Three Days in Porto

Last Updated on August 1, 2017 by lydiaf1963

For 557 miles the Duero River winds its way across the high plains of Castile and León where it supplies water to the golden fields of grain, sunflowers and vineyards. Its name changes to the Douro when it crosses into Portugal, and it creates a microclimate perfect for almonds, olives and especially the grapes used to make the Port wine which is famous throughout the world. Eventually, the Douro empties into the Atlantic Ocean but not before it passes through the port cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, known locally as Gaia.

Porto has operated as a center of commerce and shipping since Roman times. Currently the area comprising Porto, Gaia and the surrounding villages is home to 1.4 million people. As you can imagine, there’s lots to see and do.

We drove about 260 miles to visit the city, passing through some gorgeous country and a hair raising ride through the mountains. Well, hair raising for me…Rick enjoyed driving it. We stayed in the Homey Guesthouse, located in the historic district with fantastic views of the river and Ponte Dom Luís I. Parking and traffic is limited in the historic district; we had to park in a municipal parking lot and carry our luggage in. (Don’t let that deter you, there are plenty of hotels in other sections of the city and the public transportation system is easy to navigate. We were able to communicate in Spanish and English).

We really enjoyed our meals in Portugal, which were seafood centric as you’d expect. I strongly suggest you do some research if you have special dietary needs. Most restaurants show allergy information but depending on where you’re staying, you may find access to fresh fruits and vegetables to be a challenge.

The first night we went to the Arco Iris at the recommendation of one of the shop owners for being authentic and out of the tourist district. I had bacalhau (cod) and Rick had a nice steak. The highlight of the meal was an incredible semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese called queijo de azeitão spread on pieces of the local bread and washed down with a surprisingly good house wine from the region. For dessert we asked for something typical and were served a parfait called serradura, which was layers of whipped cream and crushed cookies. The rest of our time in Porto we ate less elaborate meals, including a burger at a beachside bar and freshly grilled sardines at Restaurante Ora Viva on the same street as our hotel.

Each morning we were awakened by the sounds of seagulls and the tourists lining up to take the first of many cruises on the river. At the guesthouse we were served a typical Portuguese breakfast of fresh bread, sliced ham and sausage, cheeses and fruit. There was also coffee, tea and a delicious pound or sponge cake that was made by a local bakery. We had a different one each day.

The easiest way to get around Porto is to purchase tickets to use one of the many hop-on/hop off tourist busses. We chose the Yellow Bus which also included a tour of Cockburn’s Wine Cellars and an option to take a river tour. You can also use the ticket to board any of the city busses, which was handy because despite running “every 30 minutes” the Yellow Bus seemed to be perpetually behind schedule. Nevertheless, this type of bus is often the best way to see the major points of interest in any city that offers similar service. Thanks to the bus, we were able to site see through town on our way to the Atlantic Ocean.

It was my first time seeing the Atlantic from this side of the ocean…I got a little sentimental thinking about my grandson on the other side, much to Rick’s exasperation. The beaches were rocky, and the wind was cool, but that didn’t seem to stop the sun seekers from having a good time. We enjoyed a pleasant walk past the inlet to the river and made our way to a bus stop to wait for the Yellow Bus to take us back near our hotel.

We didn’t get to see everything in three days. There’s a huge shopping district, several museums, gardens and many historic buildings we weren’t able to get to. We did visit the birthplace of Henry the Navigator and the Palácio da Bolsa-– the 19th Century Stock Exchange– but we came across them while we were wandering around and decided to go in since they were open.

The best part for me was the very short trip on the cable cars to the overlook at the monastery. From there we walked back across the river on the top portion of Ponte Dom Luís I and worked our way back to the hotel through narrow streets. Obrigada, Porto, for your beautiful views, delicious food and pleasant people.

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Interested in Portuguese food? Be sure to visit Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen to learn how to make Caldo Verde, a delicious soup made with greens, and Serradura, the yummy dessert we had while in Porto.