Everything about our visit to this small city of Porto was perfect: mild sunny weather, our accommodation and its location, the beauty of the buildings, the river and its bridge, the views, the ease of getting around, the porto wine. We had a fabulous few days.
Staying in a Old Palace!
The accommodation is definitely worth a mention as it was one of the best places we have ever stayed in. Renovated old palace apartments from the 13th century at Design Palacio Flats was a bit of luxury but cosy, beautiful décor and very spacious with an upstairs bedroom and huge bathroom and balconies. Great staff too. Just wonderful, really loved staying here! Because Portugal is not an expensive country we were able to stay in such wonderful accommodation for just a few dollars more than our usual basic apartment.
Porto Architecture
Porto is known for its blue tiles, and many of the buildings feature this architectural delight. So even without entering any buildings you could spend a bit of time just wondering around looking at the fabulous buildings. There are also quite a lot of run-down buildings that look beautiful in their own way. Or take one of the city on-off tourist buses to give you an overview first.
Some of the landmark buildings worth a visit are the Porto Cathedral, the Railway Station (yes, the train station – both inside and outside – check it out), Bolsa Palace, Chapel of Souls, and the Church of Saint Ildefonso.
The Douro River – so beautiful
A lot of the action however takes place down on both sides of the Douro River. With all the Port wine cellars and tasting rooms on one side of the river and general bars and restaurants on the other side. They are connected by the photogenic Luis I Bridge which has a pedestrian and tram level and another level for the cars. Make sure to head this way at sunset because the views are to die for!
Things we loved
We really liked the fact that it is a good sized city. Not too big, but big enough to have lots of things to see and do on foot. For example, we did a segway tour along the river, drank port wine (and discovered it’s much nicer than just port), got on a gondola or a funicular for some great views over the river and city, saw some great street art and street performers, visited a palace, a cathedral and museum and ate some great food. Probably our best meal was at the Aurora restaurant near where we stayed.
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