The Simple Travel Guide to Porto, Portugal

Where do I even start?

Welcome to the Porto installment of Simple Travel Guides—designed to have you travel simply and without hurry

As of last week, Porto is my home. The good people at the Portuguese consulate in the UK granted this post-Brexit-Brit residency. To say I’m excited would be an understatement.

Because Porto is… what’s a better synonym for great?

Exceptional. Extraordinary. Special.

All of the above.

It’s also, as I’ve discovered this August, touristy. Very busy during the summer. And although — unlike some cities like London, Paris, Barcelona or Rome — you can’t go that wrong in this town, the busyness can be overwhelming. And anything but simple.

But I wouldn’t choose to live somewhere where it’s impossible to live a slow, simple life. You’ve just got to know where to look for the chill.

Thus, I’m opening up my little black book of Porto. Places to go, things to see, and of course, places to eat and drink. Simple style, always.

And if you ever make it here, give me a shout.

If you remember one thing about Porto, let it be this

Don’t visit in the summer.

In August the locals leave for the coast, the good joints take their holiday and you’ll be left with tourists wondering where all the Portuguese went.

It’s also incredibly humid which isn’t fun with the hills.

Shoulder season — March to June and September to October is where it’s at. I’ve also visited in November and December and loved it and I’m thoroughly excited for January and February here.

Time your visit outside of July and August and you’re good.

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If I had one morning to see Porto…

I’d do this.

Start in the Cedofeita district. Grab a tosta mixta (ham and cheese toastie, a Portuense favourite) and specialty coffee at SO Coffee Roasters. Walk the streets visiting some of the galleries that make this part of town so special.

Walk down the hill towards Ribeira. Stop at the viewpoint Miradouro da Vitória for incredibly beautiful scenes.

Climb down the steps and take a wander through the old Ribeira district. Stop at the BEST place for Pastel de Nata (custard tarts), Manteigaria. I’ve yet to find better in the city (I’ve tried hard).

Follow the hill from Maneigaria up towards the Bolhão district. Stop at Bolhão market for a beer or wine and snacks including rissóis (Portuguese meat or cheese-filled croquettes), oysters, shrimps, cheese, and presunto — cured ham.

Walk out of Bolhão market at the top end and turn right to see my favourite church in all of Porto — Capela das Almasde — with its famous blue and white tiles.

Walk up the hill towards Bonfim. Wander the leafy streets, perhaps stopping at coffee shops Combi Coffee Roasters or A Certain Cafe.

Lunch is easy. A roasted pork sandwich covered in piri piri sauce at Casa Guedes. It’s famous but worth the hype. The queue, if there is one, goes down quickly.

If you’ve got any strength left in you, walk south through the Fontainhas district close to the river. See the ancient allotment gardens that cling to the side of the cliff (I’ve got my eye on one of those).

Keep on the top level or head down towards the river, walking your way back towards the Ribeira district.

Then home to nap.

Your two-minute guide to the neighbourhoods of Porto

Ribeira, Baixa and Sé - The old town. Very beautiful in a dilapidated way, very hilly, very touristy.

Clerigos and Cedofeita - My hood. Cedofeita is home to plenty of small artisan stores, art galleries, and cafes. Go. Spend time here. A LOT of time.

Bolhāo - Home to the newly reopened Bolhão market where you’ll frequently find me picking up vegetables.

Bonfim - One of my favourite neighbourhoods in Porto thanks to its local vibe, leafy streets, and traditional eateries.

Vila Nova de Gaia - technically a different city to Porto, Gaia is on the other side of the river and home to the Port lodges where the local fortified wine ages — sometimes for decades — before being poured into your glass.

Where to drink in Porto

I’ll let you in on a neighbourhood bar secret

This week on Medium I used a Porto bar as an example of “the perfect bar.”

I purposely didn’t say where it was but for you lot, I’ll divulge.

The name of the bar is Candelabro and I’m there at least two nights a week. Like I say in the article, as neighbourhood bars go, it’s perfect.

My two favourite wine bars and stores in Porto

If I was to only ever drink in two places in this city again, it would be at Cave Bombarda and Prova.

Cave Bombarda is run by my good friend Jorge. It’s more like a living room than a bar and has a strong cohort of regulars — including me.

If you go, say tell Jorge I sent you. If you’re greeted by a British dude, that will likely be my husband (he’s about to start some work there). Drink there in a leafy courtyard or take away.

Prova is in the Ribeira district and run by another friend, Diogo. It’s the only bar I know in the world that opens later on a Monday than any other night. This is a trade hang out — on Monday, the whole of Porto’s wine scene seems to convene here. But it’s awesome any night of the week. The wines are amazing, the cheese board even more so. Prova is a strong contender for my favourite bar in the world. No lie.

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Get your traditional food fix

Tip: if you’re on a diet or vegan, traditional Portuense restaurants will not be your bag. The food is pork-heavy, big and always comes with fries.

Porto’s most famous food is the Francesinha. A HUGE sandwich made from sausage, steak, and ham, piled between bread, covered with a cheese and beer sauce and topped with an egg. It’s as dirty and delicious as it sounds. If you want to try one, Regaleira and Brasāo are the best you’ll find in the city centre.

If your trip to Casa Guedes didn’t satisfy your pork sandwich craving (or started an addiction), I love the bifanas at Conga, an old-school restaurant laid over three floors in Bolhão. They also do an excellent roasted quail covered in spicy piri piri oil.

Finally, Porto is also famous for the cachorrinho, a mutant hot dog of pork sausage and local cheese placed in a hot-dog bun, toasted until the cheese melts, chopped into bite-size pieces and covered in piri piri. The best are found at Gazela. I’m off there tonight, in fact, for Capsule Pantry research.

One more bonus tip for you. If you want to get out to the beaches, get the metro or bus to Matosinhos, around 30 minutes from the city centre. There’s a street here — Rua Heróis de França — that is filled with grilled fish restaurants. Sardines are the go-to but you can get everything from fresh whole grilled fish to calamari to shrimp. For a Sunday lunch (or any lunch frankly), you can’t do better.

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Small plates and natural wine

Thanks in no small part to some of my wine friends, Porto has embraced the small plate and natural wine scene. There are some incredible, recently-opened restaurants that showcase local, seasonal ingredients, pairing them with the best natural wine Portugal has to offer (of which there is a lot).

One of my favourites is just a few steps from my apartment, Genuino. Run by a Brazilian cohort, Genuino is slinging out some of the best food I’ve had not just in Porto, but anywhere in the world this year. We celebrated our residency news with a feast there.

Other great places to visit for natural wine and small plates are:

• Tia Tia

• The Door

• Gito

Views for days

There’s no two ways about it. Porto is stunning. Thanks to the hills, it’s also incredibly easy to take in the views. The three best places to see the beauty of this town — other than the aforementioned Miradouro da Vitória are:

Palacio de Cristal — a gorgeous park complete with peacocks and views across the river.

Passeio das Virtudes — this small park is also home to a very good craft beer joint called Musa. Take a beer and watch the sunset.

Luis I bridge — it’s touristy yes, but go at the right time of day (ideally as early or late as possible) and walk over the bridge towards Gaia for the quintessential Porto view.

If you were to do one thing in Porto…

Walk. Take in the tiles, the streets, the people.

You don’t need to do anything else in this town.