2024 Portugal: Porto - Ribeira and Vila Nova de Gaia

Our second day in Porto was spent exploring the Ribeira district, known for its cathedrals and waterfront along the Douro River, as well as Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side of the river.  From our apartment, we headed south towards the water, which is mostly a downhill trek (unfortunately, uphill on the way back).  We encountered many quaint, narrow and windy cobblestone-covered streets lined on both sides with doors leading to residences, shops and restaurants.  Cars, tuk-tuks and even big wide cube vans routinely traverse streets that seem like they should be pedestrian-only and sometimes take up so much room that you need to press yourself against a wall to allow the vehicles to pass. Many of the facades have panels of gritty gravel and I really liked the resulting effects of the graffiti and street art found on these surfaces.

Our first stop was Praça do Infante Dom Henrique, a historic square honoring Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460), the third son of King Dom João I. We first saw a reference to the prince (or Infante) on an Azulejo-tiled scene at the Sao Bento Train Station, depicting him in battle. Prince Henry was known for funding oceanic explorations to expand the wealth and territories of Portugal, resulting in the nickname “Navigator” although he did not personally go on any expeditions.  At the centre of the square is a large statue of Prince Henry holding a sword with a globe beside him.  Allegorical figures of the winged “Faith of Discovery” and a flag-bearing representation of “Glory” standing on the prow of a ship can be found at the base.  Surrounding the square are other historical buildings including the 1885 Mercado Ferreira Borges (market) and several notable churches which we would visit later.

The most important building in the area is the Bolsa Palace, the former Stock Exchange built in 1850 on the site of the cloisters of the St. Francis Convent (Igreja de Sao Francisco).  After the cloisters were destroyed in a fire during the Liberal Wars of 1832, the land was donated to the merchants of the city by Queen Mary, allowing them to build a Centre of Commerce.  Architect Joaquim da Costa Lima Junior designed the palace with Neoclassical and Palladian influences.  Moorish Revival components were added later.  Today, the building is a cultural space with rooms that can be rented for private events. You can only visit the Bolsa Palace by guided tour and the English language tours are only available sporadically.  Reading about how busy the site can get, we arrived at 9am and were able to secure tickets for the first English tour at 9:30am.  While waiting in line to enter the palace, we were able to peek into the Commerce Law Library where lawyers, judges and jurists used to come to consult legal texts.

Our tour started in the Hall of Nations, a grand courtyard with a magnificent octagonal glass dome covering the entire ceiling and gilded civil coats of arms encircling the four walls.  In total, 25 coats of arms represent the 25 nations that Portugal had close commercial and cultural relationships with at the time that the palace was built including Spain, France, England, Netherlands, and Brazil.  Portugal’s own coat of arms sits in the centre, depicting a red shield surrounded by a circular astronomical navigational tool called an “Armillary Sphere”.  Depicted inside the shield are golden Moorish fortresses overthrown during battles and five smaller blue and white shields representing the Moorish kings defeated by the first King of Portugal.

The grand staircase leading to the upper level was built in marble and granite and is adorned with sculptures and busts by famous sculptors.  The ceiling is lined with frescos of allegorical females representing agriculture, industry, culture and royalty.  The massive chandeliers can be mechanically lowered for cleaning.

The Tribunal Room was a court for settling commercial disputes amongst merchants through judicial arbitration, following the rules set out by the Porto Commercial Association.  The woodwork in the room was designed to resemble French Renaissance style with allegorical paintings covering the walls and ceiling.  The ceiling fresco includes a depiction of Law in black robes wielding a sword while the figure representing Justice holds up the scales but is not blindfolded as she would usually appear in other cultures.  Some frescos show that trials used to be held outdoors.  The room is laid out like a typical courtroom with the Judge’s bench at the far end, and wooden tables and chairs for the council tables, jury box and witness stand.

