Porto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpoɾtu]), also known as Oporto in English, is Portugal's second city and the capital of Norte region. It is, along with Lisbon, one of Portugal's two global cities. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. Being the largest city in the region, it is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region. With an estimated population of about 220,000 (est.2008), it lies at the center of the political Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, with a population of slightly more than 1.7 million (est. 2008), and is the main metropolitan area of northern Portugal.
While in Porto, we toured the city and its waterfront, boarded our river vessel (which was to be our home for the next week), and took a side trip to Guimãres, which is considered the birthplace of Portugal.