Explore the streets of Porto with AtWill! Today: Aliados Avenue.
Aliados is the main avenue in Porto and is considered the city’s “living room” – most public festivities happen here, like concerts, New Year’s-eve fireworks and Queima das Fitas parade (a big university celebration). The avenue is filled with tall highly-decorated granite buildings, hosting the headquarters of important banks, insurance companies and hotels, mostly built in the middle of the 20th century.
At the top of the avenue is the impotent City Hall, a marble and granite palatial building with a 70m high tower, and just in front of it you can see a statue of Almeida Garrett, famous Portuguese writer. As you go down the avenue it’s possible to see other statues, like Juventude (“Youth”) and A Abundância (“Abundance”), made by Henrique Moreira. At the opposite side of City Hall is Praça da Liberdade (“Freedom Square”), with the equestrian statue of D. Pedro IV, and the Palácio das Cardosas, a former convent that is now the Intercontinental Hotel.
Other points of interest in this avenue are: Culturgest, where you can see art exhibitions, and the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world (yes, that’s a real thing). Aliados Avenue is a major meeting point for locals and a great place to rest from your exploratory walks through the city. Find a place to sit down, relax and watch people going up and down this beloved street!
Aliados Avenue is a stop point is almost every tour we do. To discover all about the most important street in Porto, book a tour with us! And to find more about other important streets in Porto, click here :)
