European Best Destination in 2012, 2014, and 2017, Porto has started attracting the attention of travellers tired of the traditional tourist draws in Europe, who now flock from worldwide to wander the Ribeira district, sample the Port over the river in Gaia, relax in the many wonderful parks, taste the incredible food, drink the world’s best red wine (it’s true – it’s just that the world doesn’t know it yet!), and get to know Europe’s friendliest locals. There’s a real sense of optimism amongst the proud tripeiros (literally tripe eaters) in this hard-working small city, which you can see with the construction going on everywhere turning crumbling old mansions into expensive apartments, with the big food and drink chains coming in to get a piece of the action (Starbucks has three stores now, McDonalds and BurgerKings abound, and Hard Rock Cafe has become a firm favourite – for better or worse we’ll leave it to you to decide!), with the luxurious shopping malls, the shiny metro system, and iconic symbols of modernity like the architectural marvel that is Casa Da Musica. Yet, it is the real Porto that the tourists come for, the authentic, stuck-in-time Porto. The Porto where the people still greet each other cheerfully in the cobbled streets as trams trundle past. The Porto of beautiful old buildings whose walls are covered in stunning blue, pink, purple, orange, brown and yellow azulejos (Portuguese ceramic tiles). The Porto of wonderful churches – so many you lose count. The Porto of the Tascas, the old cafes, with delicious, fresh food. The Porto of the old fishermen who are dotted, rain or shine, along the banks of the Douro river. And fortunately, Porto has all of this in spades – and much more besides. It’s a romantic city – some say one of the most romantic in Europe, an enchanting city, a friendly and welcoming city.
We were proud to call this place home for 2 years . Here, we share with you 25 things to do in Porto. We did them a lot. Try them all!
Great article!
Loved reading this in preparation for my upcoming trip to Porto – thank you!