Checking out Porto: What to see and do in 24 hours
Wishing to be embalmed in port when the final day of reckoning comes, a visit to Porto and the Douro Valley has been on my (Steve) bucket list for quite some time. But is there more to see and do than drink your age in the silky velvet crimson liquid of Porto?
In this first post of a three part series covering our adventures in Portugal, we land in Porto and spend 24 hours exploring this vibrant city. Now full disclosure. We did spend two nights in Porto before walking the Portuguese Camino, but I was laid up in bed with a twisted ankle (another post in the wings).
Getting around Porto is a breeze, either on foot or using the metro. The 25-minute journey from the airport to the centre of town was just €2.50 each way. That has to be one of the best value for money airport transfers anywhere in the world. Unless you know better?
On our return to Porto after our 240km walk, we stayed at the Rivoli Cinema Hostel. Having been on the road for nearly five years, this has to be one of, if not the best, hostel we have stayed in.
Each room has it's own movie theme, we scored the Wes Anderson classic, The Grand Budapest Hotel. The room was compact but sparkly clean and quiet, despite the building site out the back of the hostel. The bathrooms are shared spaces and kept impeccably clean throughout the day. The staff at the hostel were super friendly, offering some great tips on what and where to visit. Oh, and did we mention the rooftop bar?
The greater Porto area is actually two cities separated by the Douro River. South of the river is Vila Nova de Gaia, home of the historic port houses. The locals in Gaia tend to get a bit grumpy when defending their side of Douro.
Connecting the north and south side of the river are several bridges. The most famous of these is the iconic double-decker Ponte Dom Luís I. The initial single deck plan put forward by Gustave Eiffel was rejected. A disciple of Eiffel's, Théophile Seyrig won the project with his double-deck approach. When completed in 1886, the 172m (564ft) span was the longest in the world.
The Piazza outside Porto's iconic Cathedral offers a great view of this marvel of engineering. The Cathedral dates back to the 12th century and is one of the most important of the city's oldest monuments. Walking down Avenue Vimara Peres, just before the Cathedral, takes you straight onto the top deck of the Ponte Luis and the most fantastic views downriver of Gaia and Porto.
Now be warned, if you are not great with heights, you may not want to get too close to the barrier. You also share this deck with the metro that rumbles passed every few minutes. But it's well worth putting your fears aside.
Less than a 5-minute walk from the front door of the hostel is one of the most famous train stations in the world, São Bento. Over 20,000 blue and white coloured tiles depicting scenes from Portugal's history decorate the foyer. Now if you have read any of our other posts, you know that we are early birds. And to get to see the splendid of the station without the hoard of commuters and selfie-stick waving tourists, pay a visit before breakfast.
We wouldn't say we are huge Harry Potter fans, but we do like the movies. We have also done the Warner Studios Potter tour three times (with different family members). But nothing was going to get us to join the hoards of Potter fans queuing for Livraria Lello. This tiny but beautiful book shop with its Art Deco interior was said to have been something of an inspiration for JK Rowling's Hogwarts. I'm sure when it first opened in 1906, they could not have imagined that thousands of people would queue for hours on end to get a glimpse of the inside.
The trendy Rua da Flores, shooting like an arrow diagonally from São Bento down to the old town, is lined with boutique shops (our favourite being Lufa Lufa which sells some funky t-shirts), restaurants, cafes, art galleries and bars.
check out the reflection
It's also along the Rua da Flores that you find Museu da Misericórdia do Porto. This small museum is spread over three floors and includes entrance to the beautiful church next door. The building was originally the home of a charity established in 1499 to care for the sick and infirm. Most of the exhibits are of a religious nature, but mixed in is the odd piece or two of lab equipment used in electroshock therapy, quite bizarre. There is also a modern art exhibition under the central glass atrium. Just €5 entry, an excellent option for a rainy day.
No visit to Portugal and/or Porto would be complete without gorging on Pastel de Natas at every opportunity. These tiny filo parcels of heaven filled with custard and dusted with cinnamon were created in the 18th century at the Hieronymites Monastery.
We stumbled upon cafe Natas D'Ouro, with Natas piping hot from the oven. And guess what? They do a port flavoured one.
breakfast, lunch & dinner…
Having tested heaps of port in the Douro Valley, there was one port house that was calling. Taylor's is one of the best and most respected port brands that have been synonymous with Porto since 1692. I know it sounds a little sad, but it was like a bit of pilgrimage for this port loving boy.
We planned our visit for the end of the day to try and beat the coach ferried tourists. We lucked in as we had most of the place to ourselves. In fact, the first people we came across were an American couple we met at a tasting in the Douro Valley a couple of days before.
