This is a museum, villa, gardens, farm, lake and more. Its…read morea very large property and worth visiting if you have a few days in Porto. I loved the treetop boardwalk, at the top of the trees. GORGEOUS trees, rose gardens and more!

I have never thought about rating a museum as 1 star, but this really did something special (or…read morelacked anything special) to afford this designation. The 12 Euro ticket comes with entrance into the main exhibitions as well as access to most of the gardens. Keeping in mind that this is a Contemporary Art Museum, I kind of understand the curation, but the artwork was extremely obscure and lackluster. For example, one entire exhibition was dedicated to materials sourced from Portugal, Dubai, and Greece (?) -- marble, timber, and I-beams. It was quite literally 5 pieces of each arranged into haphazard shapes and heights with speakers attached to them to mimic the audio of construction...Underwhelming is not a strong enough word. The rest of the "exhibits" mimicked this contrived art and did little to peak the interest of the observer. After agonising for an hour and trying to find a semblance of talent, you can head off into the gardens where...surprise surprise, there's a ton of construction and things are barely opened or labelled. You basically graze around woods without any direction or guidance, and try to avoid the jackhammers. If it wasn't clear, I feel strongly about advising people against this museum, especially since it's a ways away from the city centre.

Not a must-do, this free museum is still worth trying to squeeze in to your visit should you find…read moretime in your schedule. It is filled with several floors walking down the history of photography from the dawn of the camera to the digital age. You can pace yourself to whatever run time you have available. I spent about 45 minutes to an hour and was happily entertained. There are also a few good window views from this old converted prison. If you have extra time, consider their rotating special exhibition. However, entry to that side of the museum will come with a small charge.

A free museum that is inside what used to be a large prison. It is free and that is really it's…read moremain redeeming feature. I say that as the permanent exhibit of photography is quite limited. Lots of very large rooms that have very few photographs in them. I wanted to see more, more, more, but it was not to be. The did have a few displays of photography equipment, some of it quite old. This was nice to see but still limited. There is currently a temporary exhibit of photographs by Frida Kahlo but it seems to only be open for groups and pre-booked tours. [Review 9901 overall, 1479 of 2018.]

Good luck finding this place. Your GPS may misdirect you as you try to find it. It's actually the…read moreNadir Alfonso Museum of Contemporary Art and we just so happen to go in there was an exhibit of Alfonso's work--art and architecture. The galleries are large and bright as you might expect in a museum. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I the exterior is made with architectural precast concrete and granite. Marble accents up here in doorways and and a small meeting room and the verandas. Nice skylights. The entrance is best from the city street, where we parked in front of some stores.

I thought I'd have to bribe Jamie W to climb this historic tower, but he surprised me by not…read morewhining about it. I knew from more youthful vloggers on YouTube that the panoramic views were spectacular from the top. At 246 feet, the tower is the highest point in Porto's historic center. However, before we climbed the inevitable 240 steps, the museum beckoned. It was formerly the private quarters of the clerics who founded the church. The space now houses religious artifacts and related art exhibits and extends into the High Church Gallery, a balcony promenade that provides an elevated view of the church's ornate nave (Photo 5). Before entering the stairwell, we had our photos taken in front of a green screen for souvenirs they pitched to us later. The climb wasn't that bad, just a bit claustrophobic in some sections, specially when we had to squeeze by perspiring tourists. They were more spritzing than sprinting. There are two observation floors. The first is about 2/3 of the way up, while the narrower space at the summit provides the ultimate payoff with panoramic cityscape and river views (Video). As usual, the climb down was easier since we knew how long it should take. And yes, there were photos of us standing at the summit in comic poses. I usually bypass them, but for 8€, I couldn't help myself (Photo 7). RELATED - Exploring Porto? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/CzAl-vBlP0

A historic climb for a view of Porto's skyline…read more The Clérigos Tower is a baroque landmark easily spotted from vantage points across historic Porto, and therefore one that's worth climbing for that panoramic view from above. The 75m bell tower monument is connected to a church that was built for the Clergy brotherhood in the 18th century. The ornate church and relic exhibit are also worth sightseeing to gain appreciation of its history. We pre-booked our visit (€10) and were serenaded with a concert taking place in front of the brilliantly lit church altar. From there we were able to head above the nave for a full vantage of the church and dome in its pink & white marble tones. At our exact booking time, we were able to queue in line before taking the steps up the actual tower. The queue was slow-moving because the staircase is narrow and the steps themselves were quite steep making it challenging particularly for those with knee pains. Once we made it to the top, we were rewarded with the 360 panoramic views including the famous bridges connecting to Gaia, and the historical city centre with orange rooftops underneath. It can be a workout getting up and down as the tight staircase has to accommodate the constant two-way flow of visitors. Skip it or hit it? This is one of the prominent sites in Porto but be ready for the stairs.

