Postcards from Porto, Portugal

Porto sounds delightful doesn’t it? It is a city full of character, great food and wine and magnificent buildings. It was a city that I chose to spend 2 days in recently; arriving in the morning of one day, and leaving by lunchtime two days later. During my time, I stayed in a wonderful air bnb apartment I had enough time to cram in a lot of what the city had to offer, although I did leave and felt that 2 days wasn’t quite enough.

Here are some postcards from my trip to Porto

Brilliant Bridges

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The Dom Luis I Bridge takes a prominent place on the waterfront in Porto. It can be crossed along the top, where the metro train runs over, or along the bottom. The views from the top take in the wonderfully colourful city.

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At the Dom Luis I Bridge in Porto Photo courtesy of Jess at found astray.wordpress.com
At the Dom Luis I Bridge in Porto
Photo courtesy of Jess at foundastray.wordpress.com

Wonderful waterfronts

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The waterfront in Porto is a vibrant area, and great for people watching. There are various boat trips and tours you can get, if you have some time, or you can sit at some of the many cafes or restaurants and while the day away.

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Beautiful buildings 

The architecture in Porto is nothing short of magnificent. Typical Portuguese tiling cover many of the buildings, many of which are brightly coloured, or have beautiful floral displays outside. Beauty is literally around every corner.

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The Church of Saint Ildefonso in Porto, Portugal
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Saint Anthony’s Church Congregados, Porto, Portugal
Clérigos Tower is a great spot for getting a good view over the city. It can be climbed anytime between 9am and 7pm
Clérigos Tower is a great spot for getting a good view over the city. It can be climbed anytime between 9am and 7pm

 

The Lello Bookstore in Porto is famous for inspiring JK Rowlling to write the Harry Potter book series. It gets pretty busy, so I was content with standing from afar and taking photos of it.
The Lello Bookstore in Porto is famous for inspiring JK Rowling to write the Harry Potter book series. It gets pretty busy, so I was content with standing from afar and taking photos of it.

The Sao Bento train station is definitely a great place to visit – it is possibly one of the most beautiful train stations in the World. 

The Sao Bento train station. in Porto is possibly one of the most beautiful train stations in the World.
The Sao Bento train station. in Porto is possibly one of the most beautiful train stations in the World.

Art scene 

Porto is quite a quirky wee city. You’ll find a fair bit of street art around the place, when you visit.

Happy street art. Image by Jess at found astray.wordpress.com
Happy street art. Image by Jess at found astray.wordpress.com
A street artist at work in Porto, Portugal
A street artist at work in Porto, Portugal

Transport 

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Porto is easy to walk around, but beware – it is full of hills, so you may want to wear some good walking shoes on your trip there. If you aren’t keen on walking there are plenty of trams, buses and metros that you can jump on.

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Food and wine

Porto is famous for its port wine, and you can take a trip over to one of the many wine cellars for a tour. I ran out of time, but instead was content to trip wine in restaurants we ate in.

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White wine sangria, as sampled in Porto, Portugal

During my trip, we visited the Intercontinental hotel for my birthday meal, and I had some mean steak. Another thing you need to try in the city is the awesome pastries and cakes – they’re divine.

The national pastry called Pastal De Nata, as sampled in Porto, Portugal
The national pastry called Pastal De Nata, as sampled in Porto, Portugal

If you want a good place to see local life and sample yummy treats – head to the Padaria Ribero cafe, were the locals stand by the counter drinking strong coffee and chat about their day. I had my birthday morning tea here.

White wine sangria in Porto, Portugal
Sweet treats for my birthday morning tea at the Padaria Ribeiro

 

Porto is a charming little city, and makes for a great weekend trip. There is so much to discover, so I will be back.

Have you ever been to Porto?

Where is your favourtie European weekend break?

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