PORTO CITY BREAK
Portugal’s charming second city has seen a major rebirth in the past few years with an impressive sprinkling of excellent restaurants now lining the renovated streets and a dazzling collection of fresh new places to stay.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL Everyone falls in love with Porto, with its buzzy riverside, where restaurants and bars jostle shoulder to shoulder. Then there’s the magnificent wide Avenida dos Aliados, flanked by imposing granite facades and crowned by the neoclassical town hall, and the city’s port houses, long the source of its wealth.
It is a youthful city, with a vibrant nightlife and traditional festivals, such as St John’s feast day in June, when the city takes to the streets: sardines are grilled and fireworks explode into the night from the double-decked D Luis I Bridge over the Douro River. The next day a Regatta is held, in which traditional wooden Rabelo boats race down the river, sails billowing.
A city of many dimensions, Porto
offers the seaside at breezy Foz and culture in the centre. In the shadow of the baroque landmark, Torre dos Clerigos, are churches rich in gilded interiors, gothic cloisters and ancient azulejos (tiles). Downtown there is plenty to feed the body as well as the soul, with tempting jewellery shops in Rua das Flores, lively bars in Galeria de Paris, and a thriving café culture.
YOU’LL NEVER FORGET
Every time you drink a wine from the
Douro or have a glass of port, you will be reminded of the sights and sounds of this lively city.
EXPERT TIPS
Take time to stop at one of the many cafés. Visit the art nouveau Café Majestic, an integral part of the city’s life since it opened in 1921, or Café Guarany, a haunt of musicians.
HOW TO DO IT
Fly into Porto, served by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair, and take a taxi into the centre (approximately 25 minutes away). For luxurious lodging, book into the Yeatman which is located in Vila Nova de Gaia, near the port lodges: it offers a two-Michelinstarred restaurant, plus beautiful views over the river to the jumble of coloured houses in the medieval quayside of Ribeira. If you prefer to remain central, head to Pestana A Brasileira, a recently opened hotel in an old Belle Époque building, which rises above the famous A Brasileira Café.