Rua de Santa Catarina

7 months ago

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Culture-Historical Building Culture-Landmark Culture-Monument Diverse-Market Diverse-Shopping Settlement-Neighbourhood

Rua de Santa Catarina is one of the main streets in Porto. You'll still find the traditional cafés and stores here, along side the newer and more commercial stores. Rua de Santa Catarina has plenty of beautiful and historic buildings, such as the Chapel of Saint Catherine (Capela de Santa Catarina), the Porto Grand Hotel (Grande Hotel do Porto) or the Palladium Galeries, now harbouring stores like C&A and FNAC. The Via Catarina mall has maintained the historic façade of the 'O Primeiro de Janeiro' newspaper and is famous for replicating the beautiful buildings of the city center in its food section. The renowned Café Majestic is a must-see and and is considered a building of public interest by the town hall. Built in 1921, the café was a place for the intellectuals of the city to meet. It's not the cheapest café you'll find - so keep that in mind. The small shoes and clothes stores, haberdasheries and traditional cafés are picturesque and give an insight into life in the city. If you’re looking to participate in some shopping, there are plenty of big brand stores here, since this is the main commercial artery of the city. It's also famounn for being the place where the first Zara store opened outside of Spain, in 1988. You'll also find the popular Bolhão market on Rua de Santa Catarina. Bolhão market is where the locals often go to buy food from local producers! The architecture of the place is a site to behold and it's been designated as a Monument of Public Interest. At the time of writing, the market is being remodelled, but it will not lose its unique charm in the process. Photo Credits: Photo by Naira Babayan on Unsplash