The Portuguese city of Porto is frequently ranked as one of Europe’s elite destinations. So, when easyJet launched its new flight route between Glasgow and Porto this March, many Scots were quick to book a trip to the city full of history, wine, and plenty of cultural offerings.
I know this to be true after having just had the opportunity of exploring Porto for the weekend. easyJet flies from Glasgow to Porto on Mondays and Fridays, thus offering visitors the option of soaking in the sights for a weekend or the full week.
After a short flight (roughly 2.5 hours) I arrived in Porto. Instantly I found myself adapting to a more laid-back, relaxed way of operating. Here, no one is in a rush.
“It’s so green here,” members of my group observe as we board our transfer to the hotel. The five-star Pestana Douro Riverside Urban Resort became the ideal base for us over the course of the weekend.
With picturesque views over the wide Douro River, a prominent pool overlooking the river, and spacious, luxurious rooms, this former soap and candle factory is packed with character.
Keen to get a feel for the city, we quickly freshened up and headed for the town centre.
Porto is located three hours north of Lisbon and is split by the Douro River. The city has experienced a bit of a renaissance over the last decade. That is, traces of a development boom are evident while new attitudes are placing focus on the preservation of historic facades.
It’s a city buzzing with life, live music, independent boutiques, cafes, and bountiful options for food, wine, and port of course. The terrain is of hilly and narrow cobbled streets (comfortable footwear is key), and the architecture is colourful and charming throughout.
With so much variety, it’s hard to know where to start in this gregarious city. Let me help by sharing seven standout highlights on the best things to experience in Porto.
PORTO CITY HALF-DAY TOUR
If you book through easyJet, you will have the option to add tours onto your package. Musement is a company offering a multitude of tour options in and around Porto. The Porto City Half-Day Tour is recommended to book for your first day in the city, particularly if you are visiting for the weekend and time is of the essence. This tour will give you a flavour of what main attractions and areas you would like to thoroughly explore and come back to.
On this guided tour we explored the city’s top points of interest by minibus and ended the tour with a port wine cellar visit with wine tasting. Over the half-day tour we also visited Pena Ventosa (the birthplace of the city of Porto), the 12th century cathedral, the stunningly ornate São Bento train station – known for its blue and white tiles representing important moments of Portugal's history and culture.
The local tour guide provides information regarding several streets and places in the historic centre, which is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We discovered Batalha Square, Santa Catarina Street, the Majestic Café, the Bolhão Market, and Aliados Avenue, before heading across the river to Gaia to enjoy a port wine cellar tour and tasting [we visited Fonseca].
PORTO BRIDGE CLIMB
If you’re looking for more action and one of the best views of the city, then the Porto Bridge Climb is truly something unique. I’ll admit I wasn’t nervous of the steep ascent 65 meters above the river until I found myself being strapped into a harness facing a concrete ribbon of stairs towards the centre of the Arrábida Bridge [one of six bridges over the city].
When my group volunteered me to go first, the initial steps were steep but the panoramic views of the sun glistening on the river were enough distraction against any feelings of trepidation. At the top of the concrete arch, after scaling the 262 steps, we were treated to a chocolate cup filled with delicious, sweet port. Our guide kept us entertained with tales of how the bridge has impacted local people throughout the decades.
FULL-DAY WINE TOUR OF DOURO VALLEY
Exploring the Douro Valley with an expert guide was a real treat. On this full-day tour we were able to admire the unique vertical vineyards spread throughout the landscape. The wine culture is ingrained in Porto, and the Douro Valley was the first demarcated wine region in the world…this is where port was invented.
On this day we were driven around the scenic valley, visiting two wine estates for a tour and tasting, where we could compare ruby, white, tawny and vintage ports.
We also tucked into a traditional lunch, and (my personal favourite) enjoyed a one-hour panoramic cruise along the river with canapés and a refreshing port tonic cocktail.
LIVRARIA LELLO BOOKSHOP
Being the ‘most beautiful bookstore in the world’ is quite the claim, and yet tourists will queue down the street and pay the £5 ticket fee just to enter the Livraria Lello Bookshop. Why? Well it’s striking, neo-gothic, and incredibly detailed interior design is said to be the inspiration for Hogwarts library –J.K. Rowling lived in Porto before she wrote Harry Potter.
Inside the store, the real showstoppers are the vivid staircase, stained glass ceiling, and detailed wooden panelling throughout. Located in the centre of the city, this magical bookshop is worth a visit, and if you buy a book the price is deducted from your £5 ticket – English books are available.
BEACH DAY
If you’re blessed with sunshine and have time to escape the city, Porto has a plethora of popular sandy beaches. Leça Beach in Matosinhos is one of the most accessible beaches from the city. You can reach the beach by bus in roughly 15 minutes. The south side of the beach is less rocky and a good place to spot surfers and kitesurfers.
Matosinhos is home to another beach, its largest, Praia de Matosinhos. During the summer months, a visit to these beaches becomes necessary. There’s a great buzz here, the sand is soft, the water clean, and the facilities modern.
WATCH THE SUNSET IN GAIA
While there are ample spots in Porto to watch the sunset over the river, one of the most captivating is the Jardim do Morro in Gaia. To reach this hilltop garden, you can walk across the famous Dom Luis Bridge, which is an experience in itself, or you can take the tram over the bridge, or, if you want to be more adventurous, take the Gaia cable car.
Once you find a spot on the landscaped, hilltop garden, simply relax and drink in the view and atmosphere. The park has a market open during the day too, offering great souvenirs. Feel free to bring a picnic and make the most of one of the best-loved spots in the city.
EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE CITY
The Portuguese are proud of their food. The best way to gauge the level of passion for local delicacies is through a food tour. Local firm Musement, via easyJet, also offer a Porto Local Tasting tour ensuring visitors sample the main gastronomic staples of the city.
But if you would like to create your own personal food tour then make sure you don’t miss out on the city’s ultimate culinary favourites.
Of course no trip to Porto would be complete without freshly baked pastel de nata, Portugal’s globally loved custard tart – if you have a sweet tooth like me you may need to go back for seconds.
Leave space for the traditional Francesinha sandwich – a calorific concoction of beef, sausage, and ham topped with cheese and covered with a beer sauce. Indulge in a cachorrinho, a small Porto-style hot dog, and a sandes mista de pernil – a pork and cheese sandwich.
Other local delicacies we sampled included deep-fried green beans, grilled sardines, pumpkin jam, and plenty of fresh seafood.
If in doubt, simply follow your nose!
easyJet flies from Glasgow to Porto on Mondays and Fridays, with prices starting from £32.99 per person (one-way, including taxes and based on two people on the same booking).
easyJet holidays offers three nights at the 5* Pestana Douro Riverside Urban Resort on a Bed & Breakfast basis for £436 per person including 23kg of luggage per person and flights from Glasgow on 13 October 2023. Book with easyJet holidays (www.easyjet.com/en/holidays tel: 0330 365 5005). Tours and excursions can be booked via Musement.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here