We were led into other rooms including a portrait gallery of former presidents of the Commercial Court (who don’t need to be Portuguese), the office of Gustav Eiffel who designed bridges in Portugal before becoming known for the tower in Paris), a General Assembly Room that appears to be made entirely of wood but is actually mostly plaster, and a Portrait gallery of past royalty.  The Golden Room, decorated with gold leaf on the ceiling, luxurious furnishings and elaborate marquetry on the floors, was used for significant meetings and events.

The most impressive room, saved for the last on the tour, was the Arab Room, created in Moorish Revival style with such elaborate décor that our entire tour group gasped when it was revealed to us. The décor of the room is inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.  Over 18kg of gold leaf was used to decorate the room.  The intricate patterns on the floor were created with a variety of woods including mahogany, rosewood, South American Jacaranda, and Aspidosperma Olivaceum from Brazil. There are two inscriptions located in the walls, roughly translating to "With the divine support of God" and "Glory to the late Mary II".  In the past, the room was used for receptions to host visiting heads of state.  Today, it is available for rent to hold any type of event including weddings, concerts, parties, and ceremonies.

Initially a small convent dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi in 1244, Sao Francisco Church was rebuilt in 1383 as the larger Gothic Church that we see today.  It has a granite façade and staircase, pointed Gothic arches, 3 naves and a transept, a large rose window and twisty corkscrew columns flanking the main entrance with a sculpture of Saint Francis above. In early 1700s, a major renovation of the interior turned the church into an ostentatious Baroque masterpiece with most of the surfaces including walls, pillars, chapels and roof covered with gilded woodwork and carvings. Over 300 kilograms of gold dust from Brazil was used.  Some of the Baroque altarpieces in the apse chapels and nave are amongst the most elaborate in Portugal making the interior a stark contrast to the relatively austere Gothic exterior.  How lucky it was that the church was not destroyed in 1832 like its cloisters were.  Taking photos of the interior was not allowed but we were able to purchase a small English pamphlet with images and descriptions, as well as access plaques with QR Codes in front of each altar which brought up descriptions and 360-degree views of the church on our phones.

There was so much ornamentation to look at that it was overwhelming, but two altars stood out.  The Tree of Jesse represents all generations of Christ’s genealogy starting with a recumbent Jesse at the bottom with roots springing from his prone body.  Jesse is described in the Hebrew bible as the father of David, who would become the first King of Israel.  Moving upwards, David sits on the first branch on the left followed by other Kings of Judah, leading to Joseph at the top of the tree.  Above him is a carving of the Virgin Mary and below the tree, reclining in a glass case is another representation of her as “Our Lady of the Good Death”.  The other fascinating altar is dedicated to the “Holy Martyrs of Morroco” depicting the martyrdom of Franciscan friars in Morocco in 1220 and is quite gruesome if you look at it closely. There are figures of Moors decapitating or holding the heads of decapitated friars while another figure to the right is pierced with arrows. Above this is another panel depicting the Martyrs of Japan at Nagasaki (1597) where Christian missionaries were crucified.

The former Dispatch House (Casa do Despacho) located adjacent to Sao Francisco Church houses several other religious attractions.  A museum on the upper floor displays sacred artifacts and artworks related to the Franciscan order including sculptures, paintings, silverware, chalices, candlesticks, crowns and religious relics.  Accessible from the museum is the Church of the Third Order of San Francisco, built in 1795 in neoclassical style to receive a growing number of worshippers.  This church was beautiful in its own right, but nothing as over-the-top as the Sao Francisco Church.  Beneath this relatively smaller church and museum lie Catacombs that were built in 1746 and served as burial sites for notable Porto families, wealthy merchants and Franciscan monks until 1845.  Affluent individuals were interred in private upright tombs with their names and dates of death inscribed.  Some of these tombs are “decorated” with skulls.  Less wealthy individuals were buried in numbered spaces beneath the wooden floors for a designated rental period, after which their remains were removed to make way for new occupants.

