This is a delightfully refurbished spacious apartment in a historical building which has all of the usual modern conveniences, and yet externally retains all of it's original classic and romantic character, in keeping with the local area, within the ancient walled areas of Porto City.

The apartment is truly situated in the old-town "Se", neighborhood of the city, within the UNESCO World Heritage Classified Zone, (Inside the 14th-century Romanesque wall), on the street most famous for the Tea-trade in Oporto, overlooking the 12th century Se (Cathedral). It is thus in easy walking distance of all the main attractions in the conservation zone, and yet it is off of the busier main streets, so is quieter at night.

The apartment building itself has security glass door and CCTV door entry system.

There is some parking provision outside the apartment, though no car is needed. A Metro trip from the new state of the art Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro airport to the apartment costs less than 2 Euros per person. Metros run at least every 20 minutes from dawn into the small hours of the morning. The Airport Metro terminal is integrated within the airport terminal, and the Porto Metro system itself is new and state of the art. Those Metro terminals which are within the historical parts of Porto city are hidden underground so as to preserve the historical ambience of old Oporto. In the view of the Se Cathedral from the apartment balconies (See photos), there is actually a silent hidden metro line running underground, between the apartment and the Se Cathedral, linking North and South Porto, across the Douro via the top level of the Dom Luis Bridge, shared only by pedestrians. The nearest escalator exit from this line is near the top of Avenida de Dom Henriques, almost on the apartment doorstep.

The Violet line, from Porto City Centre to the international airport, Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro, opened on the 27th of May 2006.

For travellers with lots of luggage, a taxi is recommended. This takes 20-30 minutes to make the 13km trip to or from the airport, and costs 25-30 Euros.

Also, the apartment is within easy walking distance of Sao Bento Railway station.

For travelling within Porto City, Walking, the Metro, Buses, and Trams are strongly recommended where possible, in preference to driving. Parking spaces are scarce, and many roads are inaccessible by car.

For travelling further afield outside Porto old-town, the Metro provides a convenient link to most areas in Grande Porto. The Railway similarly provides links to areas all over Portugal.

The top level of the Dom Luis Bridge, "Ponte de Luís I", extends some 100m or so inland on either side of the Douro, and has stunning panoramic views over Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and up/down the Douro, and is a tranquil and ideal vantage point, from which to plan tours.

Since the bridge was renovated and converted during 2005, the upper level now carries only Metro trains and pedestrians.

For folks travelling with infants, rugged large-wheeled buggies are advisable. Many of The older and more interesting streets and walkways of Porto are not accessible by car, and are cobbled with large irregular stones and steps, not easily negotiated with smaller wheeled buggies (We know this from experience!).

For small children in buggies, wheelchair-bound, or folks with walking disabilities, the apartment is also very convenient, with the elevator providing easy access, though there are 4 initial steps from the foyer to the elevator, a ramp can be provided for these on request.

6 days stay is minimum preferred booking during months April through to September. Long weekend enquiries are welcome outside these months. Also, last minute short break requests for any vacant period (See discounts for late bookings) will be considered. 

Ribeira Waterfront Bars and Cafes - walk South Westwards, downhill for 10 minutes. Alternatively, head South Eastwards for 3 minutes or so to the Batalha (Rua de Augusto Rosa), and take the "Funicular dos Guindais". This is a hillside rail-car, which travels only between two stops, up and down the steep hillside, between the Batalha, and the Ribeira, offering panoramic views over the Douro and Dom Luis Bridge, alighting at the foot of the Bridge, which is the start of the Ribeira. Again, specially useful for folks with walking disabilities, or small children.

São João Festival (St John Festival)

24 Jun 2008

From worldeventsguide.com:

"This is the biggest festival on the Porto calendar, and one of Europe's liveliest street parties. There is a religious element to the festival, but it is first and foremost a huge party that attracts people from all over the country to Porto’s old town centre - a UNESCO World Heritage Site that makes a stunning background for the revelries. Loud music pumps up from huge amplifiers set up on the main square, the smell of sardines being grilled on makeshift barbecues fills the streets, lit up balloons eerily go up in the summer evening sky, and boats ply the river with their loads of merry locals and tourists keen to get the best spot for the main event - the spectacular firework display. Afterwards revellers take to the narrow streets of the old town armed with plastic hammers and wild garlic stalks, banging each other on the head - a tradition whose origins nobody seems to remember, but which is fervently continued every year. The centre of the action then shifts to the beaches on the Douro estuary for a beach party that usually lasts well into the early hours".

Party gets going at around 20:00. Fireworks start at 00:00.

