The Ribeira is Porto's oldest district and its most famous face: a curtain of tall, narrow houses painted ochre, red, green and blue, with tiled façades and washing on the balconies, reflected in the Douro beneath the great arch of the Dom Luís I Bridge. It was the district of merchants, fishermen and river-port dockers, and since 1996 it has been the heart of the UNESCO-listed historic centre. It is part of the Porto guide.
The Cais and Praça da Ribeira
The Cais da Ribeira, the riverside quay, is full of restaurants with outdoor tables, street performers and tour boats. Behind it opens Praça da Ribeira, with its fountain and José Rodrigues's modern cube. Behind the riverfront façades hides a maze of lanes, stairways and covered passages, such as Rua da Fonte Taurina and the escadas climbing towards the Sé. At sunset, when the light colours the houses and the river, it is one of Europe's most evocative places.
Monuments around the Ribeira
- São Francisco Church, Gothic outside, is inside a riot of talha dourada, carved gilded wood with hundreds of kilos of gold, including the famous Tree of Jesse. Below are catacombs with the tombs of friars and benefactors.
- Palácio da Bolsa, built by the commercial association in the 19th century on the site of the fire-destroyed São Francisco convent, has a spectacular Hall of Nations with a skylight and the Arab Room, covered in gilded Moorish-style stucco. Guided tours only.
- Casa do Infante, where tradition says Henry the Navigator was born in 1394, now a museum with Roman and medieval excavations.
- São Nicolau Church and Rua das Flores, one of the city's loveliest streets, pedestrianised, with noble mansions, shops and cafés.
The Dom Luís I Bridge
Opened in 1886, the Dom Luís I Bridge was designed by Belgian engineer Théophile Seyrig, a former partner of Gustave Eiffel. Its 172-metre iron arch was the largest of its kind in the world when built. It has two decks:
- the lower deck, at Ribeira level, for cars and pedestrians, links the Ribeira with the Gaia riverfront and the lodges;
- the upper deck, about 45 metres above the water, carries the yellow metro line and a wide footpath: the view over the Ribeira, the river and the lodges is unforgettable, especially at sunset.
On the Gaia side, the upper deck reaches Jardim do Morro and the Serra do Pilar Monastery, among the city's finest viewpoints (see Gaia and the lodges).
The other bridges
Porto has six bridges over the Douro: besides the Dom Luís I, Eiffel's Maria Pia (1877), the São João (1991), the Infante (2003), the Freixo (1995) and the Arrábida (1963), the great concrete arch towards the sea, which can be climbed on a guided harness tour.
The six bridges cruise
From the Ribeira and Gaia, boats leave every half hour on the six bridges cruise, about fifty minutes on the river, often in rabelo-style boats. It is cheap and perfect for seeing the city from the water and understanding its setting. For a full day on the river see the Douro valley.
Getting there and back up
- The Ribeira is a ten-minute downhill walk from São Bento, or via the stairways from the Sé.
- To climb back effortlessly take the Guindais funicular, linking the Ribeira with Batalha in a few minutes.
- The bridge's upper deck is reached by metro (São Bento or Jardim do Morro stops) or on foot from the Sé.
Tips
- The Cais restaurants are attractive but touristy and pricier: for better food climb into the lanes or cross the bridge.
- Walk across the bridge at sunset and go down by the Gaia cable car or on foot to the lodges.
- Watch out for pickpockets in the crowds on the Cais and the bridge.
See also what to see in Porto.