You could whizz your way through Porto then fan outwards, exploring the coast and countryside. Or you could take a laser focus and enjoy a deeper dive into this exciting city, Portugal’s second biggest. Here’s what you’ll see if you have a good poke around off the beaten track in Porto.
Gritty Porto – Real life economic struggles
If you’d like to know the problems real-life Porto faces, the things the locals have to put up but tourists rarely see, take a walk outside the city centre. Porto might be as pretty as a picture in the middle but, exactly like tourist towns in the UK, it isn’t Disney. While the city centre is full of vividly charming buildings and ornate tiles, posh shops and world-class attractions, many locals have suffered from years of economic woes and some areas of Porto are clearly very poor, the shabbier side of this chic place.
You’ll emerge back into the city’s smarter cafés and restaurants, sparkling River Douro, and labyrinth of narrow streets lined with temples dedicated to retail therapy. You might be relieved but you’re also enriched. Gritty Porto has just as much to offer as the tourist parts. And that’s why The Worst Tours is our first choice for alternative Porto.
The Worst Tours is the baby of three unemployed architects who wanted people to see the real Porto, warts and all. Their walking tours are free, funded by tips. You’ll have a proper adventure exploring the residential areas for a much more authentic view of everyday life here. You’ll also learn about the catastrophic impact of the financial crisis. But it isn’t depressing, it’s uplifting, a safe and highly entertaining way to go beyond the usual tourist haunts to experience a Porto with a lot more flavour than you might have expected.
Community Porto – The ilhas
Porto’s ilhas or ‘islands’ are fascinating. They’re collections of one and two storey houses built for workers in the 1800s, tiny communities glimpsed along narrow alleyways across the city in the most unexpected places.
Just 4m square, these extremely small dwellings were built in the back gardens of posh houses. There are still more than a thousand surviving ilhas in the city, connected to regular streets by narrow corridors and to each other by powerful community ties. They’re and home to more than 13,000 people.
Try Rua de S. Victor in the east for a start, home to the prize-winning Prettiest Island, but please don’t go down the alleys themselves. The people living there deserve their privacy and your respect. Their homes are not tourist attractions.
Rebellious Porto – Funky street art
Not so long ago graffiti was frowned on as vandalism, demonised by the Establishment. Now it’s celebrated around the world, finally given the recognition it deserves as an important art form. Out with the old, in with the new… the street art in Porto is fabulous. And it’s everywhere, another good reason to wander the place on foot. Keep your eyes open for small but perfect street art and massive slabs of it covering entire buildings, complementing the feel of the place and giving it a rebellious edge.
Romantic Porto – Stroll the Ribeira
You guessed it. We’re off on foot again, this time falling in love with the riverfront district of Ribeira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of spectacular beauty. Charming old buildings, beautiful house fronts, the Ponte Dom Luís I bridge popping in and out of view, the colours, glittering water and superb viewpoints make it a must-do.
Take your time, slow things down, adopt a ‘festival amble’ and let the atmosphere wash your spirit clean. Then add drama via the dizzying pedestrian walkways on the top and the bottom of the bridge to the cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia for some fine Port wine.
If you haven’t had Port, it’s a sweet fortified red wine with as much as 20% alcohol, a bit of a beast. The makers would probably be cross with us but we think it’s a bit like sherry. If you haven’t tried sherry but once got horrendously drunk on Thunderbird then vowed to never touch the stuff again, that’s the kind of thing. But the real thing tastes a lot better. Portuguese Port is totally delicious and there’s a huge variety of classy Ports to test-drive.
Mellow Porto – The grassy hill in Jardim do Morro
Stroll up to the grassy hill at Jardim do Morro garden before the sun sets for a lovely mellow time watching the light fade to live music. The locals love it, which is always a good sign. The winding Douro River below, the city views, the ambience, this is some of Porto’s finest eye-candy, enjoyed in good company. Eat there if you like, bring a picnic, or drift back into town afterwards for something tasty to eat.
Multi-million-best-seller Porto – Tracking Harry Potter
Apparently Porto inspired all sorts of aspects of Harry Potter, making it fun if you’re a fan of the books, movies and West End shows. See what you can spot. The cloaks worn by the city’s uni students look at lot like those in the stories, the Lion’s Fountain is eerily similar to the one at Hogwarts and it’s easy to imagine magic taking place here.
The best-known Potteresque attraction is the little bookstore, Lello and Irmao, AKA the most beautiful bookstore in the world, a fair description. This place is lush but it gets jammed with people, especially at weekends and in the heat of the holiday season. If the crowds are too much, sidestep them to explore the little curiosity shop next door instead.
Flavoursome Porto – Cook up a storm
Book cookery classes at Taste Porto on Thursdays and Sunday nights to get some genuine Portuguese cuisine skills under your belt, a fun experience. Friendly and informal lessons make it a sociable affair.
Cultural Porto – Free museums on Sunday mornings
The Port Wine Museum, Tram Museum, Photography Museum and more offer free entry on Sunday afternoons from 2pm, perfect for a chilled cultural adventure. Or walk the length of Rua Miguel Bombarda, stuffed with smart contemporary art galleries, vintage stores and hip hangouts.
See if there’s one of two annual Simultaneous Openings happening while you’re in town. It’s a lot of fun. All the galleries show their new artworks at once in a gigantic Private View everyone can enjoy. The street is thronged with art lovers and curiosity-seekers, and everything’s open late. Very buzzy.
Seaside Porto – The ocean
Go full-tourist on the city’s bustling Matosinhos, Porto’s main beach with a backdrop of high rises and industrial landscapes. Not the most scenic of beaches in the Porto area but it’s huge, easy to get to, mostly sandy with some rocky bits to keep things interesting, lined with places to eat and has a nice long esplanade to saunter along. There’s a lifeguard to reassure swimmers and the waves can be enormous, making it fun to watch the surfers.
Take your time exploring all of that and you’ll have a good flavour of what this city’s really about. Then take a look at our Porto Tours, see if there’s anything else unusual you’d like to add to your ‘must do’ alternative Porto list.
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