The sky is so blue it doesn’t look real. It’s like being inside a picture postcard. The setting sun is turning the ancient city of Porto gold and orange, making the already rich colours of the old buildings even lovelier. The views of the river are stunning, the streets are full of colour and vibrancy, and you’re having a magical time experiencing exciting Porto tours. This place is absolutely delicious in every way – so let’s go explore.
Porto tours – A city with a fascinating background
Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal next to Lisbon, a haven for visitors and voted European Best Destination in 2012, 2014 and 2017. These days tourism drives Porto’s engine but there’s a fascinating history behind the city, a wise old vibe that you can still sense in the graceful buildings, bustling waterfront, narrow city centre streets and surrounding landscapes.
The nomadic Alani tribe originally created a city they called Castrum Novum on the north bank of the Duoro river. Re-named Portus Cale in Roman times, the invading Visigoths took over in about 540AD. In the year 716 the Moors conquered it. In 997 the Christians grabbed it back for a while before surrendering it to the Moors. In 1092 the Christians took it back again and by the 1300s Porto was a vital international port. The Peninsular War saw it captured by British forces in 1809. The city has survived all this. Now Porto is finally at peace.
Together with its surroundings, Porto is an official National Monument of Portugal. The city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The older part of Porto, the riverside district of the Ribeira, is on the Duoro’s north bank. The mellow red-tiled warehouses of Vila Nova de Gaia sit on the south bank, where the region’s famous port wines are blended and stored. As you can imagine, there’s a lot to discover on both banks.
The Porto weather and Porto’s beaches
Porto tours come with a lovely mixed Mediterranean climate, rarely humid and influenced by the sea to give you warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. In winter this is one of Europe’s wettest cities but even then you’ll get plenty of glorious, sparkling days when the skies are blue and there’s warmth in the sun. If it gets too hot for you in summer, you’ll often find fresh sea breezes on the coast.
Porto is on the Costa Verde, a relatively unknown but scenic stretch of Atlantic coastline with huge sandy beaches that go on forever. The beaches close to Porto include the small rocky and sandy beaches at Foz with their cool beachfront cafes. But the best of all is Matosinhos beach, a stretch of fine golden sand with really good surf. You’ll also find heavenly beaches at resort towns like Espinho, Esposende, Vila do Conde, and the Aveiro area, all just a day trips away.
Urban and rural hiking – An intimate voyage of discovery
This city is intimate enough for energetic people to explore on foot and like all urban hiking adventures it’s a wonderful way to get a flavour of real life. Pop into out-of-the-way cafes and bars where the locals go, discover the suburbs, wander along the riverbanks further than most visitors go. The ‘burbs of Matosinhos, Leça da Palmeira, Aguas Santas, Gondomar, Oliveira do Douro and more await you, and because they’re abroad they’re fascinating.
Not far from the sea the land rises, leading to a high plateau with fertile soil. This is where they grow the region’s exceptional vegetables, fruit and grain crops, along with groves of cork trees and olives, and the grapes that go to make a refreshing local sparkling wine.
If you want to venture further on foot, out into rural areas, try this. Porto is a popular starting point for the 600km Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James. The route is Medieval, taking people on a long and arduous journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain’s Galicia region along a spectacular walking route.
Culture, culture, and more culture
Layer upon layer of history unfolds here like an onion. Porto’s cathedral sits on the site of an older Visigoth citadel. The Romanesque and early Gothic Church of São Martinho de Cedofeita replaced an church built by Theodomir, king of the Visigoths, in 559. There’s the dramatic Luiz I Bridge and the Monastery of Serra do Pilar. The dizzying Torre dos Clérigos, the 1300s Gothic Church of São Francisco, the ornate stock exchange’s 1800s Salão Arabe, there’s a feast of cultural eye candy going back thousands of years. If it was possible to look back in time we’d see Stone Age people living here, with the same views of the mighty river as it curves through the landscape. If you want to feel history up close and personal, Porto is for you.
Don’t miss the National Museum Soares dos Reis with its wonderful art, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation, the Coliseu do Oporto concert hall, São João National Theatre, Rivoli theatre, and Batalha cinema. If you love to bury yourself in a world-class book shop, the brilliant Lello Bookshop is one of the planet’s finest and almost certainly the most beautiful.
Visit in late June for the São João Festival, a traditional midsummer celebration where the city is transformed into a riot of festive carnival colour, sound and flavour. Then there’s the Queima das Fitas from the first Sunday of May to the second, when more or less all of Porto’s 50,000 students of spend a week partying, culminating in a street march to the city hall. It’s all very good humoured and fun. The Porto Book Fair also falls in June. In fact June is packed with inspiring events; a cartoon festival, a vintage car street race, and sailboat races involving old ‘Rabelo’ Port boats. The list goes on, with varied entertainment on the menu throughout the year.
Losing your heart to Porto’s food
Portuguese food is quite something, a feast of freshness featuring fabulous fish and flavourful meats. In Porto, teamed with the region’s vegetables and fruit, it’s a flavour explosion you’ll love. Think traditional Portuguese cuisine done Porto-style: if you’re brave enough give Tripas à Moda do Oporto a try, a local tripe dish. If that’s too much, go for a city speciality focusing on fresh cod; Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá. Or choose classic grilled sardines, about as typical of Portugal as it gets.
A snack becomes something seriously special when you make it a Francesinha, the city’s best-loved buttie-like treat containing a variety of meats covered in cheese and smothered with a special sauce. North Portugal’s speciality friend pork, Rojões, is particularly tasty and satisfying too, and sarrabulho, based on pig blood, might not be for the faint hearted it gives you a uniquely full, rich local flavour.
Wash all this down with a generous carafe of local white wine or choose Port, Porto’s famous dessert wine. It’s like drinking sunshine.
Grab a place on one of these thrilling Porto Tours
Now all you need to do is book yourself on one of the many tour of this splendid city. Take a look, see what we’ve got for you.
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