Add Porto, Portugal to the list of “Places We Didn’t Expect To Love So Much But Can’t Shut Up About”. That’s essentially the TDLR of this post. Porto has the ingredients for what makes an ideal city for me. 1. Near water. 2. Rich in history 3. Great food and wine scene. I mean, ding ding ding – we have a winner!
Porto certainly isn’t a secret spot, we fought our fair share of tourist crowds. Even when we had to do so, we were still having a great time. So grab a bottle of Port and settle in for a few of our most favorite things to do in Porto, Portugal.
Tasting Port Wine
Even a teetotaler might enjoy an afternoon in the garden of a Porto winery, they are that lovely. As you may have deduced Port wine does, in fact, come from Porto. Long story short, as the nearby Douro Valley wine region grew in popularity, wine needed to make the journey from Douro Valley to Porto to be shipped to England. In order for the wine to survive the long journey (using the rivers and long skinny “Robalo” boats), it had to be fortified with Brandy. This new product was dubbed “Oporto Wine” or Port as it is known today.
There are dozens of beautiful tasting rooms, mostly lining the south bank of the Douro River. We chose the very popular, Taylor’s Port but you could make a day or two of winery hopping around the dozens of cellars in town. Here a few great options to get your planning started.
The Best Port Wine Cellars in Porto:
- Taylor’s Port Wine: Taylor’s has been bottling up the good stuff for over 300 years. Their tasting room is part museum, part garden, but mostly a delightful afternoon of sipping and learning. Tickets to tour the cellar are 15 euros for adults. You could certainly skip the tour and head straight to the tasting room if you prefer.
- Caves Calem: One of the most well known and most visited brands is Caves Calem. In addition to the tours available, you can also enjoy a fado (traditional Portuguese music) concert onsite!
- Caves Ferreira: Another heavy hitter in the Port Wine industry, Ferreira Cellars offers tours and tastings in their 250-year-old cellars. Tours include a tasting of up to 5 varieties, depending on your purchased ticket.
- Graham’s Port Wine: Perhaps one of the most beautiful places to sip is Graham’s outdoor tasting area. The views of the river are spectacular and the Port is too. You can’t go wrong here. I think if we find ourselves back in Porto this is where we will be.
Exploring Hogwarts at Livraria Lello
You’ve heard of platform 9 ¾ and if you’re a real Potterhead you know about the Elephant Cafe, but have you been to Livraria Lello in Porto? Did you know J.K. Rowling lived in Porto for a time? There are several spots around town that a Harry Potter historian would find interesting but none as stunningly beautiful as Livraria Lello. Dating back to the very early 1900s this bookstore, perhaps one of the most gorgeous in the world, has attracted many famous scribes over its decades. This book shop is said to have inspired the design of Hogwarts. The ornate center staircase is a showstopper and a bookworm’s dream (or an Insta star, great photo op!). It’s moody and cozy and filled with all sorts of interesting tomes. It even has a restricted section with rare books! Can you believe?!
Maybe you’ve never heard of it but lots of other people have. So much so that to enter you have to buy a ticket at the ticket office next door. Expect to wait in line a bit but it’s totally worth it! Also, if you do buy a book, your ticket price is discounted from your bill.
P.s. my tip for getting that great photo on the stairs is to have a friend waiting at the bottom snapping away. It’s frowned upon to stop on the stairs because they get so busy but if you casually stroll up and down once or twice you’ll get the shot. Don’t tell anyone I told you that and be respectful, always.
Searching for Authentic Azulejo Tiles
To call it “searching” is perhaps a stretch. It isn’t hard to find those lovely, delicate blue tiles throughout Porto. Interestingly, the tiles were actually brought to Portugal by King Manuel I from Seville, Spain. If you’ve been to Seville you would have seen thousands of these types of tiles at the Plaza de Espana. When we were there I actually (wrongly) assumed they came from Portuguese influence. In actuality, the Iberian Peninsula has a rich history of Islamic influence and the term “azulejo” comes from the Arabic word (“al zellige”) meaning ‘polished stone’. The more you know.
Azulejos are actually ‘native’ to Spain and Portugal although Portugal seems to have snagged the reputation for having them more than Spain – or at least the blue ones. Azulejos are tin-glazed ceramic tiles often found adorning churches and other public places like train stations and government buildings. They usually depict stories of history or religion and act as a mosaic of sorts all coming together to form one larger image as opposed to individually decorated tiles. As I said, they aren’t too hard to find but there are a few spots you won’t want to miss when in Porto.
Where to See Azulejos in Porto:
- Porto Cathedral – Perhaps one of the oldest examples on my list are the alcoves at the Porto Cathedral. You can see them from outside but they are tucked back a bit. Nonetheless, they are beautiful and depict scenes from the Bible’s Song of Solomon.
- Sao Bento Train Station – In my opinion, this spot is the absolute best place to see the tiles in their full glory. Installed in 1906, the huge panels depicting scenes from Portuguese history are immediately impressive upon entering the station. The station is still in use for trains so be sure not to loiter too much but you cannot miss this place. It sits right in the heart of the historic center of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Igreja do Carmo – This one is especially instagrammable. The east face of this church is completely covered in blue tiles. Go early to have it to yourself for what would certainly be a killer photo op!
- Capela das Almas – This one might be tied for my personal favorite. Again, it’s a church with tiles depicting religious scenes. The way the tiles cover almost every inch of the outside of the church is just stunning.
Watching The World (and the boats) Go By
Remember those boats I mentioned that carried the port wine to and fro? Those are “Robalo” boats and they are specially made to fit down the narrow Douro River. These days they are more often used for taking tourists around, but sitting along the bank of the river watching them go by was a treat in itself.
After walking across the Luis I Bridge settle in on the North bank and just hang out. There are plenty of places to sit and have a drink or do as we did and just plop down right on the edge. Soaking up the atmosphere of a city always feels right to me. Side note about the bridge, if you’ve got any nervousness about heights you may want to ride across on the tram instead of walk. We walked back and forth and it moved a bit, especially when the trams went by, and it gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Nonetheless, this was a great wrap up to our time in Porto. Portugal is high on the list of places we’d like to return to for a longer stay. There are so many great things to do in Porto that a few days will only get you started!
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What do you love about Porto? What are you most excited to explore? I hope this post was helpful in planning your next trip to Portugal. If you enjoyed this content and want to support us in creating more like it, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel.
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