Following our visit to Bolsa Palace and Sao Francisco Church, we planned to cross the Douro River from Ribeira to Vila Nova de Gaia where the Port Houses are located.  To get there, we had to cross the Ponte de Dom Luis I (Luis I Bridge) which was completed in 1886 by Théophile Seyrig, a protégé of Gustav Eiffel.  There are two ways to cross this bridge, either via an upper deck that is mostly used by pedestrians and the Porto streetcars, or a lower deck that is mostly for cars but also has a small pedestrian path. Coming from Sao Francisco, we were much closer to the lower deck and could actually see the river a short distance away.  But the upper deck would give us much better vistas of the shorelines of the two sides of the river, so we made the trek back uphill to get to the top of the bridge.  Although it was a steep climb, the resultant views from our lofty perch made the journey worth the effort.  It was fun to watch the streetcars traverse down the centre of the bridge while fellow tourists jumped back to the safety of their pedestrian lanes before once again crisscrossing the bridge to admire the views on either side.

Looking back upon the Ribeira side, we could see Cais da Ribeira, the famous pier where shops and restaurants lined along the river.  We also saw Muralhas Fernandinas (Fernandine Walls), which are the remnants of the medieval fortifications built in the 14th Century to protect Porto from invaders, as well as the Elevador da Lada, a public elevator that could take us from the Ribeira shoreline back up to the steep hill to the higher level Barredo district to ease the trek back to our apartment.  Unfortunately, we learned that the elevator was closed for maintenance and had to walk up the incline once again.  As we completed our crossing of the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia, we could see the huge signs advertising the notable Port Houses that this area is known for, including Taylors, Grahams, Sandeman, Cálem, Cockburn’s and more.

We planned to do a round of port tasting but had to get from the top of the Luis I Bridge down to the riverside where most of the Port Houses were located.  We could take the cable car down the steep terrain but we were rushing to get to our Port House of choice before it closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon and the cable car would take us too far away from our destination.  So, we walked down narrow, twisty cobblestone streets until we reached Cais Gaia, the vibrant waterfront pier on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the river.  Once there, we headed to Kopke, established in 1638, making it the oldest port house in the world.

Rich wanted to taste vintage ports that we could not purchase at the liquor stores back home in Toronto and Kopke fit the bill.  While I don’t like most white or red wines, I do like Port because it is sweeter in taste so I was game to join in the tastings.  It did not hurt to know that Kopke offered dark and milk Arcádia artisanal chocolates to pair with the port tasting.  Rich selected two tasting flights for us to share between us, each consisting of 5 glasses of port.  Together, we taste 10 different ports in total although I would just have a small sip or two and let Rich have the rest.  Regardless, this was the most liquor that I have ever consumed in such a short time.  One of our flights was the “Excellence Pack” which was a “best of” selection of different types of Port.  These included a Vintage (bottle-aged from one harvest and allowed to mature over many years), a Colheita (Single vintage-dated Tawny Port aged in oak barrels) 2005 White, a 30-year-old White, a 40-year-old Tawny and a Colheita 1966.  The second flight was a “Vintage Decade Pack” that offered the same Colheita vintage port from five different decades – 2009, 1999, 1987, 1978 and 1967.

It would take us some time to sample all these different ports.  Luckily, we scored a table by a window where we could look out at the bustling Cais Gaia as we did our sampling, which added to a pleasant overall experience.  The first few glasses were delicious and some of the finest ports that I have ever tasted.  But I must admit that after that, they all started to taste the same to me.  Having the chocolate to complement the drinks was a nice touch but eventually it was too much sweetness.  At the waitress’s suggestion, we ordered some salty olives and potato chips to offset the flavours. Consuming so much liquid in short order led to the need for me to make my way downstairs to use the restrooms.  That was a perilous trip where I definitely felt the affects of the liquor.

Following our port tasting, we walked the length of Cais Gaia, looking at the shops, restaurants with outdoor patios by the riverside, and the line of tented kiosks selling souvenirs.  Portugal is the world's leading producer and exporter of cork, accounting for over 60% of the global supply.  There is no shortage of cork products for sale throughout Porto.  Items made from cork include purses and bags, hats, flipflops and even watches. I picked up a little cork change purse as well as a keychain with the iconic Portuguese chicken dangling from it. Other stalls offered t-shirts, clothing, handbags, backpacks, magnets, jewelry, coasters, tiles, puppets, pillows and more.

