Portugal's second largest city, Porto, is the capital of the Minho region, and nestles alongside the River Douro, home to the Port wine lodges, from where not only the city gets its name, but also the nation.  The ancient and proud city of hills on the north bank offers a charming mixture of modern and the medieval, while the centre is small enough to cover on foot.

The river is spanned by five bridges, across from the Vila Nova de Gaia, the headquarters of the port trade since an agreement made with England in the early 1700's.  The names are all here: Sandeman's, Taylor's, Cockburn's, Croft and Ferreira.

The riverside quarter of Ribeira is delightful and good for strolling around the recently restored bars and restaurants in the narrow streets, with typical houses and picturesque lifestyle.  Here is where you would check out the river cruises. 

Equally lively and colourful is the market of Bolhão, where you can buy almost anything, but more elegant shops can be seen close by, especially the jewellery and leather goods shops, in the Baixa (down-town).  The main street for shopping is Rua de Santa Catarina, especially good for leather, ceramics and silverware. 

The monuments around the Cathedral area, such as the Renaissance church of Santa Clara, should be explored, whilst no football fan should miss a visit to the new Dragon Stadium ~ Estádio do Dragao ~ F.C. Porto's home ground, completed in 2003 in time for the Euro Championships held the following year.