PORTO & ALL
Allison Foat crafts a perfect day in Portugal’s second-largest city, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the rising star of the Iberian Peninsula
8AM A walk in the park
Embrace the day with a stroll through Parque da Cidade, Porto’s urban lung and a beautifully landscaped area spanning 83ha of green bliss stretching to the Atlantic. The park has been hailed by the Portuguese Chamber of Engineers as one of the country’s 100 most remarkable works constructed in the 20th century.
●visitportoandnorth.travel/
9.30AM Love some books
Livraria Lello, known for its exquisite interior, show-stopping carved staircase and Neo Gothic façade, is touted as the third-most beautiful library ever built and is rumoured to have been an inspiration to JK Rowling’s Harry
Potter novels. Sit beneath the bas-reliefs and friezes, and flip through a rare edition in a uniquely beautiful environment.
● livrarialello.pt/en-us/
11AM
Do coffee & pastel de nata
Nothing washes a pastel de nata down better than a flat white and Porto has an endless supply of cafés, stand-up bars & eateries. Locals find any excuse to stop and chat over a demitasse (small coffee cup). Down one at the corner shop or on the terrace at hip Moustache, a cafeteria-style café in a restored building overlooking Carlos Alberto Square, near the Carmelitas Church and Clérigos Tower.
● moustache.pt/
NOON
Take in some art
Galleries, vintage stores and cool cafés abound in the art district of Rua de Miguel Bombarda. When new exhibitions open (every two months), shops stay open late and there’s free music and street entertainment.
● http://visitportoandnorth.travel
1.30PM Have a hotdog
Cervejaria Gazela, by the São João National Theatre, got great PR when Anthony Bourdain raved about its signature cachorrinhos. This toasted roll filled with chorizo, spicy sauce and melted cheese is hotdog heaven.
2.30PM Taste some port
Take a walk up the hill to Graham’s 1890 Lodge, a working cellar on a ridge on Vila Nova de Gaia. Book a tasting and tour in advance and afterwards do lunch on the verandah at the award-winning Vinum restaurant, to soak up the jaw-dropping vistas across the historic city centre and landmark Dom Luís I Bridge, designed by Gustav Eiffel of Paris tower fame.
4PM
Take high tea
Ten minutes from the tiled masterpiece that is the San Bento Railway Station, you’ll find the opulent Café Majestic, a throwback to La Belle Époque. It opened in 1921 as Café Elite, when it was the go-to place for the posh, also favoured by writers and poets. After falling into ruin, it underwent reconstruction, reopened with the same touch of glamour and was declared a cultural heritage site in 1983. It’s well worth waiting in line for the high tea, pastries and French toast with egg custard.
● cafemajestic.com
5PM
Spend some cash
Starting at Praça (park) da Batalha is Rua Santa Catalina, a 1 500m pedestrian street and the main shopping thoroughfare, with topend stores, restaurants and patisseries. It’s worth venturing into the side alleys too for a few hidden gems.
7PM
Sip cocktails
The plush hillside Yeatman Hotel, flanked by some of the finest port lodges in the world, was voted as the best wine hotel in 2015 for the second consecutive year. Dick’s rooftop bar has a swanky private-club feel and a G&T overlooking the Ribeira Square is hard to top. ● the-yeatman-hotel.com
9PM Dine out
The once-legendary nightclub opposite the beach in downtown Foz, called The Twins 1974, got a new lease of life some years ago and is now an upmarket restaurant, cool bar and club. The cuisine is contemporary, the mixologist serves classic cocktails and a mean sangria, and the striking décor by Paulo Lobo pops with colour. Be prepared for a boogie and a long night out, especially in the summer.
● http://twins1974.pt/
11PM
Get the blues
You’ll likely roll out of your restaurant at 11pm, the ideal time for late-night grooves at HotFive jazz club, the oldest in the city, which books some of the most respected musos in town. This is where people who live and breathe the blues go.
● http://hotfive.pt/