The pleasant city of Porto, just a three-hour train ride from Lisbon, is famous for its wine and blue-tiled facades - azulejos. A walk around this port place will certainly not leave you indifferent. Narrow streets full of shops, pastry shops and cafes, which invite you to discover the next corner.
The very narrow houses in the center are brightly colored and the facades mostly consist of colorful tiles. On the balconies, there is hanging linen everywhere, which feels completely homely and open. People are very casually sitting in various mini-bars, and there is no end in sight. The city center begins with Catedral do Distrito, the cathedral district, home to the Church of Santa Clara and Sao Bento, a train station from 1916 with the very famous azulejos (tiles) Jorge Colaco. It is south of the cathedral Ribeira: a riverside district full of restaurants, bars and nightclubs (pictured above). You should not miss visiting the stock market, a mixture of Arab and European art from the 19th century, and Torre dos Clerigos, a 75-meter-high tower from which you have a beautiful view of the Doura River and the city below. The center of the city consists of Avenida dos Aliados, which ends with the large city hall, Rua de Santa Catarina and Rua Sa da Bandeira. Here you can browse the windows of trendy jewelry and leather stores or hop on over to the Bolhao market, an indoor market where you can buy fruit, vegetables, various appliances and even farm animals. A walk along the steep streets to the north of the city takes you to Avenida da Boavista, home to new hotels, shops and some trendy bars and restaurants. For soccer fans, we also recommend watching a soccer match between FC Porto, winners of the 2004 International Soccer Cup and 2003/04 Champions League, at the Estadio de Dragao soccer stadium, located in the Antas district near the center. You can buy tickets at the stadium itself. For larger matches, it is recommended to buy them at least one week before, and the prices vary between 20 and 100 euros.
WINE – A TASTY SIGHT
If you cross the Ponte Dom Luis I bridge, designed by Eiffel's assistant, you arrive in the town of Vila Nova de Gaia. Most of the port farms are there. More than 50 of them are hidden in the narrow streets of the town, which lives from the production of wine. Until 1987, it was stipulated by law that port could not be grown anywhere else but in Gaia, so even today most of the factories are located there. The most famous manufacturers are Taylor, Ferreira, Graham, Barros and Borges. You can also visit wine houses or warehouses and see the entire process of making port and, of course, try it at the end. A visit to the wine houses will delight wine and architecture lovers, as most of the houses are built in a very selected style. Dark caves evoke romantic feelings. For a slightly different tour of the city, we recommend one of the tourist routes by boat along the Douro River. You can try different types of port while driving. In the Ribeira district, which is next to the river, you can find different routes. You can also visit the Solar Vinho do Porto wine museum, where you can try all kinds of port. Namely, they offer aged in bottles or in barrels. White port is usually drunk as an aperitif, and red port after dinner as a digestif. Porto Ruby is the cheapest and least aged variety, followed by Twany, and the most prestigious variety is called Vintage. The price increases with the quality of the wine. You will pay between 7 and 10 euros for a bottle of Ruby port, and up to 400 euros for a bottle of a good vintage. You can find port for pampering at home in every supermarket and also in smaller shops. If you are more of a connoisseur looking for a special vintage of Vintage port, you can visit one of the specialty port shops that can be found all over the city. The best years of the last century are: 1994, 1992, 1991, 1985, 1977, 1970, 1963, 1955, 1948, 1945, 1935, 1931, 1927 and 1912.
BACALHAU AND COFFEE
After a full day of sightseeing, tastings and walks, it is perfect to relax in one of the bars or restaurants in the Ribeira quarter. The Portuguese love to enjoy good food and every part of the country has its own culinary specialties. You must try cod (bacalhau) at least once. We also highly recommend other types of seafood, such as rice with octopus or snails - caracois. The specialty of the north is Tripas a moda do Porto, tripe in the Porto style, and the traditional soup is caldo verde, a cabbage-potato soup with chorica sausage. One of the most popular restaurants known throughout the country is Portucale, where you can taste excellent seafood and meat dishes and enjoy a spectacular view of the city. While you sit down with your drink, you are usually served tremocos, special round orange nuts that are tasteless but very filling. Coffee is also very important in Portugal, as in our western neighbors. A few times a day, people jump on an espresso for five minutes during work and then go back to work. The coffee is quite strong and very good. Helpful Hint: If you order a coffee, you will get an espresso, if you want a coffee with milk, order a galao. Cafe Majestic on the pedestrian zone of Rua Santa Catarina is one of the oldest and most beautiful cafes in the city, which is worth a visit. While you sit quietly with your coffee, you can experience the pulse of the city around you.
NIGHT PORTO
At dinner, in some restaurants, you can enjoy typical Portuguese music - fado, which was recently brought to us in Ljubljana by the group Madredeus. The most famous fado restaurant in Porto is Mal Cozhinado. Dinner costs around 30 euros per person. The city offers many different ways of entertainment in the evening. You can go for a drink in the Ribeira district or Rua Santa Catarina. There are many trendy nightclubs with a variety of music that are open until the early hours of the morning. Club Estado novo is one of the most popular and famous in the city. The Aniki Bobo club is also quite popular, where gays also gather, the parties there are said to be one of the best in the city. Many nightclubs are located in the industrial suburb of Matosinhos, which is easily reached by bus number 1.
SLEEPING AND TRANSPORTATION IN THE PORT
In Porto, you can choose from hotels of various categories and price ranges. For a more authentic impression and a special experience, you can stay in quartos - rooms offered by the locals. You can walk around and find the right room for you or get a list of rooms from one of the tourist centers. The best way to get around the city is by bus or the metro, which is small but goes to all the suburbs of Porto. A one-way ticket costs 80 cents. But if you are in more of a hurry and have strong nerves, driving with wild taxi drivers is right for you. There are plenty of taxis everywhere and they are very cheap.
