PORTO

Finally, I found myself on a plane to Europe. Portugal would be my first introduction to Europe and I could hardly wait. As budget travelers we have steered clear of Europe so far, as it can be very expensive, or so we thought. We definitely plan on doing Europe in depth, but we want to get our hardest travel destinations done first. Then we found ourselves with three free weeks when going from one continent to another, and started exploring affordable places to go in Europe. The main destination that kept popping up was Portugal.

Instead of trying to tour the whole country, which would have been more costly, we picked the popular destination of Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, and one of the oldest and most historic cities in Europe. We went in the spring shoulder season. School’s not out yet, the nights are very cool but the days are warm and generally sunny, and the summer vacation crowds haven’t hit yet. Porto is one of the most ancient cities in all of Europe dating back to the 8th century BC. So if you’re a history or archeology buff like we are, this city is for you. Ancient Celtic settlements, old Roman Outposts, cathedrals, towers, the ancient city wall, forts, bridges, knights, royalty, birthplace of Henry the Navigator and the Age of Discovery! It’s all here and it’s all walkable!

Our plane landed in the late afternoon, so by the time we got in the airport, through customs, collected our bags, hit the ATM and caught an Uber to where we were staying, it was dark. It was also cloudy and had been raining, so it was a little cold and dreary. But that did not dampen my excitement at being there.

Porto offers everything from high-end resorts and hotels down to budget backpacker hostels. We found a small, but very nice, apartment on Airbnb, in a neighborhood just outside the main historic area. Here we spent three weeks which got us a long term stay discount. Plus it had a washer/dryer, another cost saving feature. Three weeks also let us take our time getting to know the city, seeing all the beautiful historic sites, and sampling all the great food and wine. If you don’t mind a few hills, all of the UNESCO World Heritage historic sites are very walkable. If you don’t want to walk you can use Uber, a taxi, a city bus, the metro, bicycles, electric scooters, and there’s even a historic tram system in one section. We found it very easy to get around and just walked every where.

Our apartment was on a small friendly street and we quickly settled into the flow of the neighborhood. After dropping our bags, we were done in. So we just walked down to the end of the block and crossed the street where there was an excellent Italian restaurant. We waited for daylight to seek out local Portuguese restaurants. Our apartment was also directly across the street from the neighborhood pub. This was not a problem as they closed at 10:00 pm on weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturday. There were some funny old curmudgeons that frequented the place on a daily basis, who we became very friendly with as they liked to sit on our stoop and smoke until the pub opened. The first order of the day was always to head down to the corner bakery, get a table in the morning sun, and order a cafe duplo, or double espresso, along with a Pastel de Nata (Portuguese egg tart) or some other delightful sweet or savory pastry. There seems to be a bakery on almost every block in the city, great for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon coffee. Unless we wanted a full breakfast, our morning coffees and pastries for two were less than $5.00 for us both. The breads and rolls here are amazing, as is the coffee! We opted to bypass the over-priced tourist restaurants that line the riverside and find some local places in our neighborhood. This enabled us to find great places that offer local prices, daily specials on food and wine, and generally better food. And we did find some gems! Of course we did go to a couple of renowned places to try their specialties, but we kept that limited. For a more in-depth dive into the food, check out my food blog for Porto!

There are so many ancient, and historical sites to visit here. Many of them are free to enter or cost $3.00 or less. Staying just outside of the historic city center meant we were still in walking distance to all of the major sites within the UNESCO World Heritage historic part of the city. We started our explorations with the São Bento Railway Station. Even though it is a historic landmark, it is still a busy, operating railway station with thousands passing through it everyday. This building is not all that old, construction started in 1904 and it opened in 1916. What makes this railway station special is the 20,000 blue and white, hand-painted azulejo tiles that decorate the walls. These tiles were designed and hand-painted by artist Jorge Colaco. The tiles form panels that depict rural people from different regions of Portugal and important historical events. It really is beautiful to look at, I felt like I was in an art gallery instead of a railway station. This place is free to visit.

Not far from the São Bento Station, we walked across the Dom Luis I Bridge. Built in 1886 by Gustave Eiffel (of the Eiffel Tower), this double-decker bridge spans the Douro River and connects Porto with the city of Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side. The upper deck is for the railway and pedestrians. The lower deck is for automobile traffic. It seemed like we walked across it every day. It’s an amazing bridge and you get stunning views of both sides of the river, and all the way out to the Pacific. You can also get a really good view of some of the remains of the ancient medieval wall that once surrounded the city.

