Portuguese Camino de Santiago along the Senda Litoral: it all starts in Porto
Every day a stage, every day a stamp: this is the beginning, this is the Camino de Santiago. Step by step, straight towards the goal.
Porto welcomes us with its ancient churches and buildings, streets full of life and colourful with countless azulejos… the theatre, the Portuguese bank, the station and also the Lello bookshop, said to be the inspiration for the Hogwarts library in Harry Potter. Not just history: luck gives us the thrill of the last stage of the Volta a Portugal, with the cyclists crossing the city to the applause of the crowd. The little blue dragon mascot catches the eye, along with the many clocks and towers that dominate Porto.
Luca Casaburi
Porto: what to visit
Porto Cathedral 
Igreja da Misericórdia 
Igreja da Misericórdia and historic tram 
Typical little houses of Porto 
The river port and the Porto wine route 
Livraria Lello bookshop 
Tower in Porto 
Porto Cathedral 
Railway station
With bell towers rising above the hilly landscape, and Baroque churches, medieval buildings and Art Deco palaces following one after another, Porto seems to belong to a fairy tale, especially if you look at it from the Rio Douro. Portugal owes its name to this splendid city, one of the oldest in Europe.
Its maze of narrow cobbled streets is home to squares, churches and houses with brightly coloured façades and azulejos. While in the historic centre you can admire the faded, and for that very reason wonderful, splendour of its ancient past, outside the centre the city has seen a revival of its seaside districts, which increasingly host works by major architects and are more and more a reference point for contemporary world cuisine. You can catch a glimpse of the symbols of the past in the Livraria Lello&Irmao and in the Café Majestic, a very old café where you can breathe the air of times gone by.
I recommend exploring the neighbourhoods on foot; remember, there’s no need to rush to experience and discover the city! One possible itinerary starts from the Baroque Torre dos Clérigos and continues towards Rua dos Clérigos. From here take Avenida dos Aliados to reach the beautiful São Bento station. From there you can carry on until you reach the Igreja da Misericórdia.
Not to be missed is a visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, a wonderful neoclassical building built in the second half of the 19th century. Inside, the Pátio das Nações and the Salão Árabe are well worth a visit. Next to the Palácio, visit the Church of São Francisco, the church with the Gothic façade and gilded interior.
The church of Santo Ildefonso, with its façades covered in azulejos, is beautiful. From here head along Rua Santa Catarina to stop at the Café Majestic, the most characteristic café in Porto.
Other places worth visiting are the Casa da Música and the Palácio de Cristal , or you can spend some time at the Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis. After that, take tram 1 to the mouth of the Douro to admire the lighthouse. Don’t miss a ride on the historic train that will take you across the whole Douro region aboard 20th-century locomotives: the best time to do it is between September and October, so you get the chance to take part in the grape harvest.
