A granite bell tower with 225 steps to the best view in the centre, and round the corner a neo-Gothic bookshop with a crimson staircase that the world queues to see.
The Torre dos Clérigos, finished in 1763 to designs by the Italian Nicolau Nasoni, was for long the tallest building in Portugal and the sailors' landmark from the sea.
Its 76 metres and 225 steps lead to a narrow gallery with the best view in the centre: the Sé, the river, the bridge and the red roofs of Gaia. The church below is a jewel of Porto baroque.
A minute away, Livraria Lello, opened in 1906, is a neo-Gothic bookshop of carved wood, with a forked crimson staircase under a stained-glass skylight.
Entry to Lello is by timed ticket, and the price is refunded against a book. Without one, you will see only the queue.
About two hours in the heart of the Baixa.
Take the first slot to see the staircase before the crowd fills it.
Climb to the gallery to look up at the stained glass and down the stairs.
The tiled side wall of the Carmo, right beside the bookshop.
Nasoni's oval church at the foot of the tower.
Wind up the stone stairs to the gallery for the panorama.
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Both are a short walk up from São Bento station or down from Aliados.
Book Lello online for a slot; Clérigos tickets are sold at the door and online.
Lello allows photos but the staircase is crowded; for a clear shot, take the first slot.
Porto practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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