Porto is one of the few cities where its railway station has become in one of the most attractive sights of the city. The São Bento Railway Station is the starting point of most of tourist visits.
Do you want to see an unique show of Portugal’s history reflected in thousands of tiles (azulejos)? Get to know it with us. Are you ready? Are we all here? Then let’s start.
São Bento Railway Station: how to get there?
We arrived in the centre of Porto. We’re about to visit the city declared as World Heritage by UNESCO back in 1986. Any signpost will lead us right to São Bento Railway Station, located in the Almeida Garrett square. A few meters from Liberty Square (Praça da Liberdade) and Afonso Henriques avenue. We can see how an imposing neoclassical building rises and contains the rail terminal.
Porto's train station is currently one of the busiest in Portugal. But it’s more: the hustle and bustle of thousands of passengers traveling on local train network to localities such as Aveiro, Guimarães, Braga or Coimbra, or the vineyards region, is daily mixed with thousands of tourists admiring the station that has become an artistic jewel. But let’s know why.
Porto São Bento: its history
The railway station in Porto marks the recent history of the city. First trains began to circulate at the end of the 19th century, at the time that Portugal started its rail expansion and it was agreed to build a central railway station in Porto.
Nowadays, the station is fully operational, being a most commonly used bond of union by the Portuguese to reach the city. The project was done by a Portuguese architect José Marques da Silva, who built a granite building, with a design inspired by Art Nouveau and French Neoclassical.
Unlike other famous stations that were built at that time in Europe, the São Bento Railway Station was built over the ruins of old São Bento convent, destroyed in a fire in 1783 and from which it took its name. The station was finally completed and inaugurated in 1916.
Porto São Bento Station: an artistic jewel with more than 20.000 tiles (azulejos)
But without a doubt, the main attraction of the São Bento station is in its lobby, with a mural on its walls with more than 20.000 hand-illustrated tiles (azulejos). The pieces are the work of Jorge Colaço.
They recount various harvest scenes, of the transport development and of the history of Portugal such as the battle of Valdevez, the conquest of Ceuta in 1415 or the visit of the King John I with his wife Philippa of Lancaster to Porto. The tiles of the upper part are polychromed and smaller, while the others, with scenes in two more sections towards the ground, looking like usual bluish tone of Portuguese ceramic.
Do you want to know all in detail? Would you like to learn about the history of Portugal in a different way? Do not think about it anymore and don’t be satisfied with just one picture. The best option to know the details of the station and its artistic value is joining one free tour in Porto. You will enjoy it. Sing up!
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Porto: must-sees
The São Bento railway station, considered in every touristic classification as one of ten most beautiful stations in Europe, is one of the must-sees of a worthy visit to the city. Porto is a city with plenty of magical places. There are many points that shouldn’t be missed. Do you join us?
· Ribeira: any visitor of Porto takes the picture of Douro as the main memory of the city, its alleys and its terraces by the river.
· Port wine cellars in Gaia: if we cross the river over the Dom Luis I bridge, we will get to the neighbouring municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia. Spectacular views of the city and of the river at any time of the day. The visit to the cellars and wine tasting is a must.
· The Clérigos Tower: one of the icons of the city, offers the best views of Porto.
· The Lello Bookstore: popularly known as “Harry Potter’s library”. It’s also one of the must-sees in Porto. You’ll always find a big queue, but it deserves the effort.
· Porto Cathedral: it’s the most important religious monument of the city.
· Majestic Café: it was declared as the most beautiful coffeehouse in the world. It’s a unique experience, despite the prices, if you have time, it’s worth.
Free Tour in Porto: let us show you the city!
Don’t you want to know all these corners? If you want to discover the magic of São Bento railway station in a special way, reserve a place on the free tour of Porto and join us. Our guides know the city better than anyone and they will be able to advise and help you about different points of the city.
Sign up, you chose the time! We leave every day from Liberty Square (Praça da Liberdade). Search for our green umbrella and enjoy the city with us!
