Fancy an escape to Porto, here are my suggestions for a first contact with the city.
Walk along the Douro quays:
Cais Guindais, Cais da Ribeira, Cais da Estiva :
Walk along the river, discover the colorful buildings and picturesque cafés.
Departure point for tourist boats for excursions on the Douro.
Beautiful view of the famous Luiz I Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built between 1881 and 1886 by the Belgian engineer Théophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.
You can walk across the Luiz I Bridge to the south side of the Douro River in Gaia. This is where the most famous Port Wine production cellars are located 🍷: Churchill's, Grahams, Ferreira, Cálem, Sandeman, Croft, Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman, Cockburn's, Porto Poças, Offley Forrester.... These houses offer a visit of the cellars with wine tasting but also a Fado show (Cálem cellars in particular).
Contemplative breaks to enjoy:
The magnificent azulejos at the entrance of São Bento Station (1916).
The Art Nouveau style of the Lello Library (1906). To avoid a long queue, you can book your entrance online for €5 (with a choice of time slot every 30 minutes).
The historical and decorative heritage of the interior of the Infante Sagres Hotel: chandeliers and stained glass windows are worth a look.
The blue azulejo facades of the churches in the city centre: in particular Igreja do Carmo, Igreja dos Congregados, Igreja de Sto Ildefonso and Capela das Almas.
A walk in a beautiful green setting:
in company of the peacocks of the Palácio de Cristal Gardens: these beautiful green spaces offer a beautiful perspective on the part of the Douro that joins the Atlantic, on the Arrábida Bridge side.
Guided tour of the most visited monument in Northern Portugal:
the Palácio da Bolsa: a 19th century monument located in the historic centre, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Built by the Commercial Association of Porto on the ruins of the Convent of S. Francisco. Adult price: 10€.
360º view of the city of Porto:
from the tower of the Igreja dos Clérigos :
At 76 metres high and with over 200 steps, it is the highest tower in Portugal.
Church of the Clerics, Baroque style, built between 1735 and 1748.
adult ticket at 6€ for access to the Tower, the Museum and the Church.
Culinary specialities & sweet breaks:
Stroll through the alleys of the Mercado do Bolhão, built in 1914 (architect António Correia da Silva) and which has just been completely renovated. The market has 70 shops: fish, fruit and vegetables, delicatessen, crafts...
On the outskirts of the Bolhão market, the Confeitaria do Bolhão (rua Formosa 339) and its shop window will attract food lovers.
Immerse yourself in the Belle Époque inside the Café Majestic (rua de Santa Catarina).
Discover a wide range of sweet and savoury Porto specialities (francesinha, jesuítas, ...) in the simple but good café-patisserie O Forno Dos Clérigos.
Accommodation:
The hotel offer in Porto is vast. For my autumn stay, I opted for the Hotel Premium Porto Downtown. It is a modern 4-star hotel, well located (Av. de Rodrigues de Freitas 427), with closed parking. The plus: the beautiful view from the panoramic terrace on the 8th floor (where breakfast is served).
Good to know:
It is very pleasant to walk around Porto; you can easily complete the whole of the above itinerary just by walking.
If you want to learn more about the city and its treasures, I recommend that you take a look at the website of the Tourist Office: https://visitporto.travel/ , the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/visitporto.portal or follow the Instagram account visitporto.
Enjoy Porto!
