I spent 3 nights in Porto during a 2 week visit to Portugal and had the best time ever. Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, it is known for Port wine, and has some incredible Baroque architecture.
My first 2 nights in Portugal were spent on Sao Miguel Islands of the Azores archipelago. I wrote about it here --> Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Afterwards, I spent 4 nights in Portimão, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal, for the 3-day Afro Nation festival... spent the following 3 nights in Lisbon (wrote about it here ---> Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal) and finally made it to Porto for my last stop in the country.
Friday
We walked the cobbled streets from our Airbnb in the beautiful Historical Center to meet up with a group for a tour through Douro Valley (a UNESCO world heritage region 1.5hours outside of Porto) for a day of wine tasting and history learning.
Our first stop was by the river where we met up with the crew from Douro Vintage. We were welcomed to the boat for our hour long tour with a charcuterie board made up of cheese from the Azores, homemade jam and caviar, locally made meats, and a cocktail made of local sparkling wine and grapefruits.
Our 3rd stop was at Quinta Do Beija, translation Kiss Wineries, a family-owned business that has been operational for several generations. Our host (one of the family members) mentioned that he traced their wine making origins as far back as 1893. He talked us through their wine making process and we tasted 3 wines, pictured below, which were accompanied by some charcuterie.
We then had a shot of a 10-year-old Tawny port wine straight from the barrel (tasted like honey whiskey) and Rossie and I got to go into one of the used barrels.
Our 5th drink at the winery was a white 10-year-old Port matured in wood (which gives it a brown color). It tasted a lot smoother than the Tawny and would make for a perfect lounge drink.
For our 4th and final stop on the tour, we went out with a bang at S. Martinho D’Anta. We were welcomed with glasses of Moscatel Galego then showed around the home.
For appetizers, we had bread with olives, tomato and cheese and black eyed peas with a glass of dry, white port table wine. They told us the wine had no name because it is a blend of 3 grapes, viosinho, gouveio and moscatel galego, made by the family for family and friends. It was light, refreshing, and reportedly contained 13% alcohol.
For lunch, we were served “smashed potatoes” with wild Iberian black pork, veal and ribs and even with food, they refilled our plates as many times as we let them. Lunch was washed down with glasses of red wine that was a blend of Touriga nacional, toriga franca and Tinta Roriz at 12% alcohol... as well as the table white from earlier.
We then had a tasting of a red, dessert wine called Late Bottled Vintage, LBV. Apparently, it gets it's name from the fact that it’s too bad to be a vintage but too good to be a ruby. They kept filling up all 3 glasses the entire time we ate because their lunch motto is “no empty glasses allowed.”
The dessert wine came with a slice of a sponge cake which they called “Drunk Cake" because again, it was drizzled with alcohol.
Afterwards, everyone got a shot of espresso. I don't even drink coffee but I guzzled it up because your girl was a lil' tipsy and just when I thought we were done, they called us to the other side of the property for "a treat." We got a tasting of a young Porto Vintage from 2018 which is considered a vintage wine (don't remember why) and one of the few aged in a bottle. The wine is always in contact with the cork so it is usually opened with heated tongs used to break the bottle open at the neck so the cork doesn’t ruin the wine.
We got home and passed out, no outing that evening... your girls felt like they had drunk a bit more than frat boys on pledge week, in one afternoon!
Saturday
For breakfast, we walked over to Confeitaria do Bolhão, a beautiful 120-year-old patisserie serving up Porto's best tarts, arrufadas (sweetbread), croissants, and other tempting sweet treats. Don't judge us for doing this 2 days in a row, in Porto is socially acceptable to devour sugary pastries for breakfast.
We had 2 tigelinhas do bo, 2 mimiatura esp, mini tarte, Cast Ovos, Tarte F. Silvestre, Sumo Garrafa, Sumo Laranja, and Salada de Fruta for for a total of €15.50.
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We then walked 15 minutes to the famous Praça da Ribeira and hung out on the docks of Douro River.
It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Porto, has cobbled streets, 18th century townhouses, small bars and restaurants, and views of the Douro River can be seen from most parts of the neighborhood.
Afterwards, we walked 15mins in the other direction to check out Livaria Lello, known as the most beautiful bookstores in the world and the inspiration behind some of the famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter.
