Porto, also known as Oporto in English, is located in the north of Portugal and considered to be one of the countries finest cities in terms of history, art and standard of living. I discovered some of Porto’s highlights on a short break there in the summer and think that the city is worthy of more attention than it usually gets from tourists compared to other European cities.

To start with, the city’s historic centre, the Ribeira district, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 and is a pretty special place to wander around on a gentle summer’s day, getting lost in the winding old streets, taking photos of the pretty tiled churches and enjoying a drink at one of the quaint local bars.

Oporto Cathedral, the ruined city walls, Liberdade Square, the Crystal Palace Gardens and the beautiful tiled Sao Bento Train Station were all on my list of places to visit and not one of them disappointed.

The National Museum Soares dos Reis with Portuguese art from the 16th to the 20th century is a place of great importance in Porto, along with the Museum of Contemporary Art, the stunning Coliseu do Porto concert hall and the Sao Joao National Theatre. Lello bookshop, once awarded third place in the Guardian’s list of top bookshops in the world is also pretty special and a great place to soak up some culture and history.

This city is best known for its Port wine but its cuisine is very good too and is now getting a look in on the international food scene thanks to a few high standard progressive restaurants that have opened in Porto.

The city’s most important public event in the Sao Joao Festival on the 23rd and 24th of June. People eat sardines with boiled potatoes and red wine traditionally on this day and the whole city comes alive with street parties and celebrations of all kinds. If you want to experience this bustling street party first hand, reserve your hotel in Porto as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as accommodation fills up very quickly at this time of year. The Portuguese know how to party, and not only during the Sao Joao Festival either; Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side of the River Douro hosts many sets by good European DJ’s during the summer months and there are plenty of night clubs and bars to choose from all year round.

There is a very crumbly side to Porto with many 20th century buildings left to fall into disrepair but the city has been cleaned up somewhat over the past twenty years. It now has a metro system, and a recent influx of young residence which has bought the city back to life somewhat and accompanied the opening of trendy bars, art galleries and shops.

There is plenty of budget accommodation around for young, independent travellers looking to visit a European city that hasn’t yet been spoiled by mass tourism.