CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CRIATIVITY

Porto, a sensorial experience

Visiting Porto is a journey for the senses. The scenic landscape that is drawn by the Douro River and the picturesque riverfront, the architectural heritage, breathtaking tile panels and contemporary museums and art galleries, are all a sight for sore eyes. While wandering through its narrow streets, the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries awakens the appetite for a flavourful and authentic food and wine experience. Meanwhile, the surrounding sounds create a genuine atmosphere of a city full of character, from the loud merchants in the Bolhão fresh food market to the lively cultural life of the city.

Porto has extraordinary cultural richness and diversity, harmoniously combining tradition with modernity. The city, at 900 years of age, exudes joviality, a reflection of its multiculturalism and contemporary vision.

An open-air museum

The city is the birthplace of some of Portugal’s most renowned architects, some of whom are living legends of the profession – such as Siza Vieira or Souto Moura, Porto is a privileged destination for art, architecture, and cultural enthusiasts. The Clérigos Tower, the Luis I Bridge, the Cathedral, the Church of Sao Francisco, the Palácio da Bolsa, symbols of traditional architecture, combine harmoniously with the Casa da Música and Serralves Museum, icons of contemporary architecture. This makes walking through the city streets an experience in itself and makes walking on foot just like visiting an open-air museum.

The historical centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is considered to be of exceptional universal value and guides visitors through the houses along the riverside area, through the narrow and winding streets, and towards the city’s medieval origins. Some icons, such as the Livraria Lello bookstore, Café Majestic coffee shop and Estação de São Bento station were considered among the most beautiful in the world and the city’s many parks and gardens are leisure spaces and a source of inspiration for many.

The reopening of Bolhão Market (Mercado do Bolhão), Batalha Cinema and Palácio de Cristal are examples of a city that honours its heritage while continuously renewing itself.

Bolhão Market, the beating heart of the city

The in-depth refurbishment of Bolhão Market – an important fresh produce market for over a century, is a long-awaited landmark. Reopened to the public in September 2022, and maintaining the fresh-produce market as the main focal point of its activity, Bolhão Market combines the traditional soul of the fresh good stalls and the gastronomic experience of its diverse restaurants. A meeting point of the city, Bolhão also hosts a dynamic agenda of events, such as “Global Kitchen”, an event that continuously occurs throughout the year, which brings together international and Portuguese Chefs to promote an exchange of experiences and visions regarding gastronomy and culture.

Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota, a hub for cultural promotion

The emblematic building from 1865, famous for its dome and surrounded by gardens and landscape views, was renewed into a multifunctional, sustainable and versatile venue, that holds large-scale cultural, sports, or business events.

Batalha Cinema, the meeting point for cinema enthusiasts

Batalha is another historical landmark building in Porto that was recently renewed and opened to the city as a cultural institution focused on cinema, research and dialogue, as well as hosting cinema festivals

Avant-garde cultural and art scene

The city is also known for its lively and avant-garde cultural and art scene, ranging from artisans who preserve, renew and perpetuate a legacy of handcrafted art to modern expressions of art that embrace experimentalism and independent creative movements and artists. The Miguel Bombarda Block – Porto Art District – which centralises the art galleries, stands out. Bimonthly simultaneous inaugurations of the exhibitions have been held since 2007, with free access, attracting tourists and boosting small businesses in the surrounding areas.

Cultural entertainment is diversified throughout the year, encouraging longer visits and helping to combat seasonality. It ranges from major events (Essência do Vinho, Festival DDD, NOS Primavera Sound) attracting audiences from various geographical regions to performing arts – theatre, dance or contemporary circus. Porto has also invested in major sports competitions, namely the Marathon, Pro Skate League, Porto&Matosinhos Wave Series and Rally de Portugal.

The ultimate cultural expression in Porto is St. John’s feast, which attracts huge crowds of all ages, delighting regular participants and newcomers, both Portuguese and foreigners. Many traditions liven up the night: hot air balloons, plastic hammers, flowerpots of basil plants, fireworks, roasted sardines, dances and community-built “Cascades”. Rusgas – a tradition that started in 1957 and recuperated some years ago – envelops the neighbourhoods in swathes of colour, music, and joy.

