Few days before going to Porto, I arranged to meet two friends who are from there, and both of them told me that if the weather was good, I should go up to the Clerigos Tower. So, when we arrived in the city and saw that sunny weather and blue sky, we went straight there, especially because the hotel was just a 10-minute walk away.

CHIP de CELULAR com 15% de desconto Vai viajar para o exterior e quer manter seu número no whatsapp? Já chegue no seu destino com o celular funcionando. O meu Chip oferece plano de dados ilimitados com roteamento gratuito nos Estados Unidos e em vários países, para que você fique conectado na internet. O chip Europa tem velocidade 4G ligações ilimitadas e funciona em toda União Européia! Utilize o cupom para ganhar 15% de desconto VIAJANTE!

The Clerigos Tower is next to the church of the same name, built between 1748 and 1763. It is located in the Baixa area, which, despite the name, is already an elevated area of the city. So, after 225 steps (76 meters high), you are rewarded with a spectacular view of Porto, especially of the Douro River, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Ribeira.

Take your time – it’s nice to have a map of the city in hand and try to identify monuments and historic buildings, such as the São Bento Station and the Sé. I was enchanted by the rooftops (yes, really!), I found it to be a very photogenic view, like a model. It’s a very beautiful mess : )

At the halfway point of the climb, you’ll see the 49 bells of the Tower, which ring at 12 noon and 6 pm. Interesting fact I read in the guide: the bells are controlled by software connected to two clocks, one in England and one in Germany, to keep the right time.

To climb the Clerigos Tower, you need to pay 2 euros (for 3 euros you also get binoculars and for 5 euros you get the audio guide). If you don’t want to climb, entry to the church is free.

Another iconic spot in Porto with an incredible view is the Luis I Bridge – the “second floor” of it, where one of the metro lines passes. You don’t necessarily have to take this route to go to Gaia and visit the Port Wine cellars (it’s much easier to go by foot), but we wanted to take the cable car from up there. It was a great idea!

The best part of crossing the bridge is that the scenery changes along the way – at the beginning (at the edge of Porto) you see Gaia, then in the middle it’s cool to see the extent of the Douro on both sides, and there on the other side, arriving in Gaia, the view of Ribeira is enchanting.

alto, Clérigos, dos, Luís, ponte, Porto, Torre