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O lugar onde estamos é lindo, mas a cidade aonde viajamos é desconhecida.

O lugar onde estamos é lindo, mas a cidade aonde viajamos é desconhecida.
The place where we are is beautiful, but the city where we travel to is unknown.
From Lesson 191:Relative pronouns of motion (aonde)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O lugar onde estamos é lindo, mas a cidade aonde viajamos é desconhecida.

Why do we use onde in the first half but aonde in the second?
This is the main difference between location and motion! We use onde (where) for a fixed location, which matches the state of being verb estamos (we are). We use aonde (where to) for movement toward a destination, which matches the action verb viajamos (we travel).
Is aonde just a combination of two words?
Exactly! It is a combination of the preposition a (to) and onde (where). Because the verb viajar (to travel) implies movement towards a destination, we need the direction built into the word, making it aonde.
Could I say a cidade para onde viajamos instead of using aonde?
Yes, you can! aonde means the exact same thing as para onde (to where). However, aonde is a very common, efficient single word that sounds natural when paired with verbs of motion.
Why does the word for 'unknown' end in an '-a' (desconhecida)?
Because it is describing a cidade (the city), which is a feminine noun. Even though the adjective desconhecida is at the very end of the sentence and separated by a verb, it still must agree with the gender of the noun it modifies.

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