It’s that time of the year when people are wondering how you paid for a trip to Europe. Luckily, I live in Switzerland and getting across the continent is not that pricey for me. I recently took a trip to Portugal for some fun in the sun. My first stop was a long weekend trip to Porto. It was my first time travelling to Portugal and I don’t know why it was never on my list of countries to visit. I will definitely be going back to Porto as I really enjoyed myself.
It was a holiday that exceeded my expectations. The reason why I was going in the first place was for an Afrobeats music festival that ended up being a scam. I was this close to cancelling my trip, but chose to saw it through because I believed that Porto had more to offer than attending a music festival. If you want to find out more about that story, be sure to follow me on TikTok. But I digress, this is the summer of European travels. I want to visit places that are not your first thought destination spots. There’s something different about travelling to places that are not overrun by tourists and not created into Instagrammable imagery. So I thought it would be a great idea to create a post about my Portuguese adventures as I visited two cities during my week long trip. Please keep in mind that I have created several travel guides for all my travels in the last six years and you can check them all out in the Travel Category of this website.
COVID MEASURES IN PORTO
Although most of Europe have lifted all their restrictions, Portugal is one of the few that has Covid measures in place (23rd June 2022). A mask is required on planes, airports and all forms of public transport including Ubers, Bolts and regular taxis. You don’t need to wear a mask to enter indoor and outdoor establishments. I kept a mask and antibacterial with me at all times.
BEST TIME TO GO TO PORTO
The best time to travel to Porto is between May to September when it is relatively hot. I did find that the weather is very temperamental and moderate. It wasn’t as hot as I expected it to be. I spoke to some of the locals who said that it was unusually cold this year. The best time to fly out to Porto is at the end of the week. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday mornings tend to be the cheapest days to get a decent priced flight. With flight prices increasing, I recommend getting your tickets at least 6 to 8 weeks minimum before you plan to travel.
GETTING TO PORTO
By plane, it took me about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Geneva airport to arrive to Porto (Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport). I took a late afternoon flight around 5pm and landed close to 7pm BST. It was a full flight because it was the day of the Saint John festival in Porto. From the airport to my hotel, it took roughly an hour as there was traffic. I recommend booking an Uber as the regular taxi line is very long. Also try not to come during a city-wide festival day as the police were shutting down most of the roads for the festival.
WHERE TO STAY
There are a wide range of hotels in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia(the other side of the river). Depending on the time that you book your hotel, you can find great hotels at a very good price according to your budget. I book all my hotel stays through Booking.com and get a variety of discounts through their Genius programme.
Porto Palácio Hotel By The Editory was the hotel that I stayed at in Porto. It is a five star hotel close to Casa da Música. I loved how the rooms were structured. The shower was in a separate room from the toilet and the bidet. There were lots of mirrors everywhere and there was a mirror that transformed into a door to close off the bathroom from the main room. I enjoyed my stay there and would recommend it if you like boutique hotels.
Here are list of other hotels that were on my initial list:
WHERE TO EAT
If you are an undeclared foodie like me, Porto will definitely surprise you when it comes to their food scene. There are so many choices and hidden gems that you will be spoilt for choice. I highly recommend having a conversation with your Uber driver from the airport for recommendations. My Uber driver mentioned that he only shares 3 to 5 spots with his clients but gave me 10 spots!! One of those spots was a restaurant that is extremely popular with locals and unknown to tourists. I had to try it out and it did not disappoint.
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails for the best Shakshuka, French Toast and chai lattes.
Terrace Lounge 360º to taste some porto wine with breathtaking views of the Douro River
Inala for good pasta dishes and also a hookah bar
Brasão Coliseu (hidden gem) for a timeless Portuguese experience with amazing traditional decor. You must try the Francesinha, I recommend sharing it with a friend, and ordering vine verde (green wine).
WHAT TO DO & SEE
Livraria Lello is one of the most beautiful bookstores you’ll ever see. It is in Porto and gives Hogwart-esque vibes. If you are a Harry Potter fan, I recommend stopping by. The lines are long but if you buy a ticket book voucher on their website, you can skip the lines to enter.
Jardim do Palácio de Cristal is a beautiful botanical garden that you can escape into and discover 19th Century architecture.
WOW Porto is the new Cultural District in Vila Nova de Gaia that gives you a taste of that wine experience. It has seven museums, 12 restaurants and bars, an exhibition hall and a wine school.
São Bento Station is a 20th Century train station that is covered in the famous Portuguese blue tiles that depict the history of Portugal.
Caves Cálem for a guided wine tour
Douro Valley Vineyard Tour is a whole day experience but worth it! Have lunch and boat cruise into wine country
There are so many things to do in Porto that I couldn’t fit in four days. Check out AirBnb experiences and GetYourGuide for more activities.
WHAT TO WEAR
Porto was unusually cold when I went and I was not prepared for that at the end of June. I recommend bringing a light jacket, a scarf (yes it was that cold) and an umbrella with you. The weather switched up on me every day especially towards the late afternoon and evening. The Portuguese are quite conservative as it is a predominantly Catholic country but you can wear what you would usually wear for a holiday trip.
That’s it! Stay tuned for more Porto surprises this week on my TikTok. If you have ever been or have some favourites, please drop them below in the comments. I’d love for this blog post to be a great resource to anyone looking to visit Porto. And if you just can’t wait, head over to my Instagram to check out this post and follow as more Porto content will dropping this week.
Until next time,
Folakemi
