquim da Costa Lima in a neoclassical style in 1842. Situated in the historical centre, it is one of the most visited monuments with the famous Arabian Room being its major highlight. A Cultural and Conference Centre, the Stock Exchange Palace is a venue with unique conditions for hosting events and excellent initiatives. Included in the Urban Wine Route. Accessible for people with reduced mobility through a side entrance. Price: 8.5 Opening hours: 9h00 18h30 9
TORRE DOS CLÉRIGOS http://www.torredosclerigos.pt/en/ Address: R. de São Filipe de Nery, 4050-546 Porto Description: This baroque work by Nicolau Nasoni was built in the first half of the eighteenth century. The Clérigos Tower is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city of Porto. The panoramic view over the city and the river Douro which can be seen from the top of the tower makes the 240 step climb worth the effort. Capitalising on the recent work to renovate and reconvert one of the most significant buildings in the city of Porto, based on a project which rapidly resolved the restrictions on accessing the complex, a multi-sensory facility has been created which simulates the experience of climbing up the Tower. Price: tower and museum - 4 Opening hours: 9h00 19h00 10
IGREJA DE S. FRANCISCO http://ordemsaofrancisco.pt Address: Rua do Infante D. Henrique, 4050-297 Porto Description: The city's most important Gothic temple, whose construction began in the fourteenth century. It is one of the most important works of the Baroque, by its gilded interior from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was the exuberance of its gild carved wood work that led Count Raczinsky to describe it as the 'Church of Gold'. And, overwhelmed, he adds: 'The gild of this church is so beautiful and rich that goes far beyond everything I have seen in Portugal and in the whole world'. Price: 4 Opening hours: 9h00 19h00 11
ESTAÇÃO DE SÃO BENTO http://infraestruturasdeportugal.pt Address: Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto Description: The S. Bento Railway Station was built at the beginning of the twentieth century on the exact location of the former Convent of S. Bento de Avé-Maria. The glass and iron structure was designed by the architect Marques da Silva. The vestibule is adorned with twenty thousand tiles painted by Jorge Colaço that illustrate the transport evolution and events of Portuguese history and life. Price: Free Opening hours: 05h00-01h00 12
CASA DA MÚSICA http://www.casadamusica.com Address: Avenida da Boavista, 604, 4149-071 Porto Description: Building designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, Casa da Música was inaugurated in 2005 and since then has become an icon of contemporary architecture, attracting visitors from many different parts of the world. The programming, which is both dynamic and innovative, ranges from classical music to the forefront of urban trends, benefiting greatly from their four resident groups: Symphony Orchestra, Remix Ensemble, Baroque Orchestra and Choir. Price: Free; guided tour 7.5 Opening hours: Mon Sat 9h00-19h00; Sun 9h30 18h00 Guided Tours in English 11h00 and 16h00 13
LIVRARIA LELLO http://livrarialello.pt Address: Rua das Carmelitas, 144, 4050-161 Porto Description: A temple to the Letters and Arts of the city and the world. Since 1906, Livraria Lello shares intact the beauty of literature that only good books can keep for successive decades. The bookshop also preserves the beauty that makes it an architectonic and patrimonial icon of the city that is widely recognized internationally. One of the oldest Portuguese bookshops, Livraria Lello is an emblematic place of the city of Porto, a mandatory visit for those who pass by here. Price: 5.5 Opening hours: Mon Fri 10h00-19h30, Sat Sun 10h00-19h00 14
MUSEU DE SERRALVES http://serralves.pt Address: Rua de D. João de Castro, 210, 4150-417 Porto Description: The Serralves Museum is Portugal's leading contemporary art museum, designed by the architect Siza Vieira and located in the unique spaces of the Serralves Foundation, which include the Park and Villa. Through its permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, educational programme, public sessions, concerts, dance shows and performances, editorial activity and national and international partnerships, the Museum fosters the enjoyment and understanding of contemporary art and culture. Price: Museum and park 10, Park 5 Opening hours: 10h00 20h00 15
CENTRO PORTUGUÊS DE FOTOGRAFIA http://www.cpf.pt Address: Largo Amor de Perdição, s/n, 4050-008 Porto Description: The Portuguese Centre for Photography is a free access public service, headquartered in the former Court of Appeal building. It was created in 1997 by the Ministry of Culture being presently under the tutelage of the General Direction of Archives. The powers assigned to it aim at the promotion and enhancement of photographic heritage, including the archive treatment and the management of the National Collection of Photography. Price: Free Opening hours: 10h00 12h30 and 14h00-18h00 16
