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Oporto or Porto in Portuguese is the second most populated city as well as important in Portugal. It is a city that has a population of approximately 250,000 inhabitants. It is located in the province of Gran Oporto and has more than half of a million inhabitants. Located in the north of the country near the border of Spain. It has a surface area of 42m2. Oporto is the capital of the district of Oporto, and is situated in the north of the zone, next to the mouth of the river Duero. There are 15 neighbourhoods (freguesías), all of which containing a wealth of heritage sites, as is the case in most ancient, historic towns such as this one.
Oporto is a comfortable city to visit and enjoy, with a wide range of hotels, apartments, houses, rural houses, hostels...and all kinds of accomodations. It also enjoys good tranport connections, both for getting here, with the International Airport, the train station, and a network of motorways; and while you are here, with the metro and bus services to take you around town.
The attraction of Oporto as a city lies mostly in its historic patrimony. The historic centre is one of the most interesting to be found, and has been declared a World heritage Site by UNESCO.
The monuments and museums are what mostly stand out in this great city, located 150 kilometres from the frontier town of Tui, in Pontevedra. Port wine or Oporto wine is also one of its main pulling points.
Oporto is the city of bridges, with more than half a dozen of them crossing the river Duero. Some of them are no longer in use, but they still form part of the city´s heritage. Oporto is also an ideal place for enjoying museums, theatre and culture in general.
Another attraction of Oporto is the beaches; beaches of golden sand, extensive beaches, smaller nudist beaches, etc..throughout the zone, in matosinhos, Vila Nova de Gaia and Vila do Conde among other places around the city, on the Portuguese Costa Verde. |