A rectangle of glass and honeycombed steel seemingly teleported in from a future era, Ar de Rio is one of Porto's most striking examples of avant-garde architecture. Mirroring the changing moods of the city and Douro in its facade, it impresses more with its design and views than with its food – francesinha is the menu staple. Or just go for a drink.
Ar de Rio
Vila Nova de Gaia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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Igreja de São Francisco looks from the outside to be an austerely Gothic church, but inside it hides one of Portugal’s most dazzling displays of baroque…
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This fabulous cultural institution combines a museum, a mansion and extensive gardens. Cutting-edge exhibitions, along with a fine permanent collection…
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Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis
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Porto's best art museum presents a stellar collection ranging from Neolithic carvings to Portugal’s take on modernism, all housed in the formidable…
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This splendid neoclassical monument (built from 1842 to 1910) honours Porto’s past and present money merchants. Just past the entrance is the glass-domed…
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Sitting atop a bluff, this gorgeous botanical garden is one of Porto's best-loved escapes, with lawns interwoven with sun-dappled paths and dotted with…
1.69 MILES
At once minimalist, iconic and daringly imaginative, the Casa da Música is the beating heart of Porto's cultural scene and the home of the Porto National…
0.6 MILES
One of the world's most beautiful train stations, beaux arts São Bento wings you back to a more graceful age of rail travel. Completed in 1903, it seems…
Nearby Vila Nova de Gaia attractions
0.08 MILES
In the quaint, alley-woven heart of Vila Nova da Gaia sits this whitewashed church. Built in the 14th century, it was given a baroque makeover in the 18th…
0.1 MILES
This swanky port-wine emporium inside a restored 18th-century riverside building celebrates all things port. In addition to a shop where tastings are held…
0.23 MILES
In this handsomely renovated medieval town house, according to legend, Henry the Navigator was born in 1394. The building later served as Porto’s first…
0.24 MILES
Down by the Rio Douro, narrow streets open out onto a plaza framed by austerely grand, tiled town houses overlooking a picturesque stretch of the river…
0.24 MILES
Igreja de São Francisco looks from the outside to be an austerely Gothic church, but inside it hides one of Portugal’s most dazzling displays of baroque…
6. Jardim do Infante Dom Henrique
0.26 MILES
Presided over by the late-19th-century market hall Mercado Ferreira Borges and neoclassical Palácio da Bolsa, these gardens are named after the…
0.27 MILES
This splendid neoclassical monument (built from 1842 to 1910) honours Porto’s past and present money merchants. Just past the entrance is the glass-domed…
0.28 MILES
Don't miss a ride on this aerial gondola that provides fine views over the Douro and Porto on its short, five-minute jaunt. It runs between the southern…