Fodor's Expert Review Cais da Ribeira

A string of fish restaurants and tascas (taverns) are built into the street-level arcade of timeworn buildings along this pier. In the Praça da Ribeira, people sit and chat at outdoor café tables surrounding a modern, cubelike sculpture. Farther on, steps lead to a wide esplanade along the river that's backed by vibrantly hued row houses. The pier also provides the easiest access to the lower level of Porto's most iconic bridge across the Douro, the Ponte Dom Luis I. Those wishing to delve deeper into the Ribeira's 2,000-year past can embark upon informative riverboat tours, leaving from Cais da Ribeira and across the river in Vila Nova da Gaia, which generally cruise around the city's six bridges and up the river to Peso da Régua and Pinhão.