Old Town – Porto, Portugal

The old town of Porto, Portugal sits along the banks of the Douro River. The city center goes back thousands of years to the time of Phoenician merchants. The Praça da Liberdade or Liberty Square is the center of the area dominated by the statue of Dom Pedro IV. The old town and the nearby Dom Louis I Bridge were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Douro River Cruise – Porto, Portugal

The Douro River is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. We booked a small boat cruise to see the sights of Porto from the river. The old town of Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Wonderful views of the Dom Louis I Bridge,

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

and the Maria Pia Bridge can be seen from the boat.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The cruise ended with a wonderful sunset.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Old Town of Coimbra – Coimbra, Portugal

We took a walk from the Praça do Comercio (Central Square) through the old town of Coimbra up to the UNESCO World Heritage Site University of Coimbra. Passing by the statue of Joaquim António de Aguiar we passed through the Almedina Arch.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We passed through a network of steep little alleys and stairs.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Stairs after stairs,

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

there were little shops along the way even a cannabis restaurant/shop

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

after more uphill climbs and stairs we reached the Sé Church

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

views from opposite the church

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

after the church we headed back uphill 🙁

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We reached the Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

across from the museum were the stairs to the university

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Be sure to check out the post on the University of Coimbra here.
A wonderful (albeit very tiring) walk through the old town. Click on the links in the text for more pictures and in depth posts on each stop.

Dom Louis I Bridge – Porto, Portugal

The Dom Luís I Bridge is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the River Douro between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. At its construction, its 564 ft span was the longest of its type in the world. It has been confused with the nearby Maria Pia Bridge, a railway bridge that was built 9 years earlier and is similar in aspect to the Luís I bridge.
One of the notable features of the Dom Luís I Bridge is it’s two levels; one on top of the arch and the other suspended below it. Both decks were initially intended to carry road traffic but these days the top carries the Porto Metro trains as well as having a pedestrian walkway.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Statue to Dom João III – University of Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal)

The statue standing in the main university square of Coimbra University, King João III turns his back to the sweeping city views behind him and faces his great center of learning. It was he who re-established the university in Coimbra in 1537 and invited well known scholars to teach here in what had previously been a royal palace.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos