Porto by Design

This architect-led walk explores contemporary Porto for architecture and design enthusiasts — a city deeply respectful of its past, yet vibrant and modern, unafraid of change, grounded in the present, and open to the future. The route begins at a seemingly modern rooftop garden that, surprisingly, is rooted in the city’s medieval history. From there, you stroll through Bombarda district — Porto’s gallery and contemporary art quarter, visit the site of the long-lost Crystal Palace, and explore key landmarks of 20th- and 21st-century Porto: the bold concrete span of Arrábida Bridge, the renewed Bom Sucesso Market — a reinterpretation of civic food space — and Casa da Música, the architectural icon of today’s Porto that redefined the city’s international design presence. You then ride Porto’s metro system — itself a piece of contemporary infrastructure — before pausing over a porto tónico at a sophisticated bar to reflect on how design continues to shape the city’s everyday experience.

Rather than presenting Porto as a static museum of architectural styles, this architect-led tour invites you to experience the city as a living, evolving urban landscape — where infrastructure, public space, commerce, and cultural ambition intersect. Informed by the guide’s research on sense of place, the tour looks beyond individual buildings to explore the people, ideas, and social forces that shape them. The focus is not simply on architecture, but on how Porto has negotiated transformation: adaptive reuse, civic reinvention, and contemporary design layered onto historic ground. You gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live in the city today — riding the metro locals use, moving through a working market, and passing through a district where creative industries now gather. The tour offers insight into the forces behind design decisions — an understanding that is difficult to assemble independently without architectural training or local knowledge.

With a background in architecture and design research, and a specialization in built heritage and architectural history, Jelena has spent over a decade exploring Porto. Since 2013, the city has been her primary case study, blending her enthusiasm for Porto with an academic focus on sense of place. As a design researcher and former university lecturer in Heritage and Design in Porto, she has spent years studying the stories that shape this remarkable city. Since 2018, she has led historical city tours, sharing her knowledge and appreciation for this vibrant and ever-evolving place with visitors from around the world.

Comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and a camera or smartphone to photograph the sites.