Porto is a historical Portuguese city located on the hills along the Douro River estuary in the north-east part of the Iberian Peninsula with a Mediterranean climate that is cooled somewhat by the Atlantic ocean that laps at its shores. The city’s history as home to the Portuguese bourgeoisie and affluent foreigners has earned it a reputation for being more refined and wealthy than the rest of Portugal and people here, whilst still Portuguese, definitely distinguish themselves from the rest of the country’s population.
When exploring the city of Porto, most people choose to start in the Ribeira area and venture through the World Heritage Site area of the old city centre, taking in the Port Wine Cellars and a museum or two such as the Fundaçao de Serralves (a contemporary museum with a beautiful garden and Art Deco Villa) or the Casa da Musica. Popular things to do when in Porto on holiday are to visit the Dragäo Football Stadium if you are a football fan or take a cruise along the Douro River or simple stroll around the old part of the city taking in the lovely old architecture and making the most of those pleasant cafe terraces.
If you have managed to save a little money on accommodation in Porto, venture out for a meal. Typical dishes here include “Tripas a moda do Porto” a tripe dish that is very traditional but for the brave only! “Francesinha” a dish that consists of toast stuffed with various types of meat, covered with cheese and a spicy sauce – like most traditional, local dishes, it is very filling and hearty – best eaten with a glass of beer. If you are on a tighter budget, you don’t have to miss out entirely on the local culinary experience – head to one of the city’s bakeries and try some of the delicious Portuguese pastries washed down with a good strong coffee.
Porto is not a huge city and is the ideal size for exploring on a weekend break – especially if you like city breaks but would like to be near the sea.
Getting in and out of the city by air means flying to Sá Carneiro Airport which is just 15 km from the city centre with an airport shuttle bus running to Praça da liberdade in the centre for just a few euros. You will find low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet operating between cities like London Stansted, Liverpool, Marseille, Frankfurt and Porto.

Porto, also known as Oporto in English, is located in the north of Portugal and considered to be one of the countries finest cities in terms of history, art and standard of living. I discovered some of Porto’s highlights on a short break there in the summer and think that the city is worthy of more attention than it usually gets from tourists compared to other European cities.

To start with, the city’s historic centre, the Ribeira district, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 and is a pretty special place to wander around on a gentle summer’s day, getting lost in the winding old streets, taking photos of the pretty tiled churches and enjoying a drink at one of the quaint local bars.

Oporto Cathedral, the ruined city walls, Liberdade Square, the Crystal Palace Gardens and the beautiful tiled Sao Bento Train Station were all on my list of places to visit and not one of them disappointed.

The National Museum Soares dos Reis with Portuguese art from the 16th to the 20th century is a place of great importance in Porto, along with the Museum of Contemporary Art, the stunning Coliseu do Porto concert hall and the Sao Joao National Theatre. Lello bookshop, once awarded third place in the Guardian’s list of top bookshops in the world is also pretty special and a great place to soak up some culture and history.

This city is best known for its Port wine but its cuisine is very good too and is now getting a look in on the international food scene thanks to a few high standard progressive restaurants that have opened in Porto.

The city’s most important public event in the Sao Joao Festival on the 23rd and 24th of June. People eat sardines with boiled potatoes and red wine traditionally on this day and the whole city comes alive with street parties and celebrations of all kinds. If you want to experience this bustling street party first hand, reserve your hotel in Porto as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as accommodation fills up very quickly at this time of year. The Portuguese know how to party, and not only during the Sao Joao Festival either; Vila Nova de Gaia on the other side of the River Douro hosts many sets by good European DJ’s during the summer months and there are plenty of night clubs and bars to choose from all year round.

There is a very crumbly side to Porto with many 20th century buildings left to fall into disrepair but the city has been cleaned up somewhat over the past twenty years. It now has a metro system, and a recent influx of young residence which has bought the city back to life somewhat and accompanied the opening of trendy bars, art galleries and shops.

There is plenty of budget accommodation around for young, independent travellers looking to visit a European city that hasn’t yet been spoiled by mass tourism.