The main streets and squares to walk through in Porto
Porto is a city to walk around and get to know on foot. Of course, with a lot of patience because some of its main streets are very inclined and it will cost you a lot. But it’s worth it because Porto is a very special city where you can breathe an atmosphere that you can find in few places.
In Porto you will alternate between the most traditional streets where you will find traditional shops, clothes hanging in the windows and that nostalgic air that is breathed in Portuguese cities, with more modern ones full of unique buildings, large chain stores and wide avenues.
If you want to know which are the main streets and squares of Porto, read on.
Liberty Square and Aliados Avenue
Porto ‘s Liberty Square is the nerve center of the city, its most central point and where the main shopping streets of the city and others that take you to the Douro River start.
In the center of this beautiful square we highlight the Statue of King Pedro IV, mounted on his horse and watching over all the passers-by who stroll through here enjoying the city and going to the Clérigos Tower or the San Bento Station, the monuments closest.
From there , Aliados Avenue starts and takes you to Porto City Hall, with the Garrett Monument in front of it. As you make your way towards it you can admire the large buildings on either side, some modernist built in the early 20th century.
It is, without a doubt, the main street to visit in Porto.
Rua Santa Caterina
Not far from Aliados Avenue is another of the most visited streets in Porto, although it is very different and with another charm. It is the Rúa Santa Caterina, full of shops, some traditional and others more modern.
One of the main attractions that you can find on Rúa Santa Caterina is the Cafe Majestic, legendary with a very curious facade and a traditional interior design that invites you to stop by and have a coffee at one of its tables as if one of the many illustrious characters who have passed through this city concerned.
Another place you should not miss on Rúa Santa Caterina is the Capela das Almas, a small church on a corner that stands out for its blue tiles that cover both its façade and its interior walls.
Rua das Flores
The Rúa das Flores is a picturesque street that takes you from the upper area of the city, the most modern, to the Ribeira neighborhood, the closest to the Douro River and the most genuine of Porto.
In it we can find numerous restaurants and shops, many of them souvenirs. And you will always find people moving around this beautiful city. The street ends at the Ferreira Borges Market, where another of the main streets that are used to unite the two very different sides of the city also ends, the Rúa de Mouzinho da Silveira, also full of shops and restaurants, although this one is not pedestrianized as the Rua das Flores.
Next to the Ferreira Borges Market is the Stock Exchange Palace, one of the main places to visit in Porto.
Ribeira Square
In our list of streets and squares to walk through in Porto, the Ribeira neighborhood should not be missing. It is the most famous neighborhood in Porto, and the most photographed, the one that is attached to the Douro River and that gives a special color to this city.
We cannot highlight a single street in the Ribeira neighborhood, an old fishermen’s quarter, any of them is perfect for getting lost and enjoying Portuguese cuisine in one of its numerous restaurants. But if we must highlight a place that is the Plaza de Ribeira, perhaps the most important point of the neighborhood.
In the Plaza de Ribeira, next to the Duero River, we find numerous restaurants with their terraces installed over the unevenness of the street. The streets that run along the river bank start from there, towards the Dom Luis I Bridge in one direction and towards Foz, in the other direction.
