Jardins do Palacio de Cristal, Porto, Portugal ; Shutterstock ID 233117089; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

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Jardins do Palácio de Cristal

Top choice in Massarelos


Sitting atop a bluff, this gorgeous botanical garden is one of Porto's best-loved escapes, with lawns interwoven with sun-dappled paths and dotted with fountains, sculptures, giant magnolias, camellias, cypress and olive trees. It's actually a mosaic of small gardens that open up little by little as you wander – as do the stunning views of the city and Rio Douro.

The park is also home to a domed sports pavilion, the hi-tech Biblioteca Municipal Almeida Garrett and the Museu Romântico.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Massarelos attractions

1. Museu Romântico

0.16 MILES

Nestled on the southern slopes of Jardins do Palácio de Cristal, beneath cathedral oaks and sycamores, is the small but stately home where the exiled king…

2. Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis

0.22 MILES

Porto's best art museum presents a stellar collection ranging from Neolithic carvings to Portugal’s take on modernism, all housed in the formidable…

3. Igreja do Corpo Santo de Massarelos

0.31 MILES

Rising above the riverfront with a facade adorned in blue-and-white azulejos (hand-painted tiles), this church was built in 1776 on the site of a chapel…

4. World of Discoveries

0.37 MILES

A guaranteed kid-pleaser – if slightly overpriced – this interactive museum catapults you back to the 14th to 16th centuries, when the Portuguese ruled…

5. Museu do Carro Eléctrico

0.38 MILES

Housed in an antiquated switching-house, this museum is a tram-spotter's delight. It displays dozens of beautifully restored old trams – from early 1870s…

6. Museu dos Transportes

0.39 MILES

Set in the 19th-century riverside customs house, this museum traces the motorcar from its inception to the future. It does the same for radio and…

7. Look at Porto

0.44 MILES

This new 5D cinema whisks you on a virtual flight over Porto, revealing angles never seen at ground level, with added special effects such as motion seats…

8. Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia

0.47 MILES

One of Porto's oldest churches, the medieval Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia was completely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, and pays homage to St…