Avenida dos Aliados is a beautiful avenue in the heart of Porto and is a great place to use as a starting point for exploring the city. Lined with fine old Beaux Artes buildings, it’s been compared to Paris’s Champs-Élysées. This is the view from Praça General Humberto Delgado, just in front of the Municipal Building, looking towards the Praça da Liberdade and the Hotel Intercontinental.
Located just a five minute bus ride from our hotel, Avenida dos Aliados served as the hub for our explorations. The avenue is just a few minutes walk from the Majestic Cafe, Livraria Lello, São Bento Railway Station, Mercado do Bolhão, the Church of São Francisco and many other tourist destinations. It was also a great place to sit in one of the many restaurants to relax and plan our move. We had breakfast at the famous Cafe Guarany and experienced Porto’s famous francesinha at an outdoor restaurant in the shadow of beautiful statue of Dom Pedro IV in the Praça da Liberdade.
Interestingly, until 2006 there was a tree-lined park in the center of the avenue. When the metro station was built under the avenue, the park gave way to a paved square. It would have been nice to experience it as a park, but Porto makes great use of the open space, using it as the chosen spot for concerts, festivals and other big events.
Mostly True 