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Portugal's second city Porto is located 300 km south of Lisbon, and has a timeless appeal with a thriving business centre and the old world charm of cobbled streets in its UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ribeira area.

Oporto is one of Portugal's chief economic centers and the focus of a large metropolitan area. Port wine (named for the city) is Porto's most noted manufacture and export; other products include processed fish, textiles, and clothing. Oporto city's points of interest are the old quarter, with narrow, cobbled streets; the cathedral (12th-18th century); and the 18th-century Torre dos Clérigos (Tower of the Clerics), a granite structure 75 m (246 ft) high. Oporto city has the University of Porto (1911), the Higher School of Fine Arts (1836), and the National Museum of Soares dos Reis, containing a collection of paintings and antiquities.. Oporto city was developed as an exporting center of port wine in the late 17th century. The construction in 1890 of an artificial harbor at Porto de Leixões contributed to Oporto city's later growth. Population of Opoto (1997 estimate) 273,060.

In recent times there has been popularity for people from other parts to refer to it as Oporto city. This is due to its close and lengthy association with Port wine and the reference to the product, "o porto".