John of Gaunt’s daughter, sister of the future Henry IV, was married to King João I in the city in 1387, and three centuries later a large number of English traders settled in the city to encourage the growth in the towns most famous export, port wine. In 1809 British troops invaded the city, expelling the French, who had been occupying Portugal.

WHAT TO SEE

Porto has been consistently underrated as an attraction to visitors, and although large parts of it are industrial it is undergoing major redevelopment and restoration Most of the attractive parts of the city are contained within its old centre – the stock exchange with its Arab-influenced ballroom and the Serralves art gallery, set in a beautiful public garden, are well worth a look. The area around the city is home to many producers of port wine, some of which offer tours and tastings.

Don’t miss: The Church of São Francisco, which is one of the most spectacular buildings in Portugal. The interior of the church is covered with vast quantities of gilded foliage.

GETTING THERE

By air: There are frequent flights from Lisbon to Porto, but they are prohibitively expensive compared with the relatively low cost and short journey times by road and rail from Lisbon. See the Lisbon page for details of flights from the UK to Lisbon.

By rail: Regular intercity trains from Lisbon take between 3 hours and 4hrs 20min, depending on the journey length, and cost £10-£20.

By car: Allow about £10 for tolls if you are driving from Lisbon to Portugal. The journey takes about 3hrs 30min.

By bus: Most buses take just under 4 hours to travel up from Lisbon.

GETTING AROUND

The city has a good network of buses and trams, and a three-day pass for unlimited travel costs about £3.50.

WHERE TO STAY

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