Porto is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon. The city is set on the northern bank of the Douro river. Porto can be fully explored in two days. On our 7 day trip to northern Portugal, we drove down from Lisbon and stayed for a day in Porto.
We visited Porto in December and we were lucky that we didn’t get any rains as winter months are unpredictable. The best time to travel to Porto is from April to December.
Porto is famous for it’s majestic bridges and port wine production. This vibrant city has an extensive history. It is filled with baroque churches, magnificent 18th and 19th century buildings, cobbled streets and beautiful houses and cafes.
The best way to explore Porto is by walking. The city has an international airport and has a good transport system with trains, trams and buses.
Every nook and cranny of Porto provides something stunning to it’s visitors. It is very easy to fall in love with this charming old city. The city has a relaxed vibe that immediately puts you on a holiday mode.
Some of the places that we visited were:
• Sao Fransico Church
• Ribeira Square
• Porto Cathedral
• Clerigos Tower
• Rio Douro
• Igreja do Carmo
• Funicular dos Guindais
• Palacio da Bolsa
• Vila Nova de Gaia
• Cafe Majestic
• Avenida dos Aliados
• Ponte de Dom Luis
We went around on our own mostly by walking or by taking a bus. I would suggest everyone to take an hop-on-hop-off bus to go sight seeing in Porto at your own pace and enjoy the city’s attractions.
From Porto you can go on a full day trip to places close by like Douro valley tour with wine tasting, Fatima and Coimbra day trip, Regua day trip, Guimaraes and Braga day trip etc. We did the Douro valley and the Fatima/Coimbra day trip and it was amazing.
The culinary scene is great in Porto, they have some of the outstanding cafes, restaurants and bars. Whether it is art, history, port wine, nature, architecture or gastronomy you have in mind-Porto has it all covered. No wonder, it is one of the most charismatic cities in Europe.
megsblogged.com 