Beautiful scenery, friendly people and a buzzing food scene … it only took 3 nights but we completely fell in love with the city of Porto. So much so that it inspired us to actually start the blog we always talked about starting so join us as we talk about all the things we loved in Porto.

Sipping port in Vila Nova de Gaia

Not technically Porto, but it’s where all the fun is at. South of river, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal’s number 1 export (port wine) is aged and stored once it’s been brought back from the Duoro Valley. Along the river you’ll see the big white signs of all of the cellars where you can take tours and book tastings to learn everything you need to about Port. We chose Calem (just because it had a time suitable for us).

There are several bars serving Port and petiscos (Portugese tapas) along the river front. We went to Taylor’s which has a beautiful garden bar where you can taste Port whilst watching Peacocks flirt with each other. Porto Cruz has a rooftop bar which tries to act like an exclusive club and Grahams (which is a bit of a walk away) has a stunning terrace bar with views over city.

For an easy tasting experience if you walk down to the end of the bars you can buy 5 glasses of Port for 5 euro which is an absolute bargain!

*The terrace at Vinum (part of Grahams)*

Soaking up the Port with delicious seafood

We must have seen about a hundred restaurants with bacalhau in the name (Cod) so we knew we couldn’t miss the seafood, which we didn’t. By complete accident on our journey back from the beach we ended up at the fisherman village Afurada where there was several streets all lined with barbecue restaurants serving all kinds of fish and seafood. We saw that the stew was the thing to have (even in the 30 degree heat) and we warn you a portion ‘for 2’ could feed an entire family so be prepared.

Getting lost in the city

On the north side of the river, you have the actual city of Porto. It’s hilly so be prepared to build a sweat. Heavy construction meant Google maps was useless so we ended up getting lost a lot which it turns out wasn’t a bad thing at all. Porto seems to be a city filled with tiny little gems for you to discover amongst its tiny streets. Bakeries, antique shops and cafes, every street has a certain charm that kept making us get our cameras out.

*What treats are waiting in the shadows?*

Food wise, Porto had a mix of everything from hipster vegan restaurants to bold steakhouses. The local delicacy Francesinha is something to experience but we were a bit underwhelmed with it, despite the hype our airport taxi driver had built up for us.

There are several restaurants along the river near the Luis bridge and also spread throughout the city so you can’t go wrong wherever you choose to dine.

*What’s cooking? Sandwiches, that’s what*

Munching on Pastéis de nata

Little custard tarts from heaven … there isn’t much to say about them really. Buy them for 80 cents, sprinkle some cinnamon on top, sip your coffee and don’t stop eating until you get home.

*Probably making their 1000th batch of pastéis de nata of the day*

Running to the beach

The Luis bridge is a handy 8km to the beach, so for couch potatoes like us that’s about a 40-50 min min run. We don’t normally exercise on holiday but the views on this route were gorgeous!

We ran along the south side of the river all the way to the beach where we had a coffee at one of the cafes.

The beach never really came to mind when planning out Porto trip but we found out that is was massive, sandy with lots of little rocky alcoves to relax around. Next time Porto we’ll bring our swimtrunks.

Birding around

The problem with running 8km is that we can’t run back so to head back to the city we rented birds (scooters). There are several bird parking spots in Porto and they make getting around Porto quite fun and convenient.

Sunsets

On the river front, we found a street band playing jazz music to a jolly port filled crowd before making our way to join the hundreds of people watching the sun go down from the top of the Luis bridge. It’s cliched but who cares when the vies are that good and the vibe is that perfect you can just sit back and enjoy it.

Beeping horns to FC Porto

The Portugese clearly love their football. FC Porto had just beaten their rivals Benfica to win the league and the city went berzerk. The entire population had taken to the roads to drive around waving Porto flags beeping their horns and there was a mass celebration in the central square. we even saw a truck filled with people in Porto tops (including a grandma and a baby) cruising around town in frenzy.

Doing the touristy bits

As prescribed by every guide out there we did go to the cathedral, we saw the Azulejo tiles at the train station and we went to the famous book store with a massive queue (no we didn’t go inside). We went, took the pictures and then quickly hunted the nearest cafe for a an espresso and pasta del nata.

Our top tips for Porto

Pastéis de nata spots

Fabrica de nata - our favourite pasta del natas during our trip. There is indoor and outdoor seating and it remains open until the evening when you’re feeling peckish before dinner.

Nata Lisboa - outdoor seating

Manteigaria - they also have a few stores in Lisbon; including in Time Out market. There are a few Manteigaria shops dotted about Porto including a coffee shop that you can sit in. It’s near the confectionary store Confeitaria do Bolhão (below).

Confeitaria do Bolhão - is the oldest confectionary store in Porto. You Can get pastries to take away or there is seating at the back. Lots of pastries to choose from. We got a coconut chocolate macaroon and a Portuguese croissant (sweeter croissant with a texture like brioche bread)

Things to see

Igreja do Carmo - beautiful outside to building (which is in the same area as library below and there’s an Amarino gelato place near by)

Livraria Lello - famous library with a grand staircase, didn’t go in due to queues so need to go first thing. Entry is 4 euro but if you buy a book this is deducted off the price of the book. JK rowling used this as inspo for Hogwarts.

Sao Bento train station - Go in to the station just to see the beautiful decor at the entrance

Port houses

Porto Cruz - has a rooftop bar

Sandeman Port House - has a nice outdoor area by the river called The George

Taylor’s Port House - The rose gardens are lovely and peaceful to sit in and enjoy a drink / nibble without doing a tour. Just to set the tone there are peacocks in the garden

Beach

Praia de Salgueiros - lovely long strip of Beach. Amar cafe looks onto it if you fancy a coffee

Food

Afurada - fisherman’s village with cute colourful houses. A number of restaurants serving lots of grilled food/ BBQ style fish

Brasao - steak place for dinner, make sure you pre-book

Sandeira - has soup and sandwich offers. Super cute but small inside

Mistu - looks lovely inside, a more expensive and refined meal

Fabrica coffee - there is a small takeaway store with a cute shop front just up from the first two Pastéis de Nata shops but there is also another shop that does food

Amar cafe bar - little seaside cafe near the beach for breakfast if you’re over that way. Coffee and pasta del natas and more

Pedra Furada - restaurant in the fisherman’s village (Afurada) which isn’t far from the beach. The mixed seafood rice for ‘one person’ was big enough for a few people to eat

Miss Opo - opens at 8pm. Low lighting. Changing menu and lovely/ locals inside. Cute and candle lit

Flor de Braganca - small, lots of locals eating there and always a queue. Mostly seafood. Not fancy

Floresta by hungry biker or De Norte By hungry biker - Avo eggs

Mercador cafe

Views

Luis bridge - views from the most famous bridge of them all or perch on the Jardim do Morro that sits just off the bridge to watch the sun set

Vinum restaurant - a stunning restaurant whether you to choose sit inside and out. It is part of Graham’s port house. It may be the furthest port house from the Luis bridge and in a quieter area **but the views are worth the walk 👌🏼 You can book the restaurant or alternatively you can find a seat on their balcony where you can order drinks and tapas from their wine bar menu. £££

Transport

You can get everywhere by foot, it just depends how many steps you want to get in. Wear comfy shoes as Porto is on a gradient.

Bird scooters - you can rent these with a day pass (11 euro).

Porto airport is approximately 25mins by metro or 20mins by taxi to the centre (20 euro). You can get the metro but it goes every 30 minutes. There is a Burger King after Airport Security and a few places to eat (mainly sandwiches, or past places). It’s a small airport.

How to spend 3 nights in Porto