It’s fair to say the word has gotten out about Portugal.
We went to Porto and Lisbon in January 2017 after hearing tales of beautiful cities filled with delicious food, great wine, and kind people. Every bit of the praise turned out to be well-deserved.
I initially pulled together a list of favorites for friends who took a trip later that year; this is a version of that with some additional feedback from people that have since visited.
We spent three days in Porto, which was enough for us to cover the major things on our list but didn’t quite allow enough time to do everything. If you have the time and want to be a little leisurely, make it four days. If you like wine tasting, also consider tacking on a trip to the nearby Duoro valley.
EAT
Mercearia das Flores - adorable grocery store with delicious, inexpensive, food. Order whatever looks most enticing from the incredibly friendly shopkeepers, try a port tonic (it’s white port + tonic + lemon = refreshing heaven in a glass), and grab a few fresh-out-of-the-oven pastel de nata. Looking back, they were the best we had in Portugal.
As Melhores Sande Do Porto - fantastic sandwiches. We grabbed a few for the train ride from Porto to Lisbon and they were so good that we were wishing we'd bought a few more.
Francesinhas sandwich – we wanted to like this, but despite being packed with multiple kinds of meat + cheese and smothered in sauce and eggs, it didn’t win us over. But, we were happy to have tried it at least once. Get one at Cafe Santiago or its sister-restaurant Santiago F.
Port (taste & tour) – we didn’t realize we liked port until we tried it in Porto, so we walked across the Ponte Luis I bridge without having done much research on the subject and stumbled into Sandeman, one of the larger producers. Though it was rather large and a little commercial, the staff was charming, kind, and really knowledgeable. We’re also suckers for any experience where we learn something new and then get to have a drink.
Next time we return, we’d do more research (we’ve since become fans of Dow and Neipoort) and book in advance. Some places required advanced reservations year-round and even in January the first-come-first-served tours at Sandeman sold out right after we bought our tickets.
Perola do Bolhao - a deli with a pretty art nouveau facade. We had just eaten and didn’t buy anything, but seemed like a charming option to pick up snacks and foodie souvenirs.
Majestic Cafe - a very old cafe with cool belle epoque architecture. The breakfast food and coffee wasn't particularly notable, so this isn’t as much of a “to eat” as it is a “to see”.
VISIT
Sao Bento railway station - if you're not already taking a train somewhere, it’s worth a stop inside to see the incredible blue and white tiled interior. We saw a lot of these azulejos on the trip; these murals ranked among our favorites.
Torre dos Clergios - old tower in the middle of town. Bit of a climb, but worth it for the great view and interesting history lesson.
Se do Porto (a.k.a Porto Cathedral) - large, fortress-like, and on a hill, the city’s main cathedral has a pretty view of town, and more azulejos under archways. There was mass going on, so we didn't get to go inside but it was a good quick stop while doing more exploring in the area.
Armazem – the name literally translates to “warehouse,” and this one is filled with a mix of vintage goods for sale plus a cafe/bar. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but we meandered through local neighborhoods to get there and it felt a little under-the-tourist-radar which made it all the more charming of a stop.
Livraria Lello - it’s got a well-deserved place on many of the “most beautiful bookstore” lists for its lovely art nouveau architecture, but was apparently also a source of inspiration for J.K. Rowling as she wrote Harry Potter. We love bookstores of all shapes and sizes, but are still on the fence about whether it was worth the hassle of buying tickets in advance and having to wait in line. If books call to you, it is a gorgeous store and if you buy something your ticket price is applied to the purchase.
Igreja de Santo Ildefonso – a beautiful church covered in more azulejos.
The "Porto" sign - in the plaza just south of City Hall sits 6-foot tall letters that spell PORTO in blue. We walked by on our way to Majestic Cafe and Cafe Santiago and took some touristy pictures.
WALKS
Duoro riverfront on Cais da Estiva - walk by the colorful, azulejo-covered houses that line the water and take in beautiful views across the river. We started near Bacalhau restaurant and walked along the riverfront to Pont Luis I bridge. If the weather is nice, it would be lovely to sit outside and try one of the many waterfront restaurants or do as the locals do and gather on the concrete pier at sunset with snacks and wine.
Av de Diogo Liete - the street on the south side of the Duoro river. Go for a port tasting, stay for a meander. Has pretty views of the north side, and fun people/boat watching. We had planned to do a port tasting, visit the monastery, ride the cable car, and walk along the river all in one day since they are on the same side of the river, but ran out of time and just did the port tasting and walk!