La Ribeira - Porto
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La Ribeira
The Ribeira is a lively district situated along the river, where the piers represent an important meeting point either for the local people and tourists. The Ribeira is characterized by a maze of steep tortuous steps and narrow and high colored buildings placed in a row along the embankment, forming one of the most photographed images of Porto.
The district is livened up by fish and vegetable stands, and is spread with restaurants and barswhich make it the ideal place to end the day, or to spend some pleasant nights sitting at one of the numerous open air bars. With the exception of a handful of pubs for tourists situated in the inner streets, prices and food are generally very affordable. The Ribeira is always very crowded on feast days, due to the beautiful panorama that can be enjoyed in this corner of the city.
Every year in June the Ribeira hosts the Regada dos Rabelos, a competition of the most famous wine producer brands: the regatta begins in Foz and ends at the Sandeman cellar. During the rest of the year, the rabelos are moored in the piers, offering a melancholic view ideal for photograph lovers.
Opposite the Ribeira stands Vila Nova de Gaia, connected to Porto through the bridge Dom Luís I.
The lower level of the bridge (about 150 mt long), connects the Ribeira to the area of the Vila Nova wine cellars, gathered on the slopes of the hill and along the river. The upper level is accessible both for vehicles and pedestrians. Built in 1886 on a project of Téofilo Seyrig, a pupil of Gustave Eiffelthe upper level connects Porto with the Vila Nova hill, on which top lies the
Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar. The bridge can be accessed by pedestrian, and the view from here is breathtaking. An underground line (line D) has been recently created, circulating on the bridge.
Opposite the entrance of the lower bridge departs the Funicolar dos Guindais, a rack train which takes from Avenida Gustavo Eiffel to Largo 1° de Dezembro, behind Praça da Batalha. The rack train permits to reach in a few minutes Avenida Vimara Peres.
A few hundred meters east of Ponte Dom Luís I, another bridge is worthy of mention: Ponte Maria Pia, the first suspended bridgemade by Eiffelas part of the national railway (which was built by the French.in 1877). When the bridge was built it represented the longest arch bridge of the world.
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Not to miss in Porto
- Praça da Libertade
- Rua de Santa Catarina: dalla Capela das Almas a Praça da Batalha
- Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos
- Praça de Gomes Teixeira: la zona universitaria
- Praça do Infante Dom Henrique
- The Sé Cathedral and surroundings
» Ribeira
» Vila Nova de Gaia: the wine cellars
» Museums
- Fundaçao Serralves e Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea
- Museu nacional Soares dos Reis
- Centro português de Fotografia
- Solar do Vinho do Porto
- Museu do Carro eléctrico
- Casa da Música