PORTO - Portugal - page 321

Porto Wine Shop Classy one-stop spot for port tasting. Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00,
closed Sat-Sun. See here .
Tramway Museum Collection tracing the history of electrical transport. Hours: Mon
14:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 14:00-19:00. See here .
House of Henry the Navigator Birthplace of the explorer, with history exhibits.
Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-17:30, closed Mon. See here .
House of Music New Modernist concert hall with performances of jazz, fado, and
more. Hours: Tours daily, concerts nearly nightly. See here .
Helpful Hints
Closed Day: Most Porto museums are closed on Monday.
Festivals: Porto's big holiday is St. João Day (for St. John the Baptist, the city's patron
saint) on June 24. Festivities start the night of June 23 with partying and fireworks,
and continue on the 24th with a rabelo regatta.
Internet Access: OnWeb Cyber Bar is a handy Internet café with fast access and a
youthful, musical ambience (€2/2 hours, Mon-Sat 10:00-2:00 in the morning, Sun
15:00-2:00 in the morning, a block below TI at the top of Avenida dos Aliados across
from City Hall at #289).
Laundry: A small self-service laundry hides almost underground at the west end of the
Ribeira district (between São Francisco Church and the river at the top of Rua da Re-
boleira). Look for the silver Câmara Municipal sign (€6, Mon 9:00-14:00, Tue-Sat
8:30-19:00, closed Sun, tel. [phone]).
BestViews: There are fine views all along the Ribeira riverfront embankment, but they're
even better from across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia (looking back toward Porto,
especially from the cable car). You can also enjoy the views from the top of Cléri-
gos Tower, from the terrace next to the cathedral, from the old town wall, or from
Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (the monastery across the river, just above the big steel
Ponte Dom Luís I bridge). But the best vantage point of all is from a boat on the river
itself (see “Cruising the Douro,” here ) .
Getting Around Porto
The city is currently engaged in one of Europe's biggest construction projects—extending
its tramlines and gradually building a new, mostly aboveground Metro. (Smug Lisboners
love to tease that only Porto would build an aboveground “underground.”)
As a result, Porto's public transportation system is often changing and a bit confusing.
The network includes buses, trams, the Metro, a funicular, and some trains.