A mouthwatering destination

Gastronomy is more than a plus when experiencing the city; it’s an experience in itself. From traditional dishes to signature cuisine, Porto is a mouthwatering destination. A favourite wine tourism destination – and member of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network since 1999 – it offers various wine experiences: tastings and dinners, river cruises to the Douro region, museums and thematic itineraries, revealing its close ties with the surrounding wine-growing region.

Accessibility

Projects

Porto Historical Centre Management and Sustainability Plan

With a 10-year programming horizon, the new Management and Sustainability Plan for the Historical Centre of Porto, Ponte Luiz I Bridge and Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar Monastery defines a vision for the territory aimed at maintaining sustainability in Porto Historic Centre, as a world heritage site, in four main working areas: Heritage; Population, Housing and Communities; Economy; Environment and Mobility.

The new Management Plan and Governance Model will result in the implementation of an integrated and participatory management and monitoring model, including residents and visitors to the historical centre, academics, artists and both public and private institutions. It also involved technical and scientific support from experts of the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP), Faculty of Architecture (FAUP), Faculty of Economy (FEP) and the Faculty of Arts (FLUP) of the University of Porto.

Alongside this macro-plan is the AtlaS.WH project – Heritage in the Atlantic Area: Sustainability of the Urban World Heritage Sites, managed by Porto City Council, aims to create a network of urban world heritage sites (WHS) that will address common challenges, namely the protection of their identity and their cultural assets and the stimulation of heritage-led economic and cultural development.

Curated Porto

Curated Porto – Creative Itineraries is a municipal project to promote local business and integrates, in the first phase, 13 projects by artisans, artists and entrepreneurs, which stand out for creativity, innovation, sustainability and cultural diversity.

Curated Porto is a project celebrating creativity. A celebration of those who, honouring the tradition and legacy of generations, project the future of the city, making it one of the most vibrant artistic and cultural hubs in Europe. From ceramics to painting, jewellery to textiles, 13 inspiring cases of creative tourism and local development invite locals and tourists to visit their shops and workshops, interact and experiment.

The initiative aims to contribute to the creation of a national ecosystem to promote creative tourism, inspiring other cities to adopt similar approaches and expand and deepen Porto’s tourism offer.

Global Kitchen

Porto has been consolidating as an important food and wine tourism destination based on its vast gastronomic heritage and world-renowned wines. It combines creative, innovative and international food with a healthy, sustainable and tasty Atlantic diet, making the city’s gastronomy stand out internationally.

Global Kitchen in Porto will bring together several Portuguese chefs of international renown in culinary circles in 2024 in an open experience of gastronomic creation and celebration. The chefs will always use genuine ingredients available at the city’s most traditional fresh market: Mercado do Bolhão.

On a journey through the culinary culture of the five continents, with the support of local hosts, Chefs from around the world will share the cooker, the table and the city, in an exchange of influences, references and knowledge capable of exploring identities, heritages and traditions. Visitors will be invited to participate in talks, show cookings and tastings of exclusive menus, served free of charge and limited to 150 portions.

Global Kitchen in Porto aims to promote the city as a privileged food and wine destination, creating a real exchange of experiences and synergies between chefs, but also with the public, both locals and tourists.

Best of Club – Great Wine Capitals

Porto is one of the founding members of the Great Wine Capital Global Network, representing the Douro and Vinhos Verdes regions in this network. The goal is to position Porto and the region as a world-class wine tourism destination of excellence.

In this context, Porto created the Best of Club – Porto, composed of wine tourism agents distinguished with a Best of Wine Tourism Award in the last three years, a distinction awarded annually by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. This club aims to foster synergies and encourage sharing knowledge and experiences among its members, contributing to the integrated development of wine tourism in this region.

This initiative, integrated into the city’s sustainable tourism strategy, will allow the creation of new narratives, routes and experiences that foster the city’s historic and authentic relationship with wine. It will also help to increase the average stay at the destination, creating development and competitiveness for the entire region.