Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To orient yourself from the station, stand outside with your back to the main entrance.
Over your right shoulder (two blocks up the hill) is Praça da Batalha (Battle Square), the
gateway to Porto's shopping district and old-fashioned market hall (described later). At 2
o'clock is the bottom of Avenida dos Aliados. On the hill to your left is the cathedral. And
the streets in front of you lead down to the left to the Ribeira.
▲
Cathedral (Sé)
—This hulking, fortress-like, 12th-century Romanesque cathedral,
while graced with fine granite stonework and lavish 18th-century Baroque altars, feels
gloomy and stark inside. But the history is palpable. Henry the Navigator was baptized
here, and it was the scene of many royal marriages (including John I and Philippa).
CostandHours:
Cathedral—free, open daily in summer 9:00-12:30 & 14:30-19:00, until
18:00 in winter; cloister and sacristy—€3, daily in summer 9:00-12:30 & 14:30-19:00,
until 17:30 in winter, closed Sun morning; Terreiro da Sé, tel. 222-059-028.
VisitingtheCathedral:
The
mainaltarpiece
sums up the exuberance of Porto in the
1720s, when the city was booming, the local bishop was temporarily away in Lisbon, and
Italian Baroque was sweeping through town. On the side walls flanking the altar are faded
