A trip to Portugal and Spain has always been on the cards for us. After having watched hundreds of hours of Youtube videos and read multiple blogs about Portugal and Spain, we finally decided to visit Portugal and San Sebastian (Spain) in October of 2022. In the process of researching our trip, it was apparent that Portugal deserves a stand-alone trip. We decided to include San Sebastian in this trip because we are self-professed foodies and we cannot give up an opportunity to completely indulge in the history and food culture of a city as historic and charming as San Sebastian (or Donostia as it is called in the local Basque language).
Our trip kicked off in the historic port city of Porto, followed by Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon and finally the delightfully fascinating city of San Sebastian. This blog-post will be focussed on the first of our stops in Portugal…..Porto.
Charming, historic, steep….some of the words we would use to describe Porto. It is Portugal’s second largest city and home to most of the country’s port wine lodges. The city is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Portugal derives it's name from the city of Porto, which in turn originates from the city's historical name Portus Cale. In the Portuguese language, Porto is called Oporto (meaning the port).
Here’s a list of things to do and places to see in Porto
Sao Bento Station
Yes. This is a train station in the center of Porto. Arriving in Porto by train at Sao Bento station, your eyes are greeted with walls adorned with roughly 20,000 blue and white ceramic tiles, called azulejos. One side depicts a historic battle while the other shows the wedding of King John I.
Igrejas (Churches) of Porto
If getting mesmerized by the beautiful azulejos of Sao Bento station wasn’t enough, we highly recommend seeking out Porto’s magnificent Igreja do Carmo, Capela das Almas and Igreja de Santo Ildefonso. The facades of these churches are festooned with blue and white azulejos which lends a magical charm to them. We didn’t get an opportunity to visit the inside of these churches but we highly recommend it because the interiors of these churches are as ornate as their exteriors are majestic.
Livraria Lello (The Harry Potter Bookshop)
Rumor has it that when the author JK Rowling lived in Porto in between 1991 and 1993, she drew inspiration for the Harry Potter universe from different elements of the city of Porto and the history of Portugal. And this inspiration is most distinctly seen when you step inside Livraria Lello. If you have seen the HP movies, you will be reminded of the Flourish & Blotts bookshop when you lay your eyes upon the elaborate staircase inside Livraria Lello.
The bookshop has two levels and the walls are decked out with books of all genres mostly in Portuguese. Entrance to the bookshop costs €5 which can be redeemed against any purchase.
We would also like to mention that JK Rowling has expressly denied ever visiting this bookshop or drawing any inspiration from it. However, as our walking tour guide explained, there are way too many similarities in the world of HP and Porto to not see the obvious connection between them. Regardless, this is a must visit spot if you can’t get enough of HP or just love strolling around majestic bookshops.
Mercado do Bolhão
Mercado do Bolhão is Porto’s local produce market. The market was recently renovated and has a variety of stalls on the ground floor including cafes as well as stalls that sell all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, flowers, chocolates and ceramics. This is the perfect breakfast spot to begin your day in Porto as this place is frequented by many locals. The idea is to buy bread, meats, cheeses and coffee from the stalls, grab a table and make your own breakfast sandwich with a shot of espresso to kick start your day.
Sé de Porto (Porto Cathedral)
A short walk to the left of Sao Bento station lies the impressively imposing Porto Cathedral. The square outside the cathedral is the perfect place to enjoy sunsets with views of the Douro river and the neighborhood of Vila Nova de Gaia, which is a part of the city of Porto on the other side of the river.
Rua das Flores street
Just off the Sao Bento station is the Rua das Flores street which is a pedestrianized street with cafes, restaurants and shops. This is one of the best areas of Porto to bask in the beauty of Portuguese tiles as the buildings on either side of this street are adorned with azulejos. We also had the best breakfast in Porto in a quaint little cafe on a by-street of Rua das Flores.
Following this street will eventually lead you to Bolsa Palace and eventually down to the riverside neighborhood of Ribeira.
Ribeira
The Ribeira is one of Porto’s oldest neighborhoods and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the past years, this historic waterfront served as an important dock for boats carrying casks of fortified Port wine from the Douro valley. Today, the waterfront is lined with bars, restaurants and cafes and overlooks the neighborhood of Vila Nova de Gaia.
Dom Luis I bridge
On the far end of the waterfront is the imposing and majestic Dom Luis I bridge. This bridge was designed in 1886 by a student of Gustave Eiffel (the same person who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris). If you are an avid observer of monuments, you will spot many similarities in the metalwork between this bridge and the Eiffel tower. The upper deck of the bridge is for both the city tram and pedestrians while the lower deck is for pedestrian access only. At nearly 60 meters high, the upper deck of the bridge offers terrific views of Porto on one side and Vila Nova de Gaia on the other. Once across, the miradouro do teleferico (viewpoint) is the best view of the city of Porto from Vila Nova de Gaia.
Vila Nova de Gaia
The neighborhood of Vila Nova de Gaia is home to Porto’s best wine cellars. Here you will find several spots to experience the best of Porto’s wines including the famed port wine.
A short history of port wine
Necessity is the mother of invention. And so is the case of how port wine came into existence. In the early 1700s when Britain and France were at war, people in Britain were deprived of French wines. So merchants from Britain visited Porto and signed a treaty to export wine produced in the Douro region. Regular wines would not survive the journey through the harsh and tempestuous Atlantic sea on their way to Britain. To ensure the wines were drinkable, their fermentation was stopped earlier by adding in brandy. This made the wine much sweeter and much more stronger in alcoholic content (typically 20%). The resulting port wine (named after the city of Porto) appealed to English tastes so much that the Douro valley was recognized as a protected wine region.
We recommend a wine tasting crawl where you visit a few cellars and sample their collection. A wine tasting typically offers 5 to 6 glasses of different wines and you can have a cheese or charcuterie board along with them to have the full wine tasting experience. Be warned though. Port wine is a lot stronger than regular wine. A few glasses will positively have you stumbling or dancing along the waterfront.
Day trip to Coimbra
On one of our days in Porto, we decided to embark on a day trip to the ancient and mesmerizing city of Coimbra, just 1h 30m from Porto by road. We decided to opt for a private tour of the city with a charming local gentleman by the name of Gustavo.
Gustavo was an excellent guide, full of knowledge about Portugal and engaged us in thought-provoking conversations during the trip. We visited the ancient University of Coimbra (which is the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese speaking world), the University’s library (one of the most beautiful in the world), the Royal Palace, Coimbra Cathedral and Bussaco Palace (a beautiful hunting palace where the Portuguese royals vacationed).
Food scene of Porto
The food scene in Porto is as fascinating as the history of the city. From the iconic Pastéis de Nata (custard tarts) to the heavenly Francesinha sandwiches, Porto has something to tickle every taste bud. Browse the pictures below to see what to eat and drink in Porto.
I hope this post serves as a useful guide for you when you plan your trip to the beautiful city of Porto. In the next post we will take you along our journey in the vibrant city of Lisbon. See you soon.
Happy traveling to all!!!
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