The Cedofeita Street was built into structure as a main thoroughfare of the walled city and, in 1784, João de Almada e Melo ordered to cut through the Quinta da Torrinha. Most of the constructions are from the XVIII, XIX and XX centuries, although you can still find some buildings from the XVII century. Balconies, terraces, irons, glazed tiles, ashlars-work, ceramics and mansards are some the architectonical elements that contribute to particularize this thoroughfare, which has equally a big historic and cultural importance.

Urban ensemble from the beginning of the XX century that reflects the calm and cultural ambience of that period. You can distinguish the fine labour of the ashlar-work and the iron in the constructions. Although the façades composition is varied, there is a unit and harmony of great aesthetic quality.

The Sé area is the cradle of the city, shaped and organized around the See, which was once a big union of small villages. On the top of the Sé hill, its powerful towers are easy to see. There stand up some constructions of architectonical value, such as the Paço Episcopal, which volume and beauty impose on you. From its terrace you can see the mass of houses in that place, distinguished by the difference of volumes and colours and also by the contrast of the scale of the buildings that extend till the river.

The Casa da Sereias is located at the Bandeirinha Street, The old Jews hill. The name which the house is known for (mermaid house) comes from the two exotic and gigantic mermaids that side the doorway. It is characterized by a simple architecture, except the magnificently sculpted façade, divided in three parts separated by pilasters, as well as the front extremes which simulate turrets crowned with battlements, delimited by pilasters that go up from the ground floor till the top. The Portocarrera family abandoned this palace in 1809, when the population murdered their sun thinking he was involved with the …

You can admire the Historical Centre, World Cultural Heritage, by its exceptional quality in any of the spots viewing the Douro River. The city conjugates the carefully preserving of the past with a rich and varied cultural activity, which justifies the EU decision for choosing the city, together with Rotterdam, for European Capital of Culture 2001.

Along the high levelling that was made in order to level the Rua Nova da Alfãndega Street runs the typical Miragaia Street, bellow the level of the main street, with its houses laid on arcades. This zone is one of the most interesting areas of Porto and where you can see buildings with signs from the XV and XVI centuries as well as many others from the XVII and XVIII centuries. Of those streets, we point out three: Viela da Baleia, name that remembers the mandible of a wale that used to be there; Ancira Street (right in front of …

Street that was open in the beginning of the XIX century, hiding the “rio de vila”, an ancient river that dived the city in two, flowing into the Douro. In this street you can find the small fountain Mouzinho da Silveira.

This street has one of the best examples of the Romanic in Portugal from the beginning of the XII century: it’s São Martinho Church; in this area of the city there are two large parochial modern churches: Cedofeita and Carvalhido. Nowadays, a part of the street is essentially a walking street with retail business.

The Passeio das Virtudes is leaning over the Calçada das Virtudes, which ends at the Virtudes Fountain. Being a balcony over Miragaia, it offers a beautiful view of the landscape spreading out from the river till its mouth. Here you will find the Cooperativa Árvore head-office, which is the stage for several cultural activities.

There was a passage below the street level in this area. The Madeira Street (“wood” street won this name thanks to the fact that there used to be a warehouse of wood for construction in that same place. In this area there used to exist the “Porta dos Carros”, one of the big city entrances, that disappeared when the walls of the city were destroyed.