Sharon's Trip to Porto

By Sharon Martin

Sharons Trip To Porto

 

I recently went on a city break to Porto, the second-largest city in Portugal. We flew with Ryanair direct from Dublin with a flight time of just over two hours, and we booked an AirBnB as accommodation.

 

Location

Our accommodation was located very close to the city centre, to the north of the River Douro. Everything was in walking distance as Porto isn’t a very big city, and our transfer from the airport to the city was only about twenty minutes. There are also numerous bus connections from the airport.


What I Loved

Porto is such a laid-back city with a great atmosphere, especially down by the river. We found lots of other tourists even after the peak summer season, and we were always made to feel welcome. If you don’t like the busy and crowded atmosphere of cities like Paris or Barcelona, Porto would be a perfect getaway for you.

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Activities & Places to See

  • Porto has loads of old cathedrals and churches. The most interesting is the Porto Cathedral, built in the 13th century, as well as the Igreja do Carmo church with its famous tiled façade.
  • We did a great river cruise on the Douro and were able to admire the seven bridges in the city. Companies offering this include Cruzeiros Douro and Portodouro.
  • The Teleférico de Gaia cable car was a fantastic way to see the river and the city from another point of view.


Shopping

Porto has some great shopping opportunities, with a mix of designer brands and high street retailers. The Via Caterina shopping centre had a great variety of shops, and you should definitely check out the famous Livraria Lello book shop with its stunning interior while you're in Porto!


Food and Bars

Porto is famous for being the origin of port wine, and we did a great tour and tasting in one of the many distilleries in the city. The best places to eat were on both riverbanks in the centre of the city. Some traditional food we tried included caldo verde, a kale soup, as well as francesinha, a really tasty sandwich filled with meats and served in a delicious sauce.


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