As the summer starts to end and the dark evenings begin getting earlier in England, many of us start dreading the long wintery months ahead. Going from 16 hours of sunlight in August, to a measley 8 hours in December – January can feel a bit depressing. The countdown to the summer holidays, summer festivals and day drinking in the beer gardens begins. If you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, it sounds like a trip to Portugal’s Capital City, Porto, might be exactly what you need.
Instead of settling into the sofa and indulging on a whole tin of celebrations during the crimbo-limbo (the weird period of time between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what to do with themselves and everyone has lost track of what day it is), I strived for something different in 2023.
I decided to book an 11-night stay in Porto, or Oporto, for immediately after Christmas. I wanted to go into the New Year exploring a different country. Although it wasn’t exactly summer weather, the temperature was at least 10°C higher than the UK – peaking at 15°C in Porto – which was a big benefit to this trip!
QUICK FACTS
Porto – city and port – is located in Northern Portugal and runs along the Douro River (which has some breathtaking views!). Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, and is 280km north of Portugal’s capital city Lisbon.
Porto is world-famously known for the export of Port Wine – a sweet fortified wine with a strength of 16.5% which is typically served after dinner. You can grab a glass of Port almost anywhere in Porto. It particularly seemed to be a big hit in The Fantastic World Of The Portuegese Sardine shop – a shop displaying rows of Sardines like bars of gold.
Population
One thing that I noticed in Porto was how quiet the streets seemed to be! I was mentally prepared for bustling streets, similar to previous experiences of visiting European cities such as Amsterdam and Prague around Christmas. Porto had a much more chilled and relaxed vibe. According to 2020 figures, the population of Porto stands at 250, 906. Statistics show that Porto has lost a third of its population over the past decade due to a low birth rate and an increasing amount of young people emigrating to other countries in Europe and Northern America.
Despite the colourful mosaic tiles keeping the streets of Porto looking bright, I was suprised by the amount of desolate buildings. I was intrigued to find out more information on this during my trip, and I quickly found out that 1 in 5 buildings are abandoned in Porto due to the costs being too high to restore or maintain these buildings, but there is also too much of a less to sell.
Currency and affordability
Like many European countries, the currency of Portugal is the euro €. I found Porto to be a very affordable city, and excluding flights and accomodation, I spent a total of £416 (equating to approximately € 490) over 11 days.
Budget restaurant for lunch or dinner: approximately € 7-8 per person.
Mid-range restaurant for dinner: approximately €15 per person.
Glass of wine: approximately € 3-4.
Bottle of beer: approximately € 3
Pint of beer (usually Super Bock): approximately € 4
Language
The local language in Porto is Portuegese, but many of the locals also speak English. “Obrigada” is Portuegese for “thank you”, and it is polite to use this in Porto.
HOW TO GET THERE
Flying to Porto
Porto has it’s own airport which makes getting to Porto very easy! However, if you are departing from a country that does not have direct flight routes to Porto, it is also very easy to fly to Lisbon and get the 3 hour train to Porto for approximately € 15.
Metro
The metro system in Porto makes it very easy to travel around. When arriving at Porto airport, the purple metro line takes you straight to the city centre in approximately 45 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from machines in the metro station, and there are attendants available to help you if you need support. There are many options for the metro tickets including day tickets, multi-trip tickets and single-trip tickets. Which ticket you choose is dependent on where you want to travel, and how much you want to use the metro as opposed to walking. As I opted for walking, I only used the metro getting to/from the airport and this cost € 5 each way.
Buses & trams
In addition to the metro system, Porto also has buses and trams to travel around the city. I used these on 2 occasions: once when visiting Matosinhos beach, and once when attending the Hot Five Jazz Blues Club (which I would really recommend for a live music event!). Both times were really easy and routes were easily planned using Google Maps. The only issue that I had is that the scheduled times are not accurate! So do not worry if the bus or tram has not turned up when Google Maps tells you that it has departed!
There is also a tram service that runs from the Ribeira district, near the Douro River, to the Foz district for € 3 – where you can visit the Foz beach!
WHEN TO VISIT
As with many other European cities, Porto is likely to get very busy and overcrowded with large amounts of tourists during the summer months. Between June – August, the temperature in Porto rises sharply to 25°C – 30°C. However, as Porto is located in Northern Portugal, the temperatures are likely to be slightly more pleasant than locations in South Portugal such as Libson and The Algarve.
One thing to also bear in the mind is that Porto is built on a hill, making the walkable city much less enjoyable to walk around in the summer. However, if walking is not for you – there are plenty of tour companies around Porto providing private tours on a Tuk-Tuk, or hop-on/hop-off buses for more of a budget option!
Porto would not be the most ideal location for some ‘winter sun’, but if a city break with warmer weather than the UK is something that you are looking for, I believe that Porto is the perfect city to visit in the October – January months.
WHERE TO STAY
When travelling to Porto, you will have many accomodajtion options to choose from. I personally opted for an Air B&B in the Cedofeita neighbourhood, in Porto’s downtown. This area of Porto fit exactly what I wanted from my trip. The neighbourhood was filled with trendy coffee shops, bars and restaurants, and it had all of the necessities required including supermarkets and a launderette.
I paid € 829 for 11 nights in a studio apartment with a balcony, which I booked through Air B&B. However, there are more budget options available if this is your preference. I accidentally walked into the Selina Hostel whilst I was looking for their co-working space, and this looked like a really cool place to stay. It had a very relaxed vibe and their website has a schedule for meet-up’s and social events, making it a great accomodation option for a solo traveller!
