HOW I SPENT A RELAXING DAY IN PORTO, PORTUGAL

Last week I travelled to Portugal for the first time! I booked this trip back in November, so I had been looking forward to it for a long time. After chatting with a new friend, their experiences in Portugal convinced me to visit Porto in addition to Lisbon. I will be publishing my Lisbon travel guide soon!

I found Porto to be much more relaxed than Lisbon, and I really enjoyed chilling by the water and taking in the lovely views. Fortunately, in Porto, I was blessed with semi-decent weather, and the same can’t be said for Lisbon, but I still managed to find some fun things to do. This is how I spent my day in Porto:

So I started my day from my hostel, the Oporto City Hostel, which highly recommend for its indie Pinterest vibe alone, but the location isn’t terribly central, unfortunately.

My first stop was the Bolhão Market which used is a traditional old market right in the city centre. It had sort of a grubby but cool vibe, and the interior really reminded me of Camden market in London. You can find all manners of souvenirs here - be sure to look out for printed tiles and Port. You can buy 75ml bottles of Port here for €1,50 which make perfect presents for loved ones back home (especially if you are hand luggage only like I was).

From here I wandered south downhill and ended up at the Clérigos Church which stands impressively atop a little hill in the road. On the way, I passed through the Liberdade Square and saw the column of Pedro IV (liberator and ruler of Brazil) as well! The interior of the church has the interesting effect of being understated but with some seriously over the top accents. Think plain stone walls but outlandish golden pulpit. You can enter inside for free, but to climb the Clérigos tower costs €5. I decided to give that a miss, as I knew I would need all my energy to climb uphill to my hostel that evening.

The column of Pedro IV

From here, I walked downhill still towards the waterfront. The city centre doesn’t have a beach front, but rather a riverside. The Douro river estuary runs into the sea from here, similarly to the Thames in London. Being on the waterfront was so relaxing! The sun was shining, and there were several surprisingly talented buskers to listen to while I relaxed by the water’s edge. The waterfront is part of the ‘historic centre’ and was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996.

I decided to hop on a river cruise, several of which depart from the riverfront regularly. They offer an alternative view of the city and it’s seven famous bridges. My river cruise was with Tomaz do Douro and cost €15 but unfortunately, the commentary was too quiet so I was lost as to where we were and what we were looking at. It was such a shame as I usually love learning about a city from its waterways. If you decide to take a river cruise, be sure to locate the speaker and grab a seat close by.

It was mid-afternoon at this point, and the Pastel de Nata that I had consumed for breakfast was wearing thin so I bought myself a mojito and a basket of chips at Café do Cais. This really is prime viewing of the water, and it’s a great place to catch the afternoon sun and people watch. If you are looking for authentic Portuguese food, other restaurants may be better, but honestly, these are the best chips and one of the best mojitos that I’ve ever had.

I waited until I could see the clouds starting to turn orange and then headed towards the Dom Luís I bridge. From the direction of the main riverfront area, if you walk underneath the bridge but stay on that side of the river, about 10 or so metres down is the Funicular dos Guindais. This speedy cable car will take you to the top of the steep cliff for just €2,50. It was very cool to see the city appear to grow in size as we got further away and our perspectives changed. Any cinematographists would love to film this journey!

Once on top of the hill, I started my walk across the bridge. The bridge was designed by Gustav Eiffel - notice the similarities? The top level is pedestrian and metros only, so it feels very relaxed up there in the sky. This is an incredible photo spot of the city.

To the left side once you arrive at the end of the bridge is an adorable little park called Jardin do Morro. I climbed to the top of the mound in the park for some incredible views of the Douro estuary as the sun was setting. The vibe was so relaxed here, a busker was giving an acoustic concert and so many locals were lying on the grass with a beer enjoying the evening.

Behind the garden on the other side of the metro tracks is the old Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar which is open for visits 10-5:30 or 6:30 in the summer. I was more interested in its views, as this is an extra seven or so metres higher, and sits behind the Dom Luís I bridge, which means it’s an incredible photo spot.

I stayed out soaking up the evening sun and fresh air for a little while before taking the metro back to the hostel from the Jardin do Morro stop.

I could have pushed myself to do museum visits and more intense sightseeing but to me, Porto is a calm city that has the nice aspect of being small but interesting. I found the city very different to Lisbon, which funnily enough is exactly what my friend had said to me all those months ago when I booked it. Why not see for yourself?