Shopping Malls - Walk North Eastwards up Rua Cha, for 3 to 4 minutes, towards the Praca da Batalha square, and continue around the edge of the square for a further minute or so, onto Rua de Coelho Neto. This is the start of the main shopping run, extending 200m or to the start of Rua de Santos Pousada, which then goes on for over a kilometre North Eastwards, non-stop shops, malls, and markets. Watch out also for the Majestic Cafe on this road, this is a great place to stop for a break from shopping.

Praca da Liberdade - Walk for 3 minutes or so North Westwards, past Sao Bento Railway station, into this grand square, check out the statues, and have a look at the surrounding buildings, headed by the monumental Council Buildings, the "Antiga Casa Pia". This square is a popular place to stop for a break, or picnic. Also, hidden within an excavation beneath this square is the newly constructed Praca da Liberdade Metro train station.

Riverboat tours - Start at the Ribeira and go Eastwards up the Douro, offering views of the scenic Douro Valley and vineyards - a further UNESCO world heritage site.

Vila Nova de Gaia Hilltop and monastery - Walk 2 minutes or so Southwards onto the top level of Dom Luis Bridge, then a 5 further minutes across the bridge. For infants, there is a park here with activity playground. Great views over Porto for everyone.

Vila Nova de Gaia Wine houses and restuarants - 5 minutes or so via pedestrian walkways on the lower level of Dom Luis bridge from Ribeira, or 8 minutes walk down through the hillside streets from VN de Gaia hilltop. This is around 20 minutes walk from the apartment by either route. The waterfront here on the opposite side of the river from Porto Ribeira is lined with ultra-modern Restuarant complexes, in stark contrast to the historic sites of the Ribeira, but still stylish in a very different way. On this bank also are the many famous Port Wine houses, and another activity park for young children.

Espinho Beach - Take the Aveiro line train from Sao Bento railway station to Espinho station (32 minutes), and visit this famous beach situated on the atlantic coast at the bottom of Vila Nova de Gaia, South of the Douro.

Esplanada do Castelo - Take the No. 500 bus from Sao Bento Station, westwards along the North Bank of the Douro, (30 minutes or so), around to this esplanade, situated on a very scenic rugged part of the Atlantic coast North of the Douro. Many bars and restuarants. Great place to sit and watch the sunset.

From the Independent; holiday supplement, P10, 9 Jan, 2007:

"...Have a guided tour of dramatically situated Oporto, clinging to the steep banks of the river Douro just before it embraces the sea. Historically Roman, coming to prominence during the Middle Ages, it prospered greatly from royal patronage, and knowledge of the sea-route to India.

The UNESCO protected old-town, a veritable tangle of 14th century lanes tumbles to the river and a beautifully restored waterfront. Tiny antiquated shops are everywhere, and, straddling the river itself, are six stunningly intricate bridges, one of which was designed by Gustav Eiffel.

Oporto is famous for its Port, visit one of Oporto's most traditional establishments, for a tour and tasting. Oporto is so picturesque: with the old wine boats plying the river in front of you, and traditional port lodges behind, the medieval old-town clinging to the opposite bank and the skyline punctured by the Cathedral and numerous churches.

Head inland exploring the valley of the Douro, the river of gold, climbing the hills dominating inland Portugal. The countryside first becomes more arid and the colours give way from greens to browns and ochres, before you drop into the valley itself, one of Europe's most beautiful, with undulating hillsides covered with leafy port vineyards sloping to the blue river below. Take a very pleasant train journey along a most scenic route, following the river..."
 

From The Sunday Times "Instant weekend: Oporto", article, July 16, 2006:

"...Leave the big cities to the hordes and have a pint-size Portuguese adventure instead, says Chris West

Why should I go? Because Oporto is the classic second city. It''s beautiful, but the tourists all seem to have flocked somewhere else. And the touts and the tat and the inflated prices have gone with them. While they''re off battling around Florence, Prague and Barcelona, you can walk the quiet, cobbled streets of Oporto, feeling that you''re wandering through a genuine city, rather than tourist make-believe. There are one or two stunning sites, but there''s more joy in turning a corner and bumping into a beautiful, simple church or a shaded alfresco cafe.
Second cities have a knack of providing you with enough culture to keep you going for a weekend, but not so much that you feel like a philistine for not staying a week. A perfectly manageable weekend feast - with a glass of port for afters.

What do I do? You go for a stroll. Oporto is all about soaking up the ambience of crumbly buildings and Unesco World Heritage quarters, not ticking off a list of must-sees.

