Porto

Porto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu] ), also known in English as Oporto, is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropolitan area, with an estimated population of just 252,687 people in a municipality with only 41.42 km2 (16 sq mi). Porto's urban area has around 1,4 million people,(2025) in an area of 2,395 km2 (925 sq mi), making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. while the Porto metro area surpasses 1,8 million people. It is recognized as a global city with a Gamma + rating from the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers and its core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as the "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar". The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back to the 2nd century BC when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name Portugal, based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin. Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export of fortified wine. Porto is on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago. In 2014 and 2017, Porto was elected The Best European Destination by the Best European Destinations Agency. In 2023, Porto was named City of the Year by Food and Travel magazine. In 2024, the city was awarded World’s Leading Seaside Metropolitan Destination at the World Travel Awards.