Another popular location for tourist’s to stay in Porto is in Ribeira. Located on the river bank of the Douro River, Ribeira Square is a historical square in the Old Town of Porto filled with traditional portuegese restaurants and cafe’s, and surrounded by hotels. It has more of a tourist atmosphere compared to other neighbourhoods in Porto, but its waterfront location makes Ribeira one of the most picturesque locations in Porto.
UNESCO declared Ribeira as a World Heritage Site in 1996. Spend a day wandering around its medieval streets and alleyways, observing the photogenic bridges and buildings.
WHERE TO EAT / DRINK
Brunch & Lunch
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails
Zenith was one of the restaurants for brunch that I had saved on Instagram before travelling to Porto, and I’m so glad that I made it on my final morning before leaving Porto! I ordered a scrambled egg bagel served with crispy onions and avocado, and it did not disappoint! There is a a large amount of seating including inside the restaurant, in the basement and outside. However, it is recommended to book a reservation if possible as the restaurant gets very busy.
Honolulu Food & Cocktails
I went to Honolulu 3 days in a row whilst I was in Porto! They served delicious Oat Milk Latte’s (which was quite a rarity in Porto!), and they also had a selection of brunch and lunch meals. The restaurant has a Hawaiian theme, and there is a outdoor terrace in the back of the restaurant. Although unfortunately this was not open when we visited in December. If you book a table at Honolulu through The Fork, you get 30% off your bill.
Lareira – Portugese Steak Sandwiches
Lareira is a very casual restaurant that is perfect for lunch. They offer a range of sandwiches with various meats, and you can opt for additional fillings including a fried egg and sheeps cheese. Each sandwich costs between € 6 – € 8, so it’s great for a cheap but very filling, delicious lunch!
Casa Guedes – Pork Sandwiches
I stumbled upon this restaurant one day when searching for lunch, and the queue was out of the door! I returned the next day to see what all of the fuss was about, and was blown away by both the quality of the food and the hospitality. As I was ordering to take away, the manager offered tasters of the menu to sample whilst I was waiting for my food. I have put this in the “lunch” section as this was when I chose to eat here, but this restaurant was busy at all times of the day. It’s definitely a favourite in Porto!
Dinner
Muti – Pizzeria
Muti was another place that I saved on Instagram months before going to Porto, and I waited until my final evening in Porto before visiting! I ordered the ‘Del Re’ truffle pizza, and at the time, I claimed that it was the best pizza that I had ever eaten in my life. The pizza’s at Muti cost between € 11 – € 13 each, which is a great price for the quality of food and the cosy, ambient atmosphere.
Bao Bao – Thai Food
Bao Bao has recently opened it’s second restaurant in Porto, with it’s first being in Lisbon. The restaurant is very aesthetic, and it looks like a great place to spend an evening! Unfortunately, I was unable to reserve a table at Bao Bao due to being fully booked, so I ordered their food for delivery through Glovo. It was really great food, and I will definitely swing by their restaurant the next time that I visit either Porto or Lisbon!
Bango Sushi – All you can eat!
I made a last minute decision to eat at Bango Sushi on a Friday night when I was struggling to find a reservation at a restaurant, but the concept of all you can eat sushi for € 17 is a concept that I could not turn down! The menu was so varied, and included gyoza’s, spring rolls and prawn toast, in addition to a large range of fresh sushi and noodle dishes! The restaurant gets very busy and it is recommended to make a reservation, although the staff will do what they can to fit you in!
Snacks
Cookie Club
I will be honest and tell you that I was waiting for days for this bakery to open due to their Christmas hours, but I was determined to try one of their cookies! They have a selection of approximately 4-5 different cookies (this may vary each day), and I bought the Oreo cookie for € 3.50, and it was incredible.
Manteigaria
During my time in Porto, I went through my fair share of Pastel De Nata’s but I did not find one better than those in Manteigaria! This is THE place for Pasta del Nata’s. You can either eat-in or takeaway, but there is a constant flow of people due to it’s popularity so it can get quite busy.
Originally from Lisbon, there are now 2 Manteigaria cafe’s (or pasta del nata factories) in Porto. The factory is made of glass, so you can intriguely watch the pastéis be made from scratch whilst waiting in the line.
Bars
There are plenty of bars and nightlife to choose from wherever you are in Porto. Ribeira is reported to be one of Porto’s most beautiful and lively area’s for bars and nightlife, but I did not spend much time around here on an evening. As I was staying in the Cedofeita neighbourhood, this is where I spent a lot of my time on an evening, as there are plenty of bar’s to choose from!
Torto
Torto is a cocktail bar that has a small menu of creative cocktails, primarily using whiskey. They have a great DJ schedule, and the bar transforms into a lively atmosphere after 22:00 – 23:00.
Nope Bar
A board game Meet Up event is held at Nope Bar every Thursday evening. This is a great opportunity to play some board games and meet some fellow travellers! I played ‘Jenga’ and ‘Seeking Hitler’, but there was also a larger group of people playing ‘Cards Against Humanity’, so you can play whatever game fits your mood! The bar serves a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, so you can either choose the wine or a cup of tea – making it a great option for everyone.
HOW LONG TO STAY
11-nights in Porto felt like a very long time to spend in one city, but I went for this amount of time with the intention to explore at a very slow pace after Christmas. I would advise spending 3-4 nights in Porto if you want to explore the whole city. However, there are plenty of day trips that you can do if you do wish to stay longer, including the Douro River 6 Bridges Tour and the Douro Valley Tour.
I hope that this travel guide has been helpful if you are planning a trip to Porto! I would love to hear about your experiences and your favourite places to visit!
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