Next we visited the Porto Cathedral. Originally built in the year 1110, in Romanesque style, the centuries since then have seen additions done in Gothic and Baroque style architecture. But the main look of the cathedral remains Romanesque. I felt like I had stepped back into medieval times as I strolled around this huge complex. And I guess I had, this is a medieval construction. I can’t even begin to describe how stunning it is outside and inside, with its large, classic rosette window above the cathedral doors. The place is full of beautiful art, ancient artifacts, and history. You can visit the funerary chapel of Knight Joao Gordo. His tomb has his recumbent figure carved into the top, sword and all, with the apostles carved around the sides. He was a Knight Hospitaller. Founded in the 1200s, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar were the only two Catholic military orders founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Then in 1387, King John I married English Princess Phillipa of Lancaster here. Talk about some fascinating history. I was hooked! You can enter the church for free, and it costs $3.00 to go into the cloisters, the tower, the chapels, and the treasure museum. Believe me, you’ll want to pay the $3.00. This place was visually and historically stunning.

Walking down the hill towards the river we found the Church of St. Francis. Built in 1383, it is the most prominent Gothic monument in Porto. While the outside is relatively plain, don’t let that fool you. You will find the inside extensively covered with intricately carved gilt woodwork. These intricate carvings reflect biblical stories. Everything is covered in gold. This was done in the early 1800s in Baroque style and is considered some of the most outstanding work in Portugal. You can also see some 16th century paintings, and tombs from the Renaissance. Don’t miss the room with ancient tombs in the wall and the plexi-glass covered floor of the Ossuary. This cathedral does not allow pictures to be taken inside. Or they request that you don’t. We saw several people trying to sneak their cellphones out to take a picture. Price of admission here was $10.00 to enter but it really was worth it. 

Literally right next door is the Bolsa Palace. We had to wait in line for a little while here. The weather was nice and we were in the shade so it made for a pleasant wait. This site was formerly a convent that was attached to the Church of St. Francis. It burned down in 1832, luckily the church was saved. Queen Mary II donated the convent ruins to the merchants of Porto who decided to build the seat of the Commercial Association here. This beautiful building is done in Neoclassical style and is filled with the most interesting paintings of Portugals royals throughout its history. There is one room that is truly spectacular called “The Arab Room”. I would go there again just to see that room alone. Price of admission here was $12.00 and you can see why if you go there.

The Casa do Infante, or House of the Prince was a really interesting place to visit. Built in 1325 as a customs house and house of coin, or a mint, it was the only royal quarters for King John I and Princess Phillipa to stay in when they were in Porto. This is also where the Prince, Henry the Navigator was born in 1392. Henry the Navigator that launched the Age of Discovery. There is a lot of great information in this museum. But, one of the most intriguing details is that this building was constructed on top of an old Roman Villa. This has been partially excavated and can be seen under a plexiglass floor. One section of the tiled mosaic floor of the Roman villa is in excellent condition and really beautiful. The Romans were in Portugal well over 2,000 years ago, from 300 BC to 400 AD. There are also remains of a human settlement along the river that date back to 800 BC. A lot of interesting history here for an entry fee of $2.40.

Another spot not to be missed is the Clérigos Church and Tower, also known as Church of the Clergymen. The church was completed in 1750 and is done in Baroque style. It is absolutely gorgeous inside. The highlight is the tower which was added in 1754. Standing at 246 feet high, it can be seen from many points across the city. We climbed the tower and were rewarded with fantastic views of the city and river. This is an iconic place with many visitors. We went early and didn’t have to stand in line to long, but it was a tight fit going up and down the tower stairs. Admission here is $8.50 and well worth it. While at the top of the tower, we spotted a nice park right across the street so we went there when we were done at the church. It turned out to be a nice beer garden called The Base. It had a main area to order your drink from and then you can either sit at a table under an umbrella, or on the grass beneath the shady trees. We found ourselves enjoying an afternoon with a beer here on several occasions.