There were some interesting shops on Cais Gaia and we had fun wandering into them. Portuguese Sardines (O Mundo Fantastico da Sardinha Portuguesa) is a specialty shop that sells tins of sardines each labelled with a year, so that you can buy one with the year of your birthday or some other meaningful year.  Each tin has a fun fact of an important event that happened in that year.  The shop also offers other types of tinned fish including sea bream, cuttlefish, sea snails, tuna, octopus, mussels, trout and more.  The fish are marinated in plain or spiced olive oil or tomato sauce.  The décor of the store is bright, colourful, circus-like.

Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau is a popular establishment that serves pastéis de bacalhau, which are deep-fried breaded cod fish cakes made from salted cod mixed with potato, onion, herbs and Serra da Estrela cheese, a specialty of Portugal.  While this is a chain found throughout Porto and Lisbon, the store on Cais Gaia is especially elegant with chandeliers, and ornate sweeping double staircases leading to the upper floor where you can sit on red padded lounge seats to enjoy your snack.  At specified times, visitors can enjoy musical performances played on a pipe organ.  We were lucky enough to be there during one of these performances and were regaled with lively tunes including ABBA songs.

We saw some interesting street art along Cais Gaia including one installation that was located on the side street Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, one block south of the pier.  Named “Half Rabbit” by Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo (aka Bordalo II), the giant rabbit is made from recycled materials, commenting on societal wastefulness, over-consumption and promoting ecological awareness.  Half of the rabbit is painted with vibrant colours while the other half is left unpainted to highlight the original materials, which include scrap metal and rubber.  We would see other works of Bordalo II in Lisbon as he uses trash collected from neighbourhood dumps or factories to depict local animals affected by pollution.  On a much smaller scale by other unnamed artists, we also saw a turtle and alligator made from scraps including tire treads for the alligator.  The view was spectacular as we strolled west along the pier with the cable cars running above our heads.  We saw the Pont Luis I bridge that we had crossed along the upper deck, and the bobbing “Rabelo” boats on the Douro River.  These boats were once used to transport Port wine barrels from the Douro Valley to Porto.  Today, they are used for tourist cruises, rentals and private tours.

The Gaia Cable Car (Teleferico de Gaia) connects the upper deck of Luis I bridge to the western end of Cais Gaia.  I originally wanted to take the cable car down to the pier and then take the ferry boat across the river to return to Cais Ribeira.  Unfortunately, we did not have enough time before our Kopke port tasting.  Now we were already at the bottom station and it did not make sense to walk back to the top to ride down or to walk back down to the river after riding up.  The solution was to buy a round-trip ticket for a slightly higher fee (10 Euros instead of 7) and to ride it both ways.  Operational since 2011, the 600-metre ride lasts about 5 minutes each way and provides stunning views of the river and the piers on both sides.  The round-trip ticket allows you to get off at either station, wander around then reboard anytime while the cable car is running (daily between 10am-6pm).

After our cable car ride returned us to the end of Cais Gaia, we walked back to the centre to pick up the Douro River Ferry which is advertised as the “Quickest Way Across the River”.  The journey takes 5 minutes with boats departing every 15 minutes from 9:15am until sunset.  In addition to saving us from walking back across the bridge to get back to Ribeira, it was just fun to see the sights from the water.

Like Cais Gaia, the pier on the Ribeira side of the Douro River is lined with shops, cafes and restaurants.  While Cais Gaia is known for its port houses, Cais Ribeira is considered more vibrant with street performers during the day and bustling with nightlife in its many taverns, cocktail bars and venues playing live music. Ribeira Square, which features a large fountain with a sculpture of Saint John the Baptist in its niche, is the main hub of Cais Ribeira, where street festivals, book fairs, Christmas Markets, summer concerts and other cultural events are held.  Above the square is a walkway comprised of the remnants of the old 14th Century city walls.  Cafes located on the elevated walkway provide nice views of the river and Cais Gaia on the other side.

