Porto lies north of the river Douro. Across the bridge and to the south is Gaia where the riverbank is lined with wine warehouses.
We went in April and it was super busy with tourists, but at the same time I got the feeling that there was room for everyone. It has a friendly vibe. The food and drink scene is great and it’s not too expensive either.
getting there…
✈️ Verona to Porto takes 2h 45 minutes. Verona is a small airport for the flights it offers. Be prepared to sit on the floor as you wait for your flight because the seats are all taken, and for the food hall to close early evening.
Thursday
After checking in to our place we went directly to CERVEJARIA BRASÂO ALIADOS at Rua de Ramalho Ortigào 28, Porto. We were starving after a day at work and longish flight so we headed here even though it was close to midnight so that we could celebrate our first night in Porto with a white sangria and a local speciality: the francesinha. This is a local take on the French croque monsieur, so you’ve got layers of bread and meat with melted cheese on top and it’s all in a hot, tomatoey sauce. And it’s served with homemade fries.
Friday
Brunch at CAFÉ ZENITH at Praça de Carlos Alberto 85.
We weren’t in any rush to eat in the morning so we were ok with waiting in the queue to get seated either inside or on the terrace. It’s most definitely worth waiting for the rich and colourful plates piled high with thick slices of avocado, a curl of salmon and chive-sprinkled poached eggs. Or a tower of pancake discs barely staying in place and dripping with maple syrup.
The streets from the north of the city lead down towards the Luis I Bridge and over to the other side, called Gaia, where there is a big hill which draws everyone in the late afternoon to watch the sunset.
Porto is very absorbing and you can wander around and just take in the houses with prettily decorated tiled fronts; many cute shops selling local ceramics or objects made from cork; pastry and cake shops; bars and other places to hang out.
Don’t miss a visit to the fabulous São Bento railway station. The walls inside are decorated with azulejos which are the small polished stone tiles you will see decorating many buildings in Porto. The ones in the station are painted with scenes from Portugal’s history and regions in beautiful blue and white.
Lunch at MERCADO BEIRA-RIO at Vila Nova de Gaia
A huge market hall lined with various food and drink stalls. After you’ve had a look around and chosen something you fancy, you can sit down to eat at the long trestle tables in the middle. We chose some Brazilian snacks from RESTAURANTE BOTEQUIM À BRASILIERA: Pastel (crispy pastries filled with meat); Dadinhos de Tapioca (crunchy fried tapioca cubes); Linguiça acebolada (grilled sausage served with caramelised onions. We had that with vinho verde. A young dry wine which has a little fizz to it.
In the afternoon we stayed around the riverbank on the south side and had a look inside some of the Porto warehouses. Port is a fortified wine and can be red, white or ruby. It makes a good pre-dinner drink with some ice cubes to cut the sweetness and dilute the drink a little. At least that’s how we prefer to drink it!
Probably another time we would book a guided tour and tasting. There are many to choose from and there are also many restaurants along here where you can have a long lunch in the sunshine. In front of you, on the river Douro, you can see the famous Rabelo boats that were once used to transport wine from the vineyards to Vila Nova de Gaia. Now they transport tourists for a cruise on the river.
Fado evening at CASA DA GUITARRA, a music store with a small concert room, near the Luis I Bridge at Avenida Vimara Peres. Fado means ‘fate’ and this is an emotional and intense musical experience that explores the highs and lows of love, life and our fate. A good Fado singer and their musicians will draw you in and captivate you right from the beginning. It’s beautiful and memorable.
Saturday
We took the bus from Porto train station to Foz Do Douro because we fancied a walk by the sea, or rather, the Atlantic Ocean. We walked along the jetty and towards the lighthouse and got energised by watching all those crashing waves and unexpected spray when the wind suddenly changed direction.
Sunday breakfast: there are many pastry shops and cafés here so we stopped to have breakfast. Let’s take a moment to honour the light and fluffy cakes and pastries made in Portugal. There’s the superstar pastel de nata custard tart in a flaky pastry case. It melts in the mouth. The croissant brioche which is more of a bread than your regular croissant. The bola de Berlim—a sweeter and more filling version of a German krapfen or fried doughnut with a custard filling.
Art and Culture at the Serialise Park and Serralves Museum.
We went here by chance because I saw a random photo of a huge red gardening trowel in a lawn, in a travel guide to Porto, and was intrigued to visit this place.
Don’t be put off by thinking it’s too arty (boring and unapproachable), as there is more to this place than you’d expect and everyone will find something they like here: there’s the art exhibition area; a garden with a water feature and candy pink Art Deco villa; the house of cinema; a treetop walk and even a traditional farm with some cute lambs.
We stayed at LIIIVING IN PORTO- DOWNTOWN LUXURY APARTMENTS in 517 Rua do Almada, União de Freguesias do Centro. Less of an apartment and more of an open space divided into different functional zones. Very stylish. There is also a communal garden at the back. The brand has a number of other cool apartments in Porto, so look into that if that’s your thing.
Saturday evening
By the evening we were jaded. The tracker on the iPhone said we’d walked more than 20km that day so it was enough to have a bite to eat outside and return home to rest. At which point, let me tell you how our evening went!
You know how each apartment you rent out on your travels has its own set of house rules, most of which are just good old common sense, like don’t forget to take the key out of the lock as you leave the house and close the door behind you with a bang…well, there’s always a first time.
We had raced back home late after a lovely and filling meal, ready to get into PJs and watch whatever was on TV, only to realise that we couldn’t get the key in the lock as there was already a key on the other side. Oh, it was so frustrating! We were enormously lucky that our host answered us just after a few rings despite the din from some busy bar she was in. She immediately sent out a locksmith in full black leather motorbike gear who unlocked the door and let us through. I was also lucky that I had exactly €60 in cash to pay for the call out. You never know. Lesson learned: be obsessive about checking procedures before you leave and always bring cash for emergencies.
Sunday
Like most cities on a Sunday, in Porto the pace is slow and the streets are quiet, giving you a chance to go at your own pace, observe details you didn’t see before and take photos of doorways, cats and interesting side streets, without the bustle of people and traffic. So this is what we did.
We had our last apéritif of ruby sangria and then dined on a typical Portuguese meal of sardinhas assadas, grilled sardines and potatoes and polvo à lagareiro, grilled tender octopus- both of which are fished in Portugal so you know that everything is arriving fresh on your plate.
Our stay in Porto was one of the best. We’d overlooked this city for a long time in
favour of Lisbon or all the many places in Spain. As you can see, we kept ourselves busy and had a great time. Hope you all will, too!
casaalison 
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