Ribeira

Ribeira: The neighbourhood you fall in love with

Porto is a city that awakens passions. The fog, the beautiful stone buildings and the mysterious and poetic atmosphere make this city in the north of Portugal one of the country's greatest tourist attractions. To visit Porto is also to visit the history of Portugal, its charm, its gastronomy and its drinks. The city is divided into several districts, each with its own interest, from the artistic district of Bonfim to Baixa and, not forgetting, the Ribeira district.

A postcard but not only

The area along the banks of Porto is the place that appears on most postcards of the city, and this is not by chance. It is one of the most emblematic places in the city, where it is possible to capture in a single image the houses that fill it, the Luiz I Bridge and the Douro River, three of the most emblematic images of the city of Porto. The Ribeira has served many purposes: it was once the nerve centre of the city's merchants, who obtained their supplies from the rabelo boats that docked there, and today it is the meeting point for those who want to listen to good music, drink a glass of port and let themselves be impregnated by the beauty of the city, especially at sunset, when the view of the Douro is something magical.

The history of Ribeira

But what is so fascinating about this place? First of all, its history and its setting, located at the foot of Porto Cathedral and the city centre, this "old house" is one of the oldest places in Porto, where the merchants who arrived in the Rabelo boats used to do business and sell the products that came down the river. For this reason, this area has always been one of the busiest in the city, and many of the city's caricatured stories come from here. One of them, for example, concerns the Duque da Ribeira, the popular name of Deocleciano Monteiro, the boatman known for saving the bodies of the suicides who threw themselves off the Luiz I bridge. The link between this popular character and the Ribeira region is such that, in his honour, after his death, the square next to the pillar of the Luiz I bridge was named after him and a stone was placed there.

Activities

Ribeira is home to a number of restaurants and bars as well as hotels, all located around the Praça da Ribeira - or Praça do "Cubo" as the locals call it.  This is why, day and night, it is one of the most popular places to enjoy the typical city breeze and take a stroll. It is also the place to celebrate Midsummer's Day, Porto's municipal festival and probably the city's biggest party day. With a plastic hammer in one hand and a sardine in the other, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the riverside area of Oporto on the night of 23 to 24 June to celebrate the city's most famous saint, who, make no mistake, is not its patron saint! That role falls to Our Lady of Vandoma.

Practical information

You can get to Ribeira by bus lines 1, 57, 91, 23 and 49, but we recommend walking to enjoy the area and its surroundings.