A glorious Nothernern Portuguese city, Porto is infamous for many things; its incredible port wine, the cobbled and brightly coloured district of Ribeira and the glorious Dom Luis bridge. Whether you want to spend a lazy weekend lapping up the sun and the super sweet Tawny port or hunting boutique shops in hidden alleys, check out our recommendations of things to do in Porto.
Bridge boat tour
Did you know that Porto is home to 7 bridges? You don't need to be a bridge fanatic to enjoy this boat tour, it is a great way to see the city from the water and to learn more about Porto's rich architectural history. We bought a combined bus and boat tour 48 hour ticket which also included port tasting which was great value for money, (link here), but there are plenty of different companies selling these tours in Ribeira harbour so be sure to compare prices. One tip - bring a jacket! Whilst we visited in early June and temperatures averaged around 25 degrees, it can get quite windy on the boat so be prepared!
Fresh Seafood in Matosinhos
Matosinhos is a northern province in Porto and is infamous for its fresh seafood restaurants and sandy beaches. Had it not been for our hop-on-hop-off tour we would have never discovered this place as it is roughly a 20-30 minute drive outside of the tourist city centre. We were immediately drawn to the smell of grilled fish, wafting from the restaurants below our bus and just had to get off and explore. If you love seafood you're going to love this place, a long road of restaurants all featuring alfresco dining and a open barbecue grilling every fish under the sun (or sea I guess). These restaurants are slightly more expensive than dining in Ribeira and there will be queues at every place but I can guarantee it is 100% worth it.
Weekend Flea Markets
Although this may have been a one-off the weekend we were vising, our weekend break was made even better by the appearance of these market stalls dotted along the Duoro river. And if these markets are open every weekend then you are certain to stumble across some other venders haggling for their goods on the weekend, as Porto is home to plenty of flea markets across the city. Selling everything including souvenirs, jewellery, fresh natas and hand-made bags these stalls have plenty of unique pieces and the souvenirs are often cheaper than in the shops. Take cash as most places do not accept card and don't forget to bargain for your goods! Check out this link for a list of all the markets in Porto.
Easily the most beautiful train station I have ever visited, Sao Bento is a hidden treasure and doesn't look nearly as grand outside as it does inside. Make sure you do not miss a visit to this place during your visit to Porto as the beautiful painted ceramic tiles and vast carved ceilings really are awe inspiring. Keep an eye on your belongings in here, the platforms are busy and there are some suspicious characters hanging around the entrance doorways.
Mercado Beira Rio
A vast market hall selling foods of all different cuisines including German, Japanese, traditional Portuguese and French, the Mercado Beira Rio is a popular tourist attraction and a great place to try plenty of new foods. With pour your own beers and a fresh fruit market there is something for everyone to try here, but make sure to get in before the lunch-time rush as it can get really busy here. I would definitely recommend trying the pastel de natas in here, not only are they really cheap but also delicious! I would also advise that the food in the market is slightly more expensive than other places in the city, but mostly you are paying for the atmosphere, so if you are starving maybe have a snack to eat before-hand. The cable car station is located directly opposite the market so this could be a good place to go for a morning coffee before your ride, but as the cable car didn't really travel to an excessive high height, or really provide a view that we couldn't get from the ground we decided not to bother.
Port Wine Tasting
The original land of Port growing vines, Porto is home to a large number of wine cellars, alot of which still stand amongst the city and bordering the river. It would be criminal therefore to visit the city and not try some of their infamous port wine, especially when glasses are so inexpensive. Our port winery tour was included in our yellow bus hop-on-hop-off package ticket and included a short tour around the Caleb wine cellars as well as the opportunity to try three different wines. Whilst I'm not the biggest wine buff I enjoyed this tour (and enjoyed the tastings even more!) and it is a great way to learn more about the city's history.
Try A Francesinha
An iconic dish of Porto, the Francesinha is a sandwich filled with wt-cured ham, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat covered in melting cheese and a tomato and beer sauce (also sometimes served with an egg on top!). Although translating to 'little frenchie' there is nothing small about this dish and it is an amazingly moreish meal to try whilst visiting! Almost every restaurant we visited served these monstrous sandwiches and they are often reasonably priced, you have to try this masterpiece during your visit!
Walk The Dom Luis I BridgeTour The City On A Hop-On Bus
Porto is stretched along the river Duomo and so attempting to cover the whole city by foot is an enormous feat. We booked hop-on-hop-off bus tickets which allowed us to see all of Porto (which is also pretty hilly) in addition to finding some hidden gems that we would have never discovered otherwise. I would definitely recommend the yellow bus company tickets, for roughly £20 each we got a 2 day bus ticket as well as a 7 bridge boat tour AND a port wine tour and tasting session. These tickets were really good value, the buses were quite often and the port wine tasting was excellent!
5 Comments
8/17/2019 04:05:06 pm
This certainly brought back memories of visiting Porto earlier this year! I loved visiting the old town and walking above and below the bridge to vila de gaia. I also became partial to white port whilst there, which a lot of people outside of Porto don't seem to have tried!
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8/21/2019 07:27:29 pm
Omg the seafood and the Portuguese tarts look sooo yummy. Would love to visit Porto one day and really looking forward to the food and seeing the bridge
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8/22/2019 07:47:49 am
I went to Portugal last year I unfortunately didn't get a chance to go to Porto but it sounds amazing! I particularly like the idea of going on a boat ride and the flea market sounds like a treat. Looks like I need to go back to Portugal at some point!
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