Perched along the north bank of the Douro River, Porto is best known for its Port wine, but also for its historic centre, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage since 1996.

Porto (also known as Oporto) was called Portus Cale in Roman times, which eventually gave the city its name. An important trading port and commercial site, Porto was targeted by many tribes and powerful forces over the centuries, including the Visigoths and the Moors. The kingdom of Portugal expanded between the 12^th and the 14^th centuries through what was called the Portuguese Reconquista, a Christian reconquest after more than 700 years of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula. As new shipyards contributed to the city and country development, Porto became more and more famous. In 1415, Price Henry the Navigator embarked on the conquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta, in northern Morocco, followed shortly by sponsoring maritime expeditions, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery.