Torre dos Clérigos

Aliados & Bolhão


Sticking out on Porto's skyline like a sore thumb – albeit a beautiful baroque one – this 76m-high tower was designed by Italian-born baroque master Nicolau Nasoni in the mid-1700s. Climb its 225-step spiral staircase for phenomenal views over Porto's tiled rooftops, spires and the curve of the Douro to the port-wine lodges in Gaia. It also harbours an exhibition that chronicles the history of the tower's architects and residents.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Aliados & Bolhão attractions

1. Igreja dos Clérigos

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Nicolau Nasoni designed the Igreja dos Clérigos, with its theatrical facade and un­usual, oval-shaped nave, resembling a Fabergé egg due to its dusky pink…

2. Livraria Lello

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Ostensibly a bookshop, but even if you’re not after books, don’t miss this exquisite 1906 neo-Gothic confection, with its lavishly carved plaster…

3. Rua de São Bento da Vitória

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4. Centro Português de Fotografia

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This stately yet muscular building (1767) once served as a prison and now houses a photography museum. You actually walk through the thick iron gates and…

5. Jardim da Cordoaria

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This pleasantly leafy park is known simply as ‘Cordoaria’. Check out the four haunting sculptures by Spain's Juan Muñoz. The romantic, narrow lanes that…

6. Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória

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Note the sign in front of this former monastery apologising for the expulsion of the Jews in 1496 under the Portuguese Inquisition and the iron fist of…

7. Igreja das Carmelitas

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8. Igreja do Carmo

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Dating to the late 18th century, this captivating azulejo-covered church is one of Porto’s best examples of rococo architecture. The tiled panel on the…