One Night in Porto
- A Glass in Hand
- Jan 11
- 6 min read
Things I did during my 1 night stay
Today I downloaded all our pictures from our trip to Portugal this past week. I sat smiling slightly with my Kleenex in one hand and my tea in the other.
Travelling Europe in the winter is not for the weak, let me tell you. After arriving home a few days ago, the winter flu symptoms have set in, so I've had some time to sit down and think about our time there.
During our trip to Portugal we decided to take a trip to Porto. I have never been before and for a person who loves food and wine, I think it is a pretty important place to visit. We changed our original date to January 2nd since we were advised that everything would be closed on the 1st, due to the nationwide holiday.
We took the train from Lisbon to Porto. That was an adventure in itself. For anyone who has booked a train in another country, you will understand the stress and the confusion of tracking where and when you will be arriving in the city and hoping that it stops in the right place. There are 2 styles of train in Portugal and for the ride back, I chose the intercity train, which was a mistake. The tourist trains are the way to go, since there are less stops and less crowds. The train there was a high speed train and trip was about 2.5 hours. The train was comfortable and clean and we slept most of the way since it was in the early morning.
We decided to stay overnight since seeing the city in one day would be too hard and the journey was too long. I booked a hotel a few months ago which was on the opposite side of the river from the old town. The prices in the winter are better than the summer and the cities are generally not as full of tourists.
We arrived in the city too early to check into our hotel, so we decided to walk from the station. This was an hour walk, but we thought it would be a great way to see the city and get our bearings since we weren't there for long. After walking the wrong way for about15 minutes, we stopped at a cute cafe for a strong coffee and a little bite (can't remember the name, but they were coffee roasters as well as a cafe). Once we made our way to the river, we took in the view of the city divided by the river.
Porto is a coastal, ancient city, that has the beauty of riches past and the current hustle of an active port city. The buildings shoot up the hills on each side of the river and the city is divided in 2. There are 4 bridges that cross the city and the main walking bridge is shared with an above streetcar track. Since this is the main pedestrian bridge, it can be crossed on both the bottom and top.
After arriving at our hotel, we promptly were greeted by our concierge who supplied us with a map and had a bit of a laugh with us about our walk from the train station. Next we were offered a glass of Port on the house and we went upstairs to freshen up. On the map, one of the places highlighted was the World of Wine, a new cultural district and museum.
The Wine Experience was 25 Euro a ticket. This included access to the museum and a tasting at the end. Each part of the museum is divided into different information points about the growing, making, exporting and tasting of wine. It was a whole wealth of information and took about an hour to get through. As a person who loved wine it was totally worth it, but if the price is too high it was worth it to see the building itself and would have been great before Christmas with the Market outside.
After understanding more about wine and Port, we headed over to Ramos Pinto for formal Port tasting. This winery offers walk in's and 4-5 different types of tastings. We ended up sharing a tasting together and talking in depth with the staff regrading flavour and wine making practices. If you do want to book a tasting at a winery, it is better to reserve a time beforehand as they do fill up and you don't want to be rushed.
After the tasting, we made it just in time for the 50 minute boat cruise along the river. Doing this activity was not my idea, and I did not enjoy it. There was no guide and it was drizzling outside, so it made it unpleasant to be sitting on a boat. If this is something you want to do, I would bring some wine and snacks with you on board since nothing is also offered and it can get a bit dry.
For dinner we went to a place called Brasao, which was recommended to me. There are a few locations in the city and it is known for good food and beer. The beers are brewed in house and the menu has affordable prices. The decor inside reminded me of an old house and it was full of people with 15 minutes of opening. Some people eat Francheschina when travelling to Porto and I saw the plates coming out, which looked pretty filling. I opted for the steak which was a little on the smaller portion size and came with salad and chips. I also ordered a side of turnip greens as a side and it was a great decision. I wish this was on the side of the steak instead of a salad with little dressing and forgotten garnishes.
If you ever visit, try to take a walk around the old city at night and see if you can stop somewhere for dessert and a LBV (late bottle vintage) ruby port. This way you can see another place in town and look at the beauty of the city by night. The old town is about a half hour walk from the other side of the river if you decide to book a place in Villa Nova di Gaia.
The next morning was spent taking in the views while having a filling brunch. You can walk the city in the morning before people get outside and find a nice cafe by the water to watch the world go by. While on our walk back to Campanha station, where our train was going to leave, we visited Porto Sao Bento. This is the oldest train station in the city, filled with azulejos tiles on the ceiling. This station, as we only found out that morning gets you a free transfer to Campanha station if you already have a train ticket (would have been great to know the day before).
Finding our seats and the right car was a bit of struggle since no one was on the platform to direct us. We sat in the right seat number, on the wrong car and were finally told this by the gentleman checking the tickets (sorry everyone). The train was completely packed as there was a football match in Lisbon that night so I would have booked the other type of train had I known that fact.
We arrived back in Lisbon in one piece, but like I said train travel in the winter is not for the weak. My suggestion is to do some research with someone who has gone before so you know a little better how to get there.
Our stay in Porto was full of good food and wine and we shared it with the friendly people of the city. For me, I am so happy we went since I have no idea when we will have the chance to do it again.
Hope this helps, the next time you want to visit Porto!