There were many more historic churches and buildings that we didn’t go into. We just looked at their beautiful facades and took pictures. We hit all the big ones. Located outside the historic center is the Crystal Palace Gardens. We walked over there a couple of times, and it is a lovely, green oasis in the middle of the city. Sitting on about 20 acres, the park is actually a mosaic of different gardens that feature different flowers, plants, fountains, and sculptures. You can also get some stunning views of the Douro River from up on this hillside. Beautiful peacocks freely roam the gardens and just add another layer of enchantment to the place. The Crystal Palace itself, was built in 1865 to host the International Exhibition. After almost a century of hosting everything from exhibitions, to concerts, it was torn down in 1951 and replaced a few years later with a sports pavilion. You can see this UFO shaped building if you visit the gardens. The gardens are free to visit, but plan to spend at least two hours or more there.

By accident, we found Vertudes Park while walking around the historic center. We came here several times, and picnicked here as well. It’s a big park with different levels you can walk up, or down, to. It has some water features and sculptures as well as nice green grass and shady trees. We found it unique as many of its supporting walls were built by the Romans and contain some interesting sculpture and carvings. You also get some stunning views from here and there was never many people here when we were there.

We walked across the Dom Luis I Bridge quite a number of times. Even though it was just across the river, the Gaia side had a completely different feel, and fewer people wandering about. There are a few historic things on this side of the river as well. The first one we visited was the Monastery Serra do Pilar. It has a unique circular shape church and cloister that still hold church services today. Construction of the monastery began in 1538 and was an ongoing project through the mid 1700s as there were always more monks coming in than they had room for. The monastery and grounds are situated high above the Douro River and this site became of great military importance during the Peninsular War in 1807, the siege of Porto in 1832, and right up through World War I. In 1947 some of the monastery grounds were converted into military barracks that remain there today. You can tour the church, monastery, and grounds for $2.50. The view from here at sunset is breathtaking as you can see Porto and the Dom Luis Bridge light up.

If you didn’t already know. . . Port wine is one of Portugals most famous exports, and named after the city of Porto. In particular, the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. The side of the river opposite Porto. There are several old port houses here that you can do tours and tastings at. We visited Taylor Fladgate, founded in 1692. This was an amazing experience to walk through these vast rooms and see these enormous barrels that the port is stored in. Taylor vintage ports are some of the most sought after and expensive port wines in the world. We paid $40.00 each to do a tasting paired with appetizers, seated in their lovely rose garden. I had previously only tasted a Port style wine produced in the U.S. and I didn’t care for it very much. But these Ports were on a whole different level, WOW! I loved the red, the white, and the tawny. We splurged here and did tastings of two vintage varieties as well. Needless to say, I am now a fan!

One afternoon we did a two hour boat tour on the Douro River to see six of the awesome bridges that span the river. You also get a really good look at life on both sides of the river starting at the ocean, going past the city, and out to the edge of the countryside. It was just a really nice day out on the water and it was only $12.00 per person.

We headed down to the riverside promenade early one morning and rented bicycles for $6.00 each for the whole day. We rode across the Dom Luis I Bridge, through Gaia’s riverside, and up the coast. We stopped at a couple of beaches and boardwalks along the way to take in the beautiful landscape. We did dip our toes in the ocean, even though the sun and the air were nice and warm, the water was still frigid. We followed the bike path for 10 miles before stopping at a little seaside community and having a wonderful, and inexpensive fresh seafood lunch. We gazed out at the ocean for a bit, then headed back. It was a perfect day.

Lastly, we splurged on one amazing tour. We did a boat tour up the Douro River Valley where all the grapes for wine and port are grown, along with olives for olive oil. The wine estates we sailed past were beautiful. There was port sampling on the boat, along with a delightful array of finger foods. Next, we stopped at a winery for a tour and tasting of their wines and olive oil. Both were absolutely fantastic. To give you an idea of how big their wine barrels are, you could get inside one and have your picture taken. After leaving the wine estate we were taken to a 200 year old home/restaurant that was open only to our group. They served us an awesome lunch featuring many local dishes accompanied by several varieties of wine. Our plates and wineglasses were truly bottomless! They just kept refilling both until we turned our glasses upside down. It was a wonderful day full of beautiful scenery, relaxing river cruising, hearing stories, learning the areas history, lively entertainment, and some of the most delicious food and drink ever. This was an all day tour that covered our lunch and dinner. We met some really fun people on the tour as well. This was considered a mid-range tour at $132.00 per person, and it was so worth it. I would love to do it again!

Since our visit to Porto we have been investigating other places in Europe we want to visit and finding some very affordable options. Our bucket list continues to grow and I am looking forward to more European adventures!

Check Out Our Video Guide to Porto