MUSEU NACIONAL SOARES DOS REIS http://mnsr.imc-ip.pt Address: Rua de Dom Manuel II, s/ n.º, 4050-342 Porto Description: Founded in 1833, the Antigo Museu Portuense de Pinturas e Estampas (Old Porto Museum of Painting and Prints) was the first public art museum in Portugal. Housed, since 1940, in the Palácio dos Carrancas (Carrancas Palace) and built at the end of the 18th Century by a wealthy Porto family, it is classified as a heritage site. It has collections of ceramics, sculptures, engravings, jewellery, furniture, gold and silver work, paintings, textiles and glass. Price: 5, free 1 st Sunday of the month Opening hours: Tue- Sun 10h00-18h00 17
PONTE LUIZ I Address: Avenida de Vímara Peres, Porto Description: Planned by the engineer Teófilo Seyrig, a disciple of Eiffel, it was inaugurated in 1886 and it is composed by two overlapping iron decks. The bridge has 395 metres long and 8 metres wide, and its arch is still considered to be the world's biggest one in forged iron. Nowadays the upper deck is used by the Metro of Porto, connecting the area of Porto's Cathedral to the Garden of Morro and to the Avenida da República in Vila Nova de Gaia. Price: Free Opening hours: n/a 18
TOURISTIC INFORMATION OTHER CITIES 19
HTTP://WWW.CENTEROFPORTUGAL.COM/TOURISM-OFFICE-AVEIRO/ Distance from Porto: 57 Km How to get there: 30 min car 1h train (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), 50 min by car Description: Known as the Portuguese Venice, the city is quietly dominated by the Ria de Aveiro, described by Saramago as a living body that connects the land to the sea like a huge heart. Get on board a moliceiro and go along the canals of the lagoon which, just like water roads, lead you through the city. See the Art Nouveau houses which decorate the banks or discover their every detail by taking a guided walking tour organized by the City Museum. If you want to, you can also venture alone on a bike ride with BUGA, a public service in which you can use bikes borrowed by the municipality for free. And that is all you need to move around Aveiro. 20
BRAGA https://www.cm-braga.pt/en/0101/conhecer/seja-bem-vindo-a-braga Distance from Porto: 46 Km How to get there: 45 min Car (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), 50 min train With over 2000 years of a very rich history, possesses one of the oldest Sacro-Montes in Europe and is the representative of the Minho region, the Bom Jesus. In Braga, we can find the oldest Portuguese Cathedral and the Motherhouse of the Benedictines, the Monastery of Tibães (Mosteiro de Tibães). Braga presents places that by their intrinsic devotion and beauty, impose themselves as mandatory benchmarks to visit. The Sanctuary of Sameiro (Santuário do Sameiro), the Bom Jesus and the Falperra, settling on an appealing religious basis, are surrounded by ravishing green spaces and paradise landscapes. 21
COIMBRA http://www.turismodecoimbra.pt/ Distance from Porto: 108 Km How to get there: 1h train (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), 1h20 by car The City of Coimbra has its own very special mystique, the result of a past full of important events and of the memories of the many thousands of Portuguese who, dispersed around the country or abroad, remember the carefree, easygoing, hopeful years spent here in their youth as students at the University. Prehistoric remains are scant but allow us to establish an early human presence on the site of presentday Coimbra. 22
GUIMARÃES http://www.guimaraesturismo.com/ Distance from Porto: 56 Km How to get there: 1h20 train (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), 45 min by car The historic town of Guimarães is associated with the emergence of the Portuguese national identity in the 12th century. An exceptionally wellpreserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town, its rich building typology exemplifies the specific development of Portuguese architecture from the 15th to 19th century through the consistent use of traditional building materials and techniques. 23
LISBOA https://www.visitlisboa.com/pt-pt Distance from Porto: 57 Km How to get there: 3h train (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), 3h by car Lisbon is Portugal's capital and the hub of a multifaceted area that appeals to different tastes and senses. In a city that has been influenced by many different far-off cultures over time, there is still a village feel in each historic neighbourhood. troll through the Pombaline grid of streets in the Baixa district that opens on to the Tagus in Praça do Comércio, then follow the river to discover some of the city s most beautiful parts: the monumental area of Belém with its World Heritage monuments, the mediaeval quarters and the latest contemporary leisure spaces, such as the Parque das Nações. 24