Back in June (yes, this post is extremely overdue) Tom and I headed to Porto in Portugal for the weekend. This is somewhere I've wanted to visit for ages and I was excited to see what the city had to offer. This was actually Tom's birthday present from me, as it's a city that's been on his list for a while too.
Flights & Transfers
As always, I booked my flights through Skyscanner to find the cheapest available, but I have to say that flights to Porto were pretty pricey! I never normally pay over £90 return for flights to European cities but for these I paid £120 per person. I can only assume that Porto is becoming more popular, as it seemed that this price was pretty constant, even throughout the Winter. However, I really wanted to go so paid it anyway.
Getting to and from the airport was super easy - we were actually given full instructions by our Airbnb host on how to get to our specific flat, but it basically involved one change on the metro which was very easy to navigate. The tickets were also very cheap, about €2 each.
To Stay
Airbnb
I have to hand over to our trusty old friend Airbnb for this one! I found this adorable little flat on there and it was one of the best Airbnbs I've ever stayed in! Super central to everything we wanted to visit (nothing was more than a 15 minute walk away) and the bed was so comfy. Our host even left some mini bottles of port for us which was a lovely touch! I'd definitely recommend it. Remember, if you sign up to Airbnb using THIS LINK you'll get £25 off your first booking (and I'll get a little bit off my next one too!).
To Eat
As you know, I don't usually go to all that many foodie places when I travel as I spend most of my time and money on getting photos, however I did get a couple of spots that I'd recommend!
My favourite place we visited, this was the top rated restaurant for pancakes in Porto and I can see why! When we arrived there was a queue out the door, so I knew it must be good! Here they work on a 'build your own pancake' menu, where you choose your pancake type and any toppings you may want. It was absolutely incredible, I went for a traditional pancake with banana, nutella, strawberries and kinder bars. I so wish we had one of these in the UK! (I annoyingly lost my photos from here so you'll have to take my word for how good it looked!).
You can't go to Portugal without having pastel de nata! This was my first time trying the little custard filled pastries and I absolutely loved them. Luckily, there was a nata shop right on the street of our Airbnb, Nata Lisbon. Apparently this one is a chain, but the pastries were absolutely delicious, served fresh and hot. I'd definitely recommend picking some up!
To See
You can find all my Porto locations on my map here!
Passeio das Fontainhas
One of the most beautiful views of the city can be found off this little street. It overlooks all the red tiled roofs and is perfect for watching the sunset (or rise, depending on your mood). Although we didn't see a very good sunset that day (this one is photoshopped in), it was still lovely to sit here and watch the world go by. However, watch out for the bird poop, as I definitely got some on my skirt!
Largo Da Pena Ventosa
This super cute little spot is full of colourful houses and wasn't too far from our airbnb. It gets quite busy with tables and chairs from the local restaurants, so I'd recommend going there early if you want to see it empty. I never actually posted this photo to Instagram as I wasn't totally happy with it, though.
One of the most beautiful spots we visited was Porto Cathedral. Filled with the signature blue azulejos tiles, it's absolutely worth the visit. Entry is only €3 each as well. We spent a good hour wandering through the beautiful corridors and snapping some pics.
Igreja do Carmo
My favourite spot in Porto was the side of this stunning church. You can simply walk up to it, no entrance fee required, and it's just magnificent. This is also my favourite photo we took.
Steak N' Shake
This amazing mural on the side of Steak N' Shake is super cool. It's a collaboration with Fundação Joana Vasconcelos who is famous for her large sculptures. The mural consists of 8000 hand painted tiles to add an extra explosion of colour to the street. It's drawn some criticism from locals, but I loved it!
Porto São Bento
Proclaimed to be one of the most beautiful train stations in the world, São Bento has 20,000 azujelo tiles that tell the story of Portugal. Back in the 16th century, the place where the station now lives was a monastery and the station was named after it. It's definitely worth a visit, even if you don't have a train to catch!
Also known as, the photo I couldn't get that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Livaria Lello is a bookshop famous for inspiring J.K. Rowling with the Harry Potter series and I can see why. It's absolutely the most magical spot!
I seriously wanted an empty photo in this beautiful bookshop, but unfortunately for us the fates were not on our side. We queued for an hour and a half before it opened to make sure we were at the front of the line. 9am rolls around and about 50 tourists show up with private guides. It turns out, they allow people with private tour guides in first, no matter how long you've been waiting! Needless to say I was really annoyed by this, and we decided to go back later in the day towards closing. However, even then we were quickly ferried out of the bookshop when they announced closing and weren't allowed to take any photos :( I was absolutely gutted! The bookshop itself is absolutely stunning and worth the visit, but I'm still a little bit bitter than I couldn't get a photo, especially as I've seen other bloggers get one! Entrance fee is €5 per person.
Chapel of Souls
One of the most beautiful churches in Porto, the Chapel of Souls is another must visit for seeing the beautiful blue tiles of the city. It also lives within one of the best shopping streets in the city, so you'll find plenty to do around here!
I hope that my Porto City Guide gives you some inspiration for planning your own trip to Porto! It was such a lovely city and a great place to get away to for the weekend. I would love to know if you've ever visited and have any extra recommendations for anyone who may be reading this post x
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