Stepping into the slightly musky and dark main cellar, you are immediately surrounded by gigantic barrel after gigantic barrel. Each filled to the brim with various port styles and vintages. Including the mother of all barrels that holds several thousand litres of port and could double as a fifty-person spa.
Just the other side of these thin planks of oak is the nectar of gods, well according to me anyway. Now if I could just break the seal on one of the taps...
For your €15.00 entrance fee, you get an audio guide that explains the rich history of Taylor's. An insight into the port making process. An overview of which grapes come from which Quinta (vineyard). The dangerous and sometimes fatal transporting of the port down the river using the flat bottom Rabelo boats. Today the port is transported by road tanker, boring…
And then finally to the tasting room where you are presented with two ports styles to taste (white chip dry and late bottled vintage).
There is an extensive drinks menu for when you finish your tastings. Including a glass of the 1994 which is considered to be the mother of all vintages, just €30 for a pour. My eldest daughter, Lauren, was born in 1994 so back in the day I bought half a case of Taylor's '94. It was sold 23 years later in NZ for a small profit.
There are some 60 odd port houses located in the Gaia, only a quarter are open to visitors. If you are looking to visit more then Fonseca, Croft, Dow, Grahams and Calem would all be on my list. Trust me, I've drunk a lot of port.
It's not cheap, and you could easily blow through €200 a person in a day tasting. If you want to spend that kind of money and there's two of you, I would recommend doing one tasting at Fonesca, the tour at Taylor's, then go and buy a bottle of the ‘94 Taylor's (€300) and chill for a long afternoon of pure indulgence. Sadly having not worked for 5 years we are unable to justify spending that kind of money. But...
Returning through the back lanes of Gaia, we came across a fantastic piece of street art. It's a two-storey bunny on the corner of a building made entirely of recycled rubbish called Half Rabbit.
As the afternoon started to fade away, we grabbed a couple of seats at the Sandeman shipping container bar just outside the Sandeman Hostel.
Perched on the bank of the Douro this was a perfect place to watch the world go by. It wasn't, however, an excellent stop for a drink and food. After eventually managing to place an order we watched as all the tables around us received their food and drink. It felt like we were wearing Harry's invisibility cloak. It wasn't until after much chasing the staff delivered our drinks. More chasing followed to get the food that we had also ordered. Not the best advert for Sandeman.
In comparison, on the other side of the river, the crew at Wine Quay (yep try saying that one fast half a dozen times) were fantastic. They talked us through their small port tasting menu and the various cheeses that accompany each glass. We turned down the offer of sitting outside overlooking the Douro as the night had turned a little chilly.
We wrapped up our visit with brunch at Zenith Caffe the next day. A trendy place full of food lovers and for a very good reason. After 15 mins in the short queue, we grabbed two front-row seats and gorged ourselves on the speciality poached egg dishes.
What a great way to bring to a close our 24 hours in this colourful, vibrant, history-laden city. Porto is a very walkable compact city, be prepared with decent walking shoes as it is rather hilly. Especially if you are off exploring the narrow alleyways that lead down to the river. There’s much to see and do outside the port world. Porto is like a lovable Uncle, always warm and welcoming and full of stories that will keep you captivated, visit after visit.
Not a port lover, surely there's a port-style to suit your taste buds, you just haven't tried them all yet!
an early morning view of Porto
CHECK OUT: HINTS AND INFO
We travelled; (price per person)
from Barcelona to Porto with Ryanair NZ$73 (US$46)
Porto to Manchester with Ryanair NZ$144 (US$90)
metro from the airport to city centre NZ$4.30 (US$2.75) each way
We stayed at; (price per couple)
Astronaut Rooms NZ$62 (US$40) large double room, breakfast, shared bathroom
Magnolia Porto Hostel & Rooms NZ$115 (US$73) double room, breakfast, ensuite
Rivoli Cinema Hostel NZ$100 (US$64) double room, breakfast shared bathroom
We visited; (price per person)
Taylor’s Port House NZ$26 (US$16.50)
Museu da Misericórdia do Porto NZ$8.70 (US$5.50)
We ate at; (price for two)
Wine Quay Bar - Porto side of Douro River NZ$38 (US$24)
Zenith Brunch and Cocktails - Porto side of Douro River NZ$41 (US$26.50)
Sandeman Terrace Bar - Vila Nova de Gaia side of Douro River - NZ$31 (US$20)
Natas D'Ouro - Porto side of Douro River NZ$2 (US$1.40) per Natas
