Porto Freedom: Self-Drive City Tour in an Elecric Vehicle - Delivery Included

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Livraria Lello, Rua Carmelitas 144 Vitória, Porto 4050-161 Portugal

Lonely Planet considered Lello & Irmão Bookstore as the third most beautiful library in the world. The building was inaugurated on January 13th, 1906, in an important social event for both Portuguese and Brazilian societies, attended by famous people from different spheres – among them Guerra Junqueiro, a renowned Portuguese writer. Rumor has it that J.K. Rowling’s inspiration to write Harry Potter has begun in Porto, particularly at this library. The well-known writer lived in Porto for 10 years working as an English teacher in the early 1990s and she used to drink a cup of coffee at the second floor of Lello’s bookstore. There are indeed great similarities between Lello’s bookstore staircase and the one described in Hogwarts.
It is also believed that the Hogwarts’ costume was inspired by the costumes of college students in Portugal, composed of a black suit and a black coat – these students are very likely to be found around this area, as the headquar-ters of the Porto University are located at Praça Gomes Teixeira (up ahead, where you can find a Lion’s fountain, hence the nickname “Praça dos Leões” – Lions’ Square, as the locals call it).


Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Ribeira Square, Praca Ribeira 1, Porto 4050-513 Portugal

The iconic and traditional square. A must go site in the heart of Porto. The Ribeira Square (Portuguese: Praça da Ribeira) is a historical square in Porto, Portugal. It is included in the historical centre of the city, designated World Heritage by UNESCO. The Ribeira district spreads alongside the Douro river and used to be a centre of intense commercial and manufacturing activity since the Middle Ages. Also since that time the Ribeira Square was the site of many shops that sold fish, bread, meat and other goods. In 1491 the buildings around the square were destroyed in a fire, and the houses were rebuilt with arcades in their groundfloors. During this rebuilding campaign the square also gained a pavement made of stone slabs.
In the mid-18th century the city needed new urban improvements to provide for the swift flow of goods and people between the Ribeira neighbourhood and other areas of Porto. In this context, governor João de Almada e Melo opened a new street, the São João Street, that connected the Ribeira Square and the upper town, and promoted the reurbanisation of the square itself. The project, executed between 1776 and 1782, is credited to John Whitehead, English consul in Porto. The square was to become enclosed on its north, west and east sides by buildings with arcades, while the south side of the square, facing the Douro, was enclosed by the medieval walls (Muralhas Fernandinas) of Porto. These walls were torned down in 1821, opening the square to the river.
The Ribeira Square and its surrounding has been classified as Property of Public Interest since 1971


Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Avenida dos Aliados, Av. dos Aliados 266, 4000-010 Porto, Portugal

“Aliados”, as Porto inhabitants call in short and proudly to this large avenue, is Porto’s reception room. Some say this is our little Champs Elysées, but this designation is unfair for both sides.
This avenue is a lively one and surrounded by beautiful buildings, with a very specific character that has much to do with the strength that people from Porto have shown throughout History.
At the end of the 19th century, Porto witnessed a great growth as a finance centre, therefore many banks and insurance companies wanted to be pre-sent in the city. This transformation also led to the opening, around the area, of many luxury article shops, refined coffee shops and hotels.
This development continued with the opening of the new train station – S. Bento – in 1909. However, the renovation works of the avenue did not start until the implantation of Republic, on the 5th October 1910.
The project to enlarge the area of the avenue and of other main arteries of the city centre was initially designed by the British architect Barry Parker, in 1915, however it ended up being largely influenced by a group of ar-chitects recently arrived from Paris. Therefore, the neoclassical inspiration of Parker’s project was replaced by a “Beaux Arts” model of Parisian inspira-tion that the buildings of today’s Aliados avenue show. The City Hall was designed by Correia da Silva.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Serra do Pilar Viewpoint, Largo de Aviz Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, Vila Nova de Gaia 4430-329 Portugal

One of the best viewpoints in all of the city. World Cultural Heritage, it started being built in 1538, and was concluded only around 1670. At first it was created in order to accommodate the Augustinian Friars of the Monastery of Grijó. Later, during the Civil War of 1832-1834, the liberal army settled in the monastery. As a result of the war and of the constant attacks it suffered, it was in a terrible state of disrepair and neglect, until in 1834 with the creation of the Royal Brotherhood of Lady of the Pilar, and later the Group of Friends of the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, in 1925, the whole building was recovered. The church, of circular plan, has the dome surrounded by a balcony; the cloister is also circular, with 36 Ionic columns, the only example in Portugal. From its grand terrace one can see the whole riverside area of Porto and Gaia until the Arrábida Bridge, and the historic center, with emphasis on the Cathedral and D. Luís I bridge. In the opposite direction one can see that the zone of Fontainhas and the São João bridge.

Duration: 15 minutes