Discover / Portugal
Porto for a Long Weekend
Porto · 6 min read
Porto is smaller, steeper and grittier than Lisbon, and a lot of people end up preferring it. The old centre falls down to the Douro in a tangle of granite and tile, and the whole thing is walkable in a weekend.
Three nights is the right length. Four if you want the Douro valley.
Both sides of the river
Ribeira is the postcard: tall painted houses, boats, restaurants that know exactly how photogenic they are. Cross the upper deck of the Dom Luis I bridge on foot for the view, then descend into Vila Nova de Gaia.
Gaia is where the port lodges are. Tour one, taste three styles, and learn why the wine was fortified in the first place. Late afternoon is the best light for the walk back.
Tiles, books and markets
Sao Bento station is a working railway station with twenty thousand painted tiles in the entrance hall, and it is free. The Capela das Almas and Igreja do Carmo are the other two facades worth crossing town for.
Livraria Lello charges admission and gets rammed. If queues are not your idea of a holiday, skip it and spend the time at Bolhao market instead.
Eating in Porto
The francesinha is a sandwich of implausible density and the city's favourite hangover cure. Have one, then eat lighter for a day.
Better everyday eating is found in petiscos bars, at seafood restaurants in Matosinhos, and at any tasca where the menu is handwritten and changes daily.
Why it rewards curiosity
Porto has not been polished flat. Buildings are half restored, laundry hangs over grand facades, and it is all the better for it.
Take the train up the Douro valley on your last day if you can. The line follows the river the whole way.
