AMRO PORTO UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE
A modern, new student residence in Porto
Life in Porto
Porto is an incredible city for university students. Tourist-friendly, active, beautiful, bohemian, cheap…
The Portuguese language is very similar to Spanish and other Romance languages, which means communication will not be a problem for university students from Spain, Italy or France.
But the Portuguese also speak English proficiently, and both young and old are able to communicate in day-to-day life, making Portugal ideal for students from other countries.
The university environment means there are a lot of events and parties for young people. During the day, you can discover the city, with its main monuments, gardens, Port wine cellars, restaurants and bars. In the evenings, there are many bars and clubs offering good music, with options for all tastes and ages.
Discover Porto
Torre dos Clérigos, Praça dos Aliados, Porto Cathedral, Bolhao Market, Estaçao de Sao Bento, Ponte Luis I, La Baixa… There are many places to visit in Porto. It is probably more crowded in the summer and on weekends, and it is during the week that the city can be enjoyed to the fullest.
There are a thousand options to enjoy Porto’s nightlife, from local taverns to trendy nightclubs, to international squares and meeting points. Some meeting points not to be missed:
- Praça Piolhos: A hub for local and Erasmus students to meet up, with a park to enjoy the splendid weather, terraces where you can spend the afternoon and very good prices.
- Praça Poveiros: Another very well-known square in the city, with typical restaurants and bars and very affordable prices. It is a large square where there are usually concerts and events, so do not hesitate to have a look at the city’s calendar.
- Rua de Cedofeita: This long street is more commercial, although many of the side streets offer bars of all kinds, such as Espaço 77, a Mecca of sorts for students. An absolute must!
Famous for its culture, monuments, traditions and cultural heritage.
Full of green spaces and grandiose parks.
It is a bike-friendly city.
One of the big cities of southern Europe
Very close to unique natural landscapes
Tunas and Praxe: the life of the party
While walking around universities in Porto, you can’t miss the large number of young people wearing black suits, gowns and capes. Some say they look like Hogwarts students, but the tradition is not a work of fiction (although this is what inspired J.K. Rowling to create her great work).
The students who dress in this way belong to the praxe, a Portuguese tradition dating back to the founding of the country’s universities. The praxe began in Coimbra and involves traditions and customsfrom across the country.In practice, this takes the form of pranks played on new university students and organising activities aimed at encouraging a community spirit at university.
We should also mention the so-called tunas, as Porto has the largest number of tunas of any city in the world. It is common to see performances in the streets, which include dancing, flag games and all kinds of instruments. In the city there are also competitions organised throughout the year, and these are sure to be interesting for people not used to this type of university ritual.
