Where to stay in Porto

The working-class eastern neighborhood: the most genuine Porto outside the tourist zone. Rua Miguel Bombarda has the best independent galleries and concept stores in the city. The Sao Bento railway station (in Baixa, technically) has the most extraordinary azulejo tile panels in Portugal - 20,000 blue-and-white tiles depicting Portuguese history (free to enter). Bonfim is where the Festas de Sao Joao are celebrated most intensely.

The bohemian neighborhood northwest of the centre: Rua Miguel Bombarda has the highest concentration of contemporary art galleries in Porto. The Mercado Bom Sucesso (the redesigned 1952 market, now a food court and design hotel) is here. The Jardim da Cordoaria (the public park in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Serralves - free park, €14 museum) and the Igreja do Carmo with its azulejo-covered side facade (free) are nearby. The neighborhood wine bars are the best in Porto for natural wine and unfussy cooking.

The riverfront historic quarter: a UNESCO World Heritage Site of medieval houses stacked up the Douro gorge, laundry hung between azulejo-tiled facades, and the Dom Luis I bridge (1886) connecting Porto to the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia on the south bank. The Ribeira square is tourist-heavy but genuinely beautiful - come for the view, the caldo verde (potato soup with kale, €3.50), and the port wine. The Miragaia neighborhood west of the square is quieter and more authentic.

The city centre: Avenida dos Aliados is Porto's grand boulevard, with the neoclassical City Hall at one end and the Bolhao market at the other. The Lello Bookshop (€5 entry, redeemable against purchase - J.K. Rowling's alleged inspiration for the library in Harry Potter, a neo-Gothic staircase masterpiece) is nearby. The Cafe Majestic on Rua de Santa Catarina (the most beautiful cafe in Portugal, since 1921) is worth a coffee even at the tourist price (€5).

Across the Dom Luis I bridge: the south bank is entirely occupied by the port wine lodges (caves) of every major port house - Sandeman, Ramos Pinto, Graham's, Taylor's, and 50 others. Most offer tours (€8-15) and tastings. The teleférico de Gaia (cable car, €6 each way) connects the riverside lodges to the cliff-top neighborhood. The view from the top of the bridge (accessible on foot, the upper level) over the Douro gorge and the Porto skyline is the finest in the city.

The mouth of the Douro where the river meets the Atlantic: the most expensive neighborhood in Porto, with the best restaurants and the clearest Atlantic air. The historic tram (Linha 1) runs along the river to Foz from the Ribeira - a 30-minute journey past the Quinta da Macieirinha park and the Crystal Palace gardens. Foz has a promenade, ocean swimming pools built into the rocks (Piscina das Marés), and the finest sunsets in Porto. The Matosinhos neighborhood just north has the best fish restaurants in the Porto metropolitan area.