Port in Porto

Porto

Porto is a picturesque city in north west Portugal, famous for it’s Port wine, terracotta roofs, tiled buildings and Dom Luis I Bridge spanning the River Douro.

After arriving to our apartment in Porto, with a stunning spiral staircase and a lift fit to send the adrenaline pumping of any claustrophobic person, we set about for our orientation walk…

Of course what starts at the top, must climb back up so we headed down to the beautiful river Douro at the bottom before eating closer to our apartment.

Our host gave us some fantastic recommendations for where to go. Antunes was a real “locals” restaurant. We had to expand our Portuguese rapidly as we played charades with the waiter. My pork dish looked like it would have fed the entire city. The flavours were simply out of this world.
We opted to travel by bus out to the coast and visit the fish market and sit by the sea as it was a stunning day.

We loved exploring the narrow veins or arteries leading to the river. Each street had it’s own personality, as with many of the buildings.

The Porto Half Marathon was a lovely run. It was a little warmer than expected which sapped energy levels a bit, but once you got into the groove, the views and different perspectives on the city was a pleasure. Running on Don Luis 1 Bridge was really weird as it vibrated so much it was noticeable when running.

Strangely enough, after running a half, we did most of our walking around in the afternoon. This was a great “step-count” day.

Completing the run gave us the added bonus of enjoying the local food and wine afterwards.

Francesinha is probably the most famous sandwich in Portugal and an iconic Porto dish. Two slices of bread, layers of meat, melted cheese and a beer-infused sauce; this was certainly enjoyed after the run!

The grilled, or fried sardines, really are one of the greatest pleasures eaten in Porto.

The double-decker Dom Luis I bridge is an icon of the city of Porto spanning the River Douro and linking the Port wine houses of Vila Nova de Gaia with the bustling downtown Ribeira district of Porto. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel!

Ambling the cobbled lanes, sampling different ports, using the cable car, visiting the food market, we just explored- stunning!

São Bento train station is certainly worth looking at with beautiful blue and white tiled walls telling stories. Buildings all over Porto line their walls with tiles and is something to see.

Taking an organised tour, we travelled along the Douro Valley for a couple of hours. Once into the rural, mountainous area, vines and river valleys transform the landscape.

The river has and still does play a huge role in balance with the river. Early on, the wine was transported via boats down the river and kept in Porto before being trading overseas or in the city. This was a hazardous journey through gorges and rapids. Boats were then towed back up to the vineyards by ropes!

Nowadays, with phenomenal engineering, the river has been tamed and locks enable tourist boats to use the stunning waterway. Locks, one of which is a hundred feet deep, raises and lowers river cruise ships safely.

Porto should definitely be on your bucket list... we loved it.