This decadent but charming building, formerly “Pensão Astoria”, old historical  but also avant garde, bourgeois and proletarian, but also with 19th-century gardens, overlooks the Douro River and the Dom Luís I bridge. There’s no doubt that this is the heart of the city, lively at any time of the day or night. Enjoy a port while you overlook the river and the majestic Dom Luis I bridge, before exploring the charming hillside streets. The Dom Luís I bridge, through the Renaissance-era Ribeira square where river cruises departed, alongside trolleys up the steep embankment, past grand 19th-century neoclassical palaces and early 20th-century art nouveau cafes. Along the way traditional painted ceramic tile, or azulejo, to make your eyes glaze: ornate single pieces sold as objets d’art, decorative squares embedded into baroque churches, entire facades of tenement houses rendered in a single vibrant hue, and massive blue-and-white friezes depicting historical scenes spanning the walls of the São Bento train station. The stunning riverside area of Cais da Ribeira is the scene that most people think of when they imagine Porto. Colored townhouses line the banks of the River Douro, with bustling restaurant terraces, and street musicians.