Built on the right bank of the Douro river, Oporto (or Porto) is a city where the old features contrast with the new. Its winding, hilly, narrow streets in the old town are a complement to its wide modern avenues which spread out to the suburbs. As capital of the north, Oporto is very unpretentious and unashamedly commercial. As a Portuguese saying goes: "Lisbon shows off, Braga prays, Coimbra studies and Porto works". In 2001 Oporto shared the title of the "European Capital of Culture" with Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Here, at the delta of the Douro River, is a center of port wine production. The wines, which are produced in several "quintas" up the river on step hills, are bottled and shipped from here to places all over the world. Vila Nova de Gaia, the city opposite of Oporto on the left bank of the River, is the home to all the famous Port wine companies like Taylors, Dows, Offleys, and Calem.

Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia are directly connected through the Ponte de Dom Luis I, a steel bridge built in the 19th century. This bridge, dominating the skyline of the two cities, is a double bridge that connects on the one hand the upper towns of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia and on the other hand the river banks. The most direct route to the wine lodges is across the lower level from the Cais da Ribeira, but if you have a head for heights it is an amazing sensation to walk over the upper deck, otherwise take bus no. 32, 57 or 91 from Sao Bento train station. Standing on the upper bridge and looking eastwards you will see the second steelwork construction bridge of Porto, the railway bridge Ponte de D. Maria Pia, designed and contracted by Gustave Eiffel's company with Théophile Seyrig as chief engineer in 1876 / 1877, length 160 m.