Come aboard with me in the charming tram (since 1895). The tram in Porto has 3 lines: Line 1 takes you alongside the banks of Douro River; line 18 that goes from Massarelos to Carmo and line 22 that crosses Porto’s city center to Guindais.

Line 1

This line takes you on a journey alongside the Douro River. It’s a very pleasant trip that will take you through the Tram Museum (Museu do Carro Eléctrico) where you can  appreciate the evolution of tram through times; Alfândega Porto Congress Centre that in the past used to be the Custom’s House is a 150 year old building and today is a Congress Centre with a lot of events, permanent and temporary displays; Arrábida Bridge is the last of 6 bridges that cross Douro River. The bridge is the one closer to the mouth of Douro River and since 2016 it’s possible to climb it and enjoy a fantastic view of the city. Passeio Alegre, located in the mouth of Douro river is where the line ends . Passeio Alegre is characterized by its iconic Palm trees.

 

Line 18

Departs from the Tram Museum. The beginning of the journey starts with an ascending road which will allow you to have a glimpse to the Douro river and Gaia. On the left side of this road you have Crystal Palace (Palácio de Cristal) which I highly recommend as you can enjoy the magnificent view of the river, Alfândega and Gaia (but don’t worry, we will come to this fantastic place later). Keep going up and we are going to find the court, Cordoaria’s garden, Clérigos’ Tower and Praça dos Leões, also known as Carmo. Here you can switch to line 22 which will take you to Guindais, but before you go you can visit Igreja do Carmo, 18th century and Igreja das Carmelitas, 17th century. The churches are next to each other though they don’t share the same wall, each one has their own entrance. Igreja do Carmo is covered in blue and white beautiful tiles. Take a look inside it’s really worth it.

Line 22

Departs from Carmo and will take you through the city centre to Guindais. Some of the places you can see during this journey are: Clérigos’ Tower, City Hall, São Bento railway station, Santo Ildefonso Church (another beautiful church from the 18th century covered in blue and white tiles), Teatro Nacional São João and Guindais. This is going to be the starting point for our next journey.