Guiding Architects
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 1)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 2)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 3)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 4)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 5)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 6)
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Porto - World Heritage: Cristina Emília Silva (Thumbnail)
Cristina Emília Silva
Lisbon, Porto

Cristina Emília Silva holds a PhD in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto (2016), and a degree in Architecture from the University of Coimbra (1999). Since 2006, she has co-authored projects at bau.uau arquitectura. A guest assistant professor and researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, she is the author of International Dissemination of Portuguese Architecture 1976–1988 and several articles. She also coordinates APJAR – Associação Pró-Arquitectura João Álvaro Rocha. Her work includes archiving, curating, editing and organising events on architecture. In 2004, she co-founded cultour, where much of this practice took shape.

Porto - World Heritage: João Paulo Correia (Thumbnail)
João Paulo Correia
Lisbon, Porto

João Paulo Correia, graduated in Industrial Engineering and Management in 1995. His professional work focuses on planning and managing municipal and metropolitan investment projects. He completed an MBA in Business Management at IEP and ESADE in 2001. He has collaborated in multidisciplinary teams developing urban and regional plans and regularly participates in institutional forums related to tourism. In 2004, together with Cristina Emília Silva and Maria da Conceição Melo, he founded the company Cultour.

Porto - World Heritage: Maria da Conceição Melo (Thumbnail)
Maria da Conceição Melo
Lisbon, Porto

Maria da Conceição Melo graduated in Architecture from the School of Fine Arts, University of Porto, in 1984, studying under Fernando Távora, Álvaro Siza and other Key figures of the Porto School. She holds a master’s degree from the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering of the University of Porto (1995) and works in planning and urban design. She was a visiting professor at the University of Minho’s School of Architecture. She served as President of the Northern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (2020–2023). In 2004 Melo co-founded cultour.

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Tour in Porto:
Porto - World Heritage

More than an architectural tour through spaces, this visit unfolds across centuries, set in a dramatic landscape shaped by steep hills and the Douro River, once the route of the renowned Port wine. Over 2,000 years of continuous occupation can be traced here, earning the historic centre UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996. The itinerary reveals how civic and religious powers have evolved within this area, and how engineers and architects have designed and adapted structures for markets, theatres, cinemas, public spaces, trains, and cable cars, some in use for more than a century, up to the most recent metro developments.

The perfect way to end the visit is to cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank, where the most remarkable view of Porto can be enjoyed.

Photo credits: 1 Arménio Teixeira; 2 José Campos; 3 (large) and 4 Sérgio Jacques; 5 Alberto Plácido; 6 Anatilde Lima

– Duration: 4 hours
– Transport: Walking
– Services: Experienced local architect as guide
– Languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
– Group size: max. 20pax per guide

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Guiding Architects
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 7)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 8)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 9)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 10)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 11)
Guiding Architects, tour: Porto - World Heritage (Fig. 12)
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