Iconic bridge in the heart of Porto…read more Dom Luís I Bridge is a 19th century double-deck iron bridge spanning 172m across the Douro River between downtown Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. It was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel who incorporated a metal arch reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower that blends modern design with versatility to this day. The upper level is used by metro streetcars while the lower level 45m below it for cars. Each offers a unique perspective to those of us who walk across it. From Gaia, many locals and tourists alike come for the sunset view next to this UNESCO world heritage landmark. At golden hour, the view of the bridge was picturesque with Porto's historic backdrop and drifting boats under the bridge. While huge crowds gathered at Jardim do Morro with a tree obstructed view, we found the best view to be on the other side above it at Miradouro da Serra do Pilar by the monastery. Don't try climbing Pedra dos Gatinhos, as it was fenced off along the path underneath the monastery. While bridge viewpoints at golden hour are busy, we felt the energy of local musicians playing relaxing tunes. This bridge can also be viewed from the Teleférico de Gaia cable car including during sunset. After dinner the bridge is brightly illuminated and we observed locals gathering merrily at Jardim do Morro. Conveniently there's a metro station nearby for the streetcar which crosses Dom Luís I Bridge back to Porto. Skip it or hit it? Walk it twice if you can for both upper & lower bridge crossings experiences.

The Dom Luis Bridge is one of the iconic sights in Porto, and one of the biggest bridges I have…read moreever seen that pedestrians can walk on! Aside from its giant stature, it's also quite famous because the architect behind the Dom Luis Bridge was a student of Gustave Eiffel, the mastermind behind the Eiffel Tower. When you keep that in mind, you can definitely see his influence in the structure of this bridge. It's almost like the bridge version of the Eiffel Tower! The Dom Luis Bridge goes over the Duoro River, which is gorgeous in its own right as well, but extra cool to see from this bridge. It spans the two sides of Porto - which are the town of Porto proper and then the district of Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side. Seeing the Duoro River splitting the two sides of Porto was really cool from the top of the bridge. I think lots of folks work or live on either side so there were lots of folks coming and going on the bridge whenever we would walk on it. I will say, if you have a fear of heights, this may not be the best bridge for you to traverse, because it is very high up and you can see through the metal grating straight down, which can be disconcerting if you have that fear already. Dom Luis is an amazing architectural wonder that also serves as a great commuter bridge for pedestrians - and throw in the beautiful sights from atop the bridge and you have the best of both worlds!

Avenida dos Aliados is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Porto. This large avenue…read morefeatures the local government's city hall and other buildings and statues that were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, and it has a central square where locals meet and hold events. My tour guide took my husband and me on a drive down this avenue. We liked seeing the architecture of the city hall and the statue of King Dom Pedro IV.

Monument of Pedro, short history of how Porto was named. Near central bank. It is said body of king…read morein in Brazil but heart remains in Porto

Fonte dos Leões (Fountain of the Lions) is a 19th century fountain in the Praça de Parada Leitão…read morenear the famous Igreja dos Clérigos. According to sources, it is a copy of the fountain in the Town Hall Square of Leicester, England. The central fountain has a cruciform layout with the group of sculptures of winged lions at the base. The water flows from each of their mounts into the fountain. It's a great meeting spot!

This 'Fountain of the Lions' located in the downtown of Porto, is a gorgeous centerpiece for the…read morecity with interesting stories surrounding it. For instance, JK Rowling lived here for awhile after writing the first Harry Potter and it's said that she based the Gryffindor icon off of the fierce lions in this fountain. There is a gorgeous book store (Livraria Lello) close by this fountain that she took inspiration from for the Diagon Alley bookstore with the crazy staircase. It's also been named one of the most beautiful bookstores in the country. Definitely come explore this area, as EVERYTHING around it is gorgeous. This fountain is also in front of of a university where the students literally do where capes around as if Harry Potter has come to life. It's awesome!

Near the restaurant but not actually the restaurant, this historical marker along the Douro…read moreriverside. The caption reads: "From the 18 doors and hatches built in the wall in the 16th century, this is the only one that's been kept until our days. This hatch had a gothic inscription from 1386 and it was used to connect the Fonte Tourina Street and the harbor pier." Yeah, six hundred years. Worth checking out if you're down this way. [Review 9916 overall, 1494 of 2018.]

They deserve a zero for communications, but a four for their 1 and 45 minute tour. Well let's start…read morewith their communications. Their website is absolutely ridiculous. There are no directions explaining where to initially meet the bus, and the FAQs were totally useless. We wandered around the city trying to find the location when we happened upon a Grayline representative who works for the competitor but was nice enough to help us. Once we were on the hour and 45 minute tour, we really enjoyed ourselves. The narration was good, and I enjoyed the added music. We hopped off the bus by the beach, walked around and had lunch and ice cream. It was great because the return bus was on time. The 45 minute city tour was just okay. Not alot to see and the narration did not work on this particular bus.

I like to take a bus tour to get my bearings in a new city but this was by far the poorest hop on -…read morehop off bus tour I have ever been on. 1. Almost no narration 2. Many earphone jacks did not work 3. No announcement of stops 4. Very little signage for stops Got off the bus and never bothered getting back on. Not recommended.