Porto is the largest city of Northern Portugal. The Historic Centre of Porto, a World Heritage by UNESCO, provides a rich variety of monuments from different periods stretching back as far as the 14th century.

    In 2001, Porto and Rotterdam are the EUROPEAN Cities of Culture (Porto 2001). In this context, many cultural events are coming up and a strong effort is being made for architectural recovering.

    The city of Porto and its river, Douro, cannot be dissociated. The Douro valley, with its lovely terraces of vineyards clinging to the hillsides, is the kingdom of the famous Port Wine and offers visitors spectacular views.

    During the night from 23 to 24, the whole city celebrates its patron saint (São João, Saint John) along the riverbanks and traditional districts, dancing, watching the firework festival, walking the streets until sunrise and eating local delicacies.

    The city of Porto is easily accessible from abroad. Several airlines offer service to Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport, situated about 12 Km from the City Centre. From the airport to the hotels, you can take a taxi (taxi fares to the City Centre costs about 15 EURO) or use the Bus Service nº 56 (about 1 EURO).

Some links about Porto:

• City Hall's Tourism Site
• Porto 2001
• Porto Convention Bureau
• Excite Travel
• Travel Rough Guides
• Weather Yahoo