To be honest, we had to get in on 2 tries because the first time we went, the lines were too long so we did some walking around to kill time then came back and were able to get in quick. It was worth it though, the bookstore is incredibly beautiful and I wish I could sit there and endlessly stare are the wooden finishes, twisting stairs and arches, and high bookshelves. My only strong caution is to avoid going there on a weekend, like we did, in order to avoid the crowds.
Our first pit stop while waiting to get into the bookstore was at this pop store right across from the bookstore. These were €4 each and perfect for the weather.
Next up, we went to BASE, an open bar with yummy beers, wines, and cocktails, located in the middle of a big garden right in the middle of the historical center of Porto. It was really and truly a pleasant surprise... the music was just right as well. My drink was €14.
The bar is also next to Clérigos Tower, which Rossie went to the very top of while I sat at the bottom of the stairs outside because I decided I had suffered too much in this life to go up 225 spiral steps by choice. The tower has the best 360 views from the middle of the city and while you're at it, you can also visit the Clérigos Museum and the Baroque-inspired Clérigos Church, designed by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni.
Porto is such a beautiful city and I genuinely prefer it to Lisbon because there's something to gaze at on every street corner.
On our way back to the Airbnb for a much-needed nap, we stopped at Concept 31 for lunch. I had grilled seabass with jacket potatoes and veggies which I really liked!
Afterwards, we went to Crystal Palace which has a park and several little gardens.
We had an absolute blast walking around, sitting on benches to take in views and people watch, and just faffing about to our heart's desires.
Finally, we went up the Dom Luis I Bridge (aka Luis I Bridge). The bridge crosses Douro River and sits smack dab between Porto and Villa Novo De Gaia.
In order to catch the sunset on the other side of the bridge, you can either hang out by the platform or go for wine tasting/dinner at one of the restaurants across the street. We only hung out by the platform and had no regrets at all because the views were great and you can choose to sit in a crowded area with others, get snacks, listen to people playing music or isolate for a peaceful viewing.
The view was spectacular and I would rather do it that way again.
Finally, we had dinner at Impar Flores on our way home. We had the duck salad (Petinga, Salada Pato), a Portugese pot roast (Alcatra Porto), Crumble Marca, Lemonade (Limonada), and Sangria for €50. Easily my favorite meal of the trip.
Sunday
Rossie left, I moved to a smaller Airbnb and spent most of the day sleeping. My health was in shambles at the time and my body had finally caught up to me so I had decided to add one more night to Porto just so I could rest, reset, and give my body a fighting chance at enjoying the rest of my holiday. That evening, I walked around for a bit, grabbed dinner at Estambul Kebab for €7.10 and went right back home to sleep some more.
Monday
Somewhat revived and refreshed yet looking like I had been through some shit, I spend most of my last day walking. My first stop was at the viewpoint of "Miradouro da Vitória" for postcard-perfect view of the Douro river and the jumble of terracotta rooftops then sat in the church (Igreja de Na Sa da Vitoria) for a bit.
On my way to breakfast, I stopped at Igreja do Carmo to daydream by the waterfall and then take more photos by the beautiful tiles. It was such a lovely morning.
Finally, I went to the highly recommended Nicolau Porto and had a "regular” breakfast of Sumo Verde Detox 4 euros and Tasca De Açaí bowl €7.
After breakfast, I walked about 10 minutes to Via Catrina, the temporary location for Mercado do Bolhão which had been closed for renovations. Unfortunately, even the temporary location was closed which felt like a big bummer. Someone had recommended that I visit a store called Wine House for wine, cheeses, and snacks from the Douro region so maybe check it out if you make it out there and it's open.
At this point, it was time to check out of my Airbnb so I grabbed my bag and paid €3.50 to store by bags at a shop close by and walked over to the Rua Miguel Bombarda neighborhood. It is where most of the newest contemporary art galleries, vintage shops, and hip hangout spots in Porto can be found. Due to my time limitations, I could only commit to doing one thing well so I chose to have a tea break at Rota do Chá. They have a menu of over 300 teas from around the world which they serve in a beautiful tea garden.
It was the perfect way to end my 2 weeks of travel through Portugal because I felt rested, energized, inspired, and genuinely at calm in my spirit. Rota do Cha is truly wonderful and I think everyone should go there for some tea while in Porto.
