Hotels in Porto

Hotels in Porto

Hotels in the city of Porto are often needed by tourists and other visitors who want to visit the famous city in Portgual. Some may want to visit the city to see the culture, history, sports, tourist attractions and society of the famous city. Some may want to visit the city to see the major tourist attractions of the famous city. Some may want to visit the city so they can have access to the major tourist facilities Some may want to stay at a luxury hotel or cheap hotel in the city. Some may want to stay in a hotel that is well known and has high status.

Hotels in Porto are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation. Some tourists may want to visit the city to see the culture, history, sports, tourist attractions and history of the famous city. Some may want to stay in a high status hotel. Some may want to stay in a hotel that has good access to tourist facilities. Some may want to stay in hotel in the city or near the city.

Porto also Oporto in English, is Portugal's second largest city. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. The largest city in the region, Porto is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region. The city lies at the centre of the political Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto.

The city of Porto comprises 15 parishes ("Freguesias"). The historic centre of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

One of Portugal's most internationally famous products, Port wine, is named after the city because it is produced in, and shipped from the area or, more precisely, from Vila Nova de Gaia, a city just across the river which belongs to the same conurbation.

The country was also named after the Latin name of Porto, Portus Cale

Porto district is one of the most industrialised districts in Portugal, and Maia, one of Porto's satellite cities, has the largest industrial park in Portugal.

n the 14th and the 15th centuries, the shipyards of Porto contributed to the development of the Portuguese fleet. In 1415, Henry the Navigator, son of João I, left from Porto to conquest the Muslim port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. This expedition led to the exploratory voyages that he later sent down the coast of Africa. Portuenses are referred to this day as "tripeiros", in reference to the fact that higher quality meat would be loaded onto ships to feed sailors, while off-cuts and by-products such as tripe would be left behind and eaten by the citizens of Porto. Tripe remains a culturally important dish in modern day Porto.

Wine, produced in the Douro valley, was already in the 13th century transported to Porto in barcos rabelos (flat sailing vessels). In 1703 the Methuen Treaty established the trade relations between Portugal and England. In 1717, a first English trading post was established in Porto. The production of port wine then gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms. To counter this English dominance, Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal established a Portuguese firm receiving the monopoly of the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; this was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe. The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies on Shrove Tuesday, burning down the buildings of this firm. The revolt was called Revolta dos Borrachos (revolt of the drunks) and became a symbol of the freedom spirit of the inhabitants of Porto.

Between 1732 and 1763, Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni designed a baroque church with a tower that would become its icon: the Torre dos Clérigos (English: Clerics Tower). During the 18th and 19th centuries the city became an important industrial centre and saw its size and population increase. The invasion of the Napoleonic troops in Portugal under Marshal Soult is still vividly remembered in Porto. On 29 March 1809, as the population fled from the advancing troops and tried to cross the river Douro over the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge), the bridge collapsed under the weight. This event is still remembered by a plate at the Ponte D. Luis I. The French army was rooted out of Porto by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when his troops crossed the Douro river from the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (a former convent) in a brilliant daylight coup de main. Porto is also called "Cidade Invicta" (English: Unvanquished City) after its resistance to the Napoleonic Imperial army.

In August 1820, Porto rebelled against the English presence, resulting in a civil war in Portugal. In 1822, a liberal constitution was accepted, partly through the efforts of the liberal assembly of Porto (Junta do Porto). When Miguel of Portugal took the Portuguese throne in 1828, he rejected this constitution and reigned as an absolutist monarch. Porto rebelled again and had to undergo a siege of eighteen months between 1832 and 1833 by the Portuguese army. After the abdication of king Miguel the liberal constitution was re-established.

Known as the city of bridges, the first permanent bridge – the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge) – was built in 1806, but three years later, sabotaged. It was replaced by the |Ponte D. Maria II popularized under the name Ponte Pênsil (suspended bridge) and built between 1841-43 and of which only the supporting pylons remain.

The Ponte D. Maria, a railway bridge inaugurated the 4th of November of that same year, considered by then to be a feat of wrought iron engineering and designed by no other than Gustave Eiffel himself. But this bridge is not to be mistaken for the later Ponte Dom Luís I, which was in turn to substitute the aforementioned Ponte Pênsil. This last bridge was made by Teophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eiffel, and its project won a governmental competition that took place in 1879. Building began in 1881 and it was opened to the public the 31st October 1886.

Unrest by republicans led to a revolt in Porto on 31 January 1891. This would result ultimately in the creation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910.

A higher learning institution in nautical sciences (Aula de Náutica, 1762) and a stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834) were established in the city but would be discontinued later.

In 1958 and 1960, Porto's streets hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix.

The historic centre of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The World Heritage site is defined in two concentric zones; the "Protected area", and within it the "Classified area". The Classified area comprises the medieval borough located inside the 14th-century Romanesque wall.

Among the architectural highlights of the city, the Oporto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small romanesque Church of Cedofeita, the gothic Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis), the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of the churches of St. Francis and St. Claire (Santa Clara), the churches of Mercy (Misericórida) and of the Clerics (Igreja dos Clérigos), the Episcopal Palace of Porto, and others. The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa), the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in the Liberdade Square and the Avenida dos Aliados, the tile-adorned São Bento Train Station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace (Palácio de Cristal). A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, and in particular the Arab Room, is a major tourist attraction.

Aeroporto Internacional Dr. Francisco de Sá Carneiro also known as Aeroporto do Porto or Aeroporto de Pedras Rubras is the international airport of Porto, Portugal.

Porto has always rivaled Lisbon in economic power. As the most important city in the heavily industrialised northwest, many of the largest Portuguese corporations from diverse economic sectors.

As in most Portuguese cities, football is the most important sport in the city. Top sides F.C. Porto and Boavista F.C. are both from Porto, while S.C. Salgueiros are a club in the region too.

Parishes ; Aldoar, Bonfim, Campanhã, Cedofeita, Foz do Douro, Lordelo do Ouro, Massarelos, Miragaia, Nevogilde, Paranhos, Ramalde, São Nicolau, Santo Ildefonso, Sé, Vitória

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