Porto

The old town at the water's edge — a jumble of coloured houses, washing lines and stepped alleys opening onto the quay, where the whole city comes for a sunset drink under the bridge. The heart and soul of Porto; just wander and get lost.

The double-decker iron bridge that frames the city — a Eiffel-school masterpiece you cross on the top deck (with the metro) for the best view of Porto, the river and the wine lodges. Do it at golden hour; it's the definitive Porto photo.

The whole reason the city is famous — cross to Gaia and tour a lodge (Taylor's, Graham's, Sandeman and a dozen more), walking the cool cellars of ageing barrels and finishing with a tasting of tawny, ruby and vintage. Book the one with the best terrace.

One of the most beautiful bookshops on earth — a neo-Gothic jewel box with a curling crimson staircase and a stained-glass ceiling, said to have stirred a young Porto resident named J.K. Rowling. Buy a timed ticket online and go at opening to beat the crush.

The slender baroque bell tower that spikes the skyline — 240 steps up the granite spiral for a 360° view over the tiled rooftops to the river and the sea. The classic way to get your bearings on the whole city.

Quite possibly the world's most beautiful railway station — an ordinary working terminus whose entrance hall is lined with 20,000 blue-and-white azulejo tiles telling the history of Portugal. Free, five minutes, and unforgettable.

The fortress-like cathedral crowning the old town, half church half castle, with a tiled cloister and a terrace looking straight down over the Ribeira and the river. Worth the climb for the view alone, and the start of the pilgrims' road to Santiago.

The city's grand old food market, back in its restored two-storey iron hall — fishmongers, flower sellers, cured hams and little counters to eat at. The place to feel Porto's everyday life and pick up lunch on the go.

Porto's gloriously excessive signature dish — a sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under a blanket of melted cheese, drowned in a spiced beer-and-tomato sauce, usually with a fried egg and chips. Not for the faint-hearted; find a café that locals swear by.

The 'six bridges' cruise — an hour on the river in a traditional rabelo boat, sliding under all the great spans and past the wine lodges for the city's best angle on itself. Cheap, unhurried, and the nicest way to see how Porto fits together.

The 19th-century stock exchange behind the old town, whose showpiece is the Arab Room — a dazzling Moorish-revival hall dripping with gold, built to impress visiting traders. Only by guided tour, and worth it for that one room.

Porto is a city of azulejo-covered churches, and the Carmo is the showstopper — a whole side wall painted in a vast blue-and-white tile mural. String a few together (Carmo, Santo Ildefonso, the Capela das Almas) on a short walk through the centre.

Take the old wooden tram or walk the riverside out to where the Douro meets the Atlantic — lighthouses, a fort, rock pools and a string of breezy beach bars. The city's exhale: sea air, sunset over the ocean, a cold beer on the sand.

The country's leading contemporary-art museum, a crisp modernist building set in vast gardens with a pink Art Deco villa — as much about the grounds and the treetop walk as the art. A green, calm half-day out towards Foz.

Porto's nightlife has one rule — everyone ends up on the same few streets around the Galerias de Paris, drink in hand, spilling out of tiny bars into the road. Cheap, friendly and unpretentious; start late, follow the crowd, and don't plan too hard.