While on Cais Ribeira, I went quickly onto the lower deck of the Luis I Bridge and confirmed that we made the right choice in crossing along the upper deck, despite the arduous climb to get there.  The lower deck is meant mostly for vehicular traffic and therefore the pedestrian lanes are very narrow and crowded.  The crossing is much shorter than the upper deck and while you get a closer look at the boats on the water and the cafes along the edge of the pier, you don’t get the gorgeous scenic views from above.  Completing our tour of the waterfronts on both sides of the river, we were ready to return to upper Porto to visit one more church before calling it a day.  With the elevator not working, we had no choice but to climb the numerous steps and walk the inclines until we reached historic square of Terreido de Sé where the iconic Sé do Porto cathedral is located.

Terreido de Sé is the highest point in Porto, providing panoramic views of the old city, Douro River and Vila Nova de Gaia.  In the distance, we could see Clerigos Tower, which is the tallest church tower in Portugal, but at a lower elevation than where we were standing.  Several notable sculptures are found in the area including the statute of Vimara Peres on horseback.  Peres was a warrior who played a crucial role in liberating Porto from the Moors in 868.  At the centre of the square is a replica of a medieval pillory, erected in 1945 in the location where it originally stood.  A Manueline (Portuguese late Gothic) structure used for public punishment, the pillory is topped with a crown and has hooks used to tie up criminals, exposing them to public shame.

The most notable structure on Terreido de Sé is Sé do Porto (also known as Porto Cathedral), which is one of the oldest monuments in Porto.  The initial construction spanned from 1100 until the 13th Century with additions/renovations continuing through 1737.  Because of the long history of alterations, the cathedral has elements of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles.  The church has a fortress-like design with a high barreled roof, an elaborate Baroque doorway, a large Romanesque 13th Century rose window and two square towers, each one supported by buttresses and crowned with a cupola.

The ground floor of the Porto Cathedral has an open courtyard with a cross in the middle and is surrounded by covered Gothic cloisters with a series of pointed arches and walls that are adorned with blue and white azulejo tiles from the 17th and 18th centuries.  The series of tiles surrounding the cloister depict scenes from the “Song of Songs”, a collection of love poems with imagery of nature, gardens and the human body.  Above the cloisters on the upper level is an open terrace with more tile art.

The works on the terrace level are said to depict scenes related to the Virgin Mary as well as scenes from Roman poet Ovid’s narrative poem Metamorphoses which describes mythological transformations.  Looking closely at the tiles, it is not clear which ones directly relate to which source, but they are all magnificent in their detail and vibrancy.  We would see more examples of azulejo tile art throughout our trip.

As this was our last stop of a long day, we did not arrive until just before 6pm and although the cathedral was open until 7pm, unfortunately, the tower closed at 6pm.  We missed the last access to climb the tower by mere minutes.  Considering how tired we were at that point, and how many views of Porto that we already had that day, perhaps it wasn’t a great loss.  We probably did not give the rest of the cathedral a fair viewing either and skipped a few rooms including several tombs because the rooms were too busy to fight our way into.  We did get to see the ornate gilded main Baroque altar built around 1729.  But after seeing the over-the-top Sao Francisco church earlier in the day, everything else paled in comparison.  We also visited the Chapter House with intricate carved panels depicting biblical scenes and a beautifully painted ceiling with 14 panels depicting allegorical figures representing moral values.  This was a gathering place for members of the religious order.  A Treasure Room houses a collection of religious objects including silk robes worn by bishops, leather-bound bibles and artifacts made from gold and silver.

This ended up being our longest and most tiring day in Porto.  We were out for 13 hours from 8am until almost 10pm that evening (including dinner) and had traversed almost 22km, climbing the equivalent of over 15 flights of steep stairs and slopes. And this was only Day 2 of our 16-day trip!  The next 3 days in Porto would be a bit easier but still strenuous so we were almost looking forward to our 3-hour train ride to Sintra in a few days when we could finally rest our feet.