Porto (also known as OPorto) is the capital of the north. Porto is very different from Lisbon - unpretentious, inward-looking and unashamedly commercial.

As the local saying goes: "Coimbra sings; Braga prays; Lisbon shows off; and Oporto works." The city's fascination lies very much in the life of the place, with its prosperous business core surrounded by smart suburbs and elegant villas, side by side with a heart of cramped streets and ancient alleys that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Classified Area. Together with Rotterdam, Oporto was declared European City of Culture 2001 . The reality of the situation is that due to considerable delays, many events will take place in 2002. For further information on events, contact Porto 2001 , Edificio Peninsula, Praça do Bom Sucesso 127-5° (tel 22 605 9400, www.porto2001.pt ). Meanwhile, daily life in the city continues to be inconvenienced by the major roadworks and construction sites that characterize the preparation.

The City

The stifled streets of the old town rarely permit any sort of overall view, so it's a good idea to climb the 250 steps to the Baroque Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos (daily 10am-noon & 2-5pm; tower ?0.50) to get your bearings.

Not much goes on in the daytime at the waterfront since the big ships stopped calling here, but this is definitely the centre for nightlife. To the west, a statue of Oporto-born Henry the Navigator faces the glass-domed former Stock Exchange and the back of São Francisco (Mon-Sat 9am-5/6pm; April-Oct also Sun 10am-6pm; ?2.50, including entry to museum), perhaps the most extraordinary church in Oporto. Outside it looks like an ordinary Gothic construction, but the interior has been transformed by an unbelievably ornate attack of eighteenth-century refurbishment. Don't miss the church's small museum , which consists largely of artefacts salvaged from the monastery that once stood nearby.

The Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis at Rua de Dom Manuel II (Tues 2-6pm, Wed-Sun 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm; ?2.50), over to the west behind the city hospital, was the first national museum in Portugal. Its collection includes glass, ceramics and a formidable array of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century paintings, as well as the late-nineteenth-century sculptures of Soares dos Reis - his O Desterro (The Exile) is probably the best-known work in Portugal. Follow the road past the museum, or take any bus from the Cordoaria stop except #6 and #18, and you'll come to the Jardim do Palácio de Cristal , a peaceful park dominated by a huge domed pavilion which now serves as an exhibition hall. In summer the park is home to a vast funfair. On the far side, across Rua Entre Quintas, stands the Solar do Vinho do Porto (Mon-Fri 10am-11.45pm, Sat 11am-10.45pm), where you can sample one of hundreds of varieties of port in air-conditioned splendour - a good prelude to visiting Vila Nova.

Informatioin courtesy of Travelnow and Rough City Guides Lda