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Sé Cathedral do Porto is Porto's best sunset spot

We trudged up the oversized stone steps of the medieval bell tower to witness a spectacular golden haze cast across the city. It was in this moment I fell a little more in love with Porto.

I’d heard that the Sé Cathedral do Porto had some stunning blue-and-white tile scenes to check out, and being winter I thought maybe we could time it to catch the sun disappear before closing time. As it often happens, I was right and the top of the Sé tower might be the best sunset spot in Porto.

The Sé do Porto is more than 900 years old. Yes, work started in 1110 and as you can imagine the imposing building has gone through many changes in that time, so you’ll spy Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architecture and influence.

Most importantly, there’s a huge amount of incredible azulejos making this a certain #tileoftheday.

Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos

The blue-and-white tile scenes inside the Gothic cloisters were painted by Valentim de Almeida between 1729 and 1731, depicting the life of the Virgin Mary and Ovid’s Metamorphoses. 

On the upstairs terrace of the Sé do Porto there’s also these huge tile panels by António Vidal.

Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto has amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto is filled with amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto is full of azulejos
Sé Cathedral do Porto is full of tiles

There’s something extra special about the way ancient Porto sparkles under the glow of sunlight. The city has a very different feeling to Lisbon, where I live, which is why visiting is always magic.

Porto didn’t suffer the fate of the 1755 earthquake that razed much of Lisbon, and the nickname – cidade invictus – which means undefeated city means its enemies were never able to conquer the ancient town. The result? Everything feels older.

Sé Cathedral do Porto is Porto's best sunset spot
Sé Cathedral do Porto has amazing tiles
Sé Cathedral do Porto has amazing views from the tower
Sé Cathedral do Porto is Porto's best sunset spot
Sé Cathedral do Porto view
Sé Cathedral do Porto has amazing views from the tower
Sé Cathedral do Porto has amazing views
Sé Cathedral do Porto has incredible views from the tower

Check out my other #TileoftheDay posts exploring São Bento Station, Chelas Convent, yellow tiles of Lisbon, fishing village of Sesimbra and Palacio de Estoi in the Algarve.

I’m an Australian travel writer and food journalist who has been living in Lisbon since 2018. I started this blog as a place to share and record my love of Portugal.

Comments:

  • Nadia Licence

    April 13, 2022

    As it often happens…your blog makes me want to travel to Portugal more and more.

    reply...

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