SEE & DO

I mean, we didn’t really SEE Porto or DO much. When we attempted to do either, we failed, not for lack of wanting but we just had some laughable unexpected things happen to us…like taking a 20 min drive out of town to check out Serralves, only to find it was shut as they were prepping for an upcoming festival. Excellent. Oh, and it was raining. Even better.

We did do the tourist thing of clamber down to the harbour and take in the views. Wherever there are tourists, guaranteed you will find mediocre eateries and drinking dens. Luckily for me, my friend had scoped out a place in the harbour the day before, where we had a nice glass of wine and some wonderful croquettes – it’s called RIB and is owned by the Pestana Hotel Group.

We considered doing a tour of one of the Port houses but ended up having lunch at DOP instead; we did head up to Gaia though but just to soak up the spectacular views from the vantage point of the outdoor bar at The Yeatman Hotel. 

One afternoon, we were near the Sao Bento train station, so decided to have a gander. Housed in a Beaux-Arts building, it’s decorated with intricate azulejos on all four corners. I’m generally not an advocate of guide books but it would have been useful in this instance to understand the context of the various scenes being played out on this impressive stretch of tiled walls.

Shopping wise, we ambled along Rua de Miguel Bombarda where I took note of the attractive facade of a guesthouse called Mercardor and perused a couple of shops. We then turned into Rua do Rosário where we chanced upon Patch, a lovely vintage shop worth checking out for its curated selection of garms and crockery for the home. My friend got the mustard jars (see below) for a couple of euro and a vintage leather bag for €17, so Patch won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

The research I did for Porto was fairly minimal in comparison to what I normally do and the impact was quite apparent. My mobile also decided to pack up whilst I was out there, so I couldn’t research on the go. Nightmare.

People may find it super boring and unspontaneous to plan trips but I personally find it quite stressful wondering up and down streets trying to figure out where is good to eat, drink and check out. I find doing my homework in advance of a trip makes my time in places a whole lot more enjoyable; I give myself enough options, so it doesn’t end up being too dogmatic. Having a map of my top spots is always so helpful too.

Would love to hear people’s favourite hangouts in Porto and any tips for places to check out when I return to Porto. Drop your deets in the comment box below.

STAY – DINE – DRINK – DO

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MAP