A leisurely half-day circuit starts amid the baroque buildings of Avenida dos Aliados. Head to Batalha Square, where there''s a Salazar-era "people''s cafe" that now shows cult movies. Carry on upwards to the 12th-century cathedral in Se Square and the four-storey, plain-fronted palace next door, visible from most of the city. Head back downhill to Rua das Carmelitas to visit Lello, a famous bookshop with an art-nouveau interior, and a little further on, the grand Sao Bento Station, its immense atrium covered in tiles depicting early forms of transport.

If you''re still going after all that, just wander. This is a place where getting hopelessly lost in the cobbled backstreets is to be recommended.

As is sampling the drink this city is built on. The port warehouses are across the River Douro in Gaia, where the sea breeze keeps the barrels (or, more pedantically, "pipes") of port cool throughout the summer. Most offer free tours and tastings, every half-hour from roughly 10am to 6pm (visit www.portoturismo.pt/en for details).

A relaxing Sunday-morning option is the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art (free on Sundays, 10am-2pm, otherwise £3.50; www.serralves.pt), but eat before you go - the food and service are a surrealist movement..."

"...Where do I eat? The essential Oporto belt-buster is the francesinha, a sandwich with fillet steak, Portuguese and German sausage, and a little bit of ham and cheese, served marooned in a sea of gravy. It is best sampled at the Guarany cafe-restaurant (Avenida dos Aliados 85; 22 332 1272, www.cafeguarany.com).

For a more elegant dinner, head to D Tonho, on the riverside (22 200 4307, www.dtonho.com), with John Malkovich, Lou Reed and Bobby Robson just a few of the celebrities in its guest book. Traditional dishes include tripe and, during the midsummer festival of Sao Joao, cabbage soup.

Equally fantastic, but more relaxed, is Toupeirinho, a 15-miunte cab ride away in the Matoshinhos district (Rua do Godinho 27; 22 938 7016). Half a dozen tables are crammed in here, everyone chooses fish - the salted prago, or sea bream, is the best - and a plate of sweet pudding with a glass of port will leave you feeling giddy.

How do I get there? TAP Portugal (0845 601 0932, www.flytap.com) flies to Oporto from Heathrow; Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted, Liverpool and Dublin..."


 

1st floor, Two balconies, one each from bedroom and diner, overlooking historical street, Fully refurbished 2006, Foyer with glass door and security entry system off street. Marble hallways & stairs. Elevator. Views of the historic Se Cathedral. Within 3 minutes walk of Sao Bento Metro & Railway stations. Within 2 minutes walk of historic landmark Pedestrian/Metro Dom Luis Bridge, which has panoramic views over River Douro, Porto City, and Vila Nova de Gaia.

The apartment comprises 1 bedrooms in total; 1 double and 1 cots. The property also has 1 double sofa bed located in the Lounge. This gives room for up to 4 people. Bed linen and towels are provided for your use.

The apartment has 1 bathrooms and 1 WCs for your party's use.

The apartment has television.

There is room for 4 in the living room and 4 in the dining room. To prepare food you will find a cooker, an oven, a microwave, a fridge, a freezer, a kettle, a toaster. You will also find a washing machine, an iron and ironing board. The owner has also provided cutlery, crockery, glassware, cooking utensils.

This is a non-smoking apartment

Pets are not welcome 

Not suitable for wheelchairs 

The apartment is in a quiet area but you may hear occasional noise. It has a south facing balcony, interesting views.

The apartment is right beside walking, historic sites, a museum, a theatre/cinema, shopping areas, a restaurant, a food shop.

Close to the apartment you will find a beach, swimming, sailing, water skiing, boat hire, wind surfing, fishing, cycling, a sports center.

Within easy reach of the apartment you will find climbing, flying, mountain biking, golf, tennis.

Douro Valley Walks, Douro River Boat Tours, Port Wine House Tours.

Waterfront Restuarants & Bars, UNESCO World Heritage Zone, Trains, Metros, and Buses, all on site.

The apartment is....

13 km from Francisco Sá Carneiro airport.
0.1 km from São Bento Railway, & Metro Stations.
0.1 km from Dom Luis Bridge.
0.2 km from Shopping Malls.
0.3 km from Ribeira Waterfront Bars & Cafes.

Any day of the week.

Any day of the week.

3 days.

3 PM

10 AM

Dave says: "Fabulous modern apartment right in the middle of a world heritage site. Excellent facilities, checked out the whinging from previous reviews and could not find a problem with any of the things mentioned. Watching the world go by from the balconies was entertaining in itself. Everything I could need was within walking distance of the apartment. I was so impressed that I have re-booked for September."

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Early Bird stay discount!! 15% discount if booking start date is greater than 3 months away.