The diversity of parks and sports facilities points out the obvious: Maia is an active city fit for active people, with a little over 135.000 people.
Maia also has two feet firmly set in the past and the present with eyes in the future. This is a trait you’ll see all around town – the acknowledgment of working today with what you learned yesterday to build a sustainable tomorrow.
We expect the historical centers of cities to be surrounded by old buildings, but here most of what you will see is contemporary art and architecture, which is equally relevant.
“People say that the historical center of Maia doesn’t look historical. But it will be, 300 years from now”, Mário told us as we were reaching Torre do Lidador.
In Maia, you can see the work of award-winning Portuguese architects like Eduardo Souto de Moura, Alvaro Siza (Vieira), Alfredo Ascensão, and João Álvaro Rocha. Their work is intimately linked to shaping the space to people’s needs and sustainable lifestyle.
Art is also all around you, be it in the urban art-covered wall at Parque Central or the scattered contemporary art pieces around the city center from the Bienal de Arte Contemporânea da Maia (Biennial of Contemporary Art).
Come for the sustainable approach to tourism. Stay for the art, the architecture, the food, the vinho verde, and the History. Return for the recurrent cultural events.