Located along the Douro River in Porto, Cais da Ribeira is a bustling waterfront promenade starting at the foot of Ponte Dom Luis I. The pastel tiled buildings house restaurants and bars whose seating spills out onto terraces lining the walkway. The area is bursting with activity, as tourists stop to eat or people watch and buskers serenade the passers-by and rabelos (flat-bottomed boats) float along the river.
While Cais da Ribeira is a great place to take a stroll, it is actually the other side of the river that affords you the best views of the city. Before exploring on the Porto side, we headed across Ponte Dom Luis I to get the iconic city views of Porto and the Douro River.
The bridge is always packed with people who squeeze to the side when the trams go by. Before heading over the bridge, you can get a view of the old city wall to your left.
There are incredible views in both directions as you cross the bridge. To the left you can get beautiful views of the river and 3 more of the city’s 6 bridges, as well as the 17th century monastery, Mosteiro de Serra do Pilar. And to your right you can see Vila Nova de Gaia, the port wine district on the other side of the river.
After making it across the bridge, you are afforded with the most incredible views of the city. From here you can see the bustling Cais da Ribeira and beyond, as the red-tiled roofs climb the hill into the historic district. This was truly one of the most scenic city views I have ever seen.
After admiring the view from the upper level of Gaia, we walked down the steep hill to get to the waterfront. From here we were able to really appreciate the bridge as well. Designed by Teophile Seyrig, a partner of Gustave Eiffel, and completed in 1886, the arched, two story bridge was a marvel of engineering at the time of its construction. Its 172 meter (564 foot) span made it the longest iron arch bridge in the world. Today the upper deck is for pedestrians and the metro only, and the lower deck, which carried cars until very recently, is under construction to convert to a fully pedestrian walkway.
We sat along the riverfront on the Gaia side for quite a while, enjoying the views of Porto and watching the boats go by. When we decided to head back over to explore Cais da Ribeira, I was thrilled to discover that we didn’t have to walk all the way back up the hill to the top of the bridge but could cross on the lower level. It was a bit of a tight squeeze though, as the bridge is under construction and only a narrow lane is open for pedestrians on either side.
Back on the Porto side of the Douro, the promenade was packed with pedestrians. We were nearing the end of a long day of exploring by foot and the boys (and parents) were losing their patience for idle wandering amongst crowds. We walked the length of the street and headed up the hill back towards our hotel.
Though beautiful, we found Cais da Ribeira touristy and crowded. We actually preferred the quiet and the views of the Gaia side but did enjoy walking along the street and seeing all the pastel houses. It is a scenic and unique street and whether you choose to admire it from near or afar, it is a postcard perfect setting that should not be missed.
