Viewpoints may be defined as elevated locations that offer panoramic views. They are normally synonymous with lookouts and belvederes, the latter originating from the Italian word belvedere. All these words refer to a high platform or point from where the view is panoramic and stretches to a distant horizon.

The first Portuguese language dictionary, by Rafael Bluteau – Vocabulario Portuguez e Latino…, published in Coimbra in 1721, defines a viewpoint as “a high position in a home, from where one marvels at the view, looking to one place & another (…) and there are also viewpoints on towers & and others in the form of balconies (…)” (1)

These definitions help us understand the nature of viewpoints. They may be natural features, such as mountain tops, or artificial ones, such as towers, bridges, buildings, etc. The city of Porto offers both of these, with the natural peaks of its hilly terrain and the artificial viewpoints resulting from the construction of civil and religious buildings and infrastructures such as bridges.

Porto originally grew out of two separate urban clusters, located on two high points – the Sé mount, where the first inhabitants settled, and the Vitória mount. The whole urban network branched out from these two clusters that expanded down the hillsides to reach the Douro River. This created a highly singular urban landscape with various panoramic views of the Douro River and of the city itself.

From the Sé and Vitória mounts, from the terraces, towers or bridges rising above the city, the view offers must-see scenarios and unique panoramas immortalised by writers, chroniclers, painters, poets and photographers.

The Porto Viewpoints Tour covers a total of 24 high points in the city, from which visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the urban setting and the Douro River.

These locations have been grouped into two categories: artificial viewpoints, which are built infrastructures, and natural viewpoints corresponding, in the main, to the city’s natural elevations.

The tour has been designed to be completed in two days. We suggest that the first day be spent exploring the natural viewpoints:

• Colégio dos Órfãos
• Fontaínhas
• Serra do Pilar
• Terreiro da Sé
• Largo do Colégio
• Igreja de N.ª Sr.ª da Vitória
• Passeio das Virtudes
• Restauração
• Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
• Quinta da Macieirinha
• Via Panorâmica
• Capela de Santa Catarina e Senhora dos Anjos
• Pérgola
• Molhe

On the second day, we propose 10 observation platforms that are on built structures, of various types, each of which unveils a different panorama:

• Muralha Fernandina - Guindais
• Funicular dos Guindais
• Ponte D. Luís I
• Elevador da Lada (Ribeira)
• Torre dos Paços do Concelho
• Torre dos Clérigos
• Muralha Fernandina - Caminho Novo
• Ponte da Arrábida
• Forte S. Francisco Xavier (Castelo do Queijo)
• Torre da Igreja da Senhora da Conceição