Porto

Porto — or Oporto, as the English once called it — gave its name to an entire nation and to the fortified wine that has been aged in its riverside cellars since the seventeenth century. Perched on the granite cliffs above the Douro river, this UNESCO World Heritage city was a vital Atlantic trading port when Henry the Navigator launched Portugal's Age of Discovery from its shores in the fifteenth century. The Ribeira district, with its pastel-painted houses stacked vertiginously above the waterfront, has barely changed in silhouette since the eighteenth century.

Porto's urban landscape is a study in beautiful decay and dazzling renewal. The iconic Dom Luís I Bridge, an iron arch designed by a pupil of Gustave Eiffel, spans the Douro in two tiers — the upper for the Metro, the lower for pedestrians and traffic. São Bento railway station's vestibule is sheathed in over 20,000 blue-and-white azulejo tiles depicting Portuguese history. The Livraria Lello, a neo-Gothic bookshop whose crimson staircase allegedly inspired J.K. Rowling, draws literary pilgrims from around the world. Across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, the port wine lodges — Taylor's, Graham's, Sandeman, and dozens more — offer tastings in candlelit cellars.

Porto's food scene is earthy and uncompromising. The francesinha — a towering sandwich of cured meats, sausage, and steak smothered in melted cheese and a beer-tomato sauce — is the city's cardiological masterpiece, best attempted at Café Santiago. Tripas à moda do Porto (Porto-style tripe) earned the city's residents their nickname, tripeiros. Pastéis de nata (custard tarts) from Manteigaria or Nata Lisboa arrive blistered and caramelised. The Bolhão Market, recently restored to its iron-and-glass glory, overflows with bacalhau (salt cod), charcuterie, and seasonal produce.

The Douro Valley, a UNESCO-listed wine region of terraced vineyards cascading down to the river, begins an hour upstream and is one of Europe's most spectacular landscapes. The town of Régua and the village of Pinhão are common stops for wine tastings and quintas (wine estates). Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal and a UNESCO site, is an hour north. The coastal town of Matosinhos, just fifteen minutes from the city centre, is famous for its grilled sardine restaurants along the seafront.

Porto serves both ocean and river cruise itineraries, welcoming A-ROSA, AIDA, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, CroisiEurope, Crystal Cruises, Emerald Cruises, Marella Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Riviera Travel, Royal Caribbean, Scenic River Cruises, Uniworld River Cruises, and Viking. Ocean ships dock at the Leixões cruise terminal in Matosinhos, while river vessels navigate the Douro. Late spring and early autumn provide the most pleasant weather, though the grape harvest in September and October is particularly enchanting in the Douro Valley.