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48 Hours In Porto

January 16, 2020 Comments : 9

Portugal was another not really on my radar country (much like Sweden, until I visited Stockholm) but knowing I was booking a trip in May, after my cold February one, I wanted somewhere that would definitely be a bit warmer. I’d seen a few bloggers talk about Porto and that it was full of street art-so that was me sold. I was actually in the city for 72 hours but planned plenty of downtime, so everything I did would fit nicely into 48 hours in Porto, and I’m writing as if that’s all I had. One thing to note about this city-if you have mobility issues, be aware there are A LOT of hills. With my Fibromyalgia, 48 hours in Porto became pretty exhausting, and I’m glad I had enough time for a lot of rests.

I started my first day in the city with a walk down to and along the Douro River, which runs through Spain and Portugal. I took lots of gorgeous photos and stopped for a Mojito when I got to the centre of the city-it was a long, warm walk.

Ponte de Dom Luis I is a ‘double decker’ bridge going across the river. The next bridge along is the Dona Maria Pia bridge, designed by the same architect as the Eiffel Tower. Both bridges are great to people watch, and are the obvious places to cross the river, too.

The old city walls (Muralha Fernandina) are honestly not that spectacular but if you appreciate some of the history of a place, they’re worth seeing. Officially you can walk along some of them, but if you have any sort of mobility issues, I wouldn’t try.

Ribiera is the area down by the river, narrow cobbled streets and beautiful houses. I stopped for a drink down here and took lots of photos-definitely one of the prettiest parts of the city.

Vila Nova de Gaia is across the river from the Ribiera area of Porto, and actually a different city. I went across here with my photographer, and was thrlled when he took me to see the Half Rabbit, a sculpture by Bordalo II.

Igreja de Sao Francisco is Porto’s most famous church, and most of the inside is coated in Gold. It’s strictly forbidden to take photos inside so just ignore this one!

I didn’t plan to do the open top bus tour but it was a good excuse for a sit down. I saw a lot of the city in a couple of hours and the audio commentry was brilliant-I’d really recommend. Buses stop all over the city and you can just look out for one when you’re ready for a rest.

City Hall is always on my list in whichever city. You usually find the building is pretty impressive, though I never try to go inside, grabbing a photo is a must. I sat here for a while playing with different angles and I love this shot.

When I realised Porto had a Photography Museum, and that it was in an old jail, I had to go. I spent a couple of hours here and really enjoyed it but if you’re not into Photography, there’s probably better things you can do in the city.

The University Gardens were just across from the Photography Museum and a good place to sit and rest for a while. I loved this tunnel of trees going across the park.

Rua das Taipas Fountain wasn’t on my list but I passed it on my way back down to the river. If you head past that you’ll walk through a non touristy area, which is always nice.

The Funicular was, I’ll be honest, a way to avoid walking back up the giant hill to the station before my next stop. But a little tram/train style vehicle slowly raising itself up a track to the top of a steep hill, whilst the platform you are on stays level, was pretty cool. It was only a couple of Euros and worth it for the experience, some cool photos, and not having to do the hill.

Sao Bento Station is worth seeing for all the gorgeous Portugese tiles on the walls. The white and blue tiles, which you see a lot across the city, are absolutely stunning, and I’m sad I didn’t bring one home.

My Street Art Tour was booked via Air B n B and cost me Ā£20 for a three hour tour, including a drink stop. It was 100% worth it to see more of the city, and find out the stories of the Street Art there, both legal and illegal. If you’re into street art, definitely do one of these tours.

Other than the things listed in this post, with Porto I really recommend just walking around, getting lost in those colourful streets. This is a city where there’s always something cool to find, and if I ever make it back (too much world to see for me to return just yet) I would spend far more time wandering.

Have you been to Porto? What would you recommend I see next time?

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Comments

  1. Amalia says

    February 19, 2020 at 9:58 am

    I’m from Porto and looking through your photos brought me back so many beautiful memories! Hope you truly enjoyed my hometown šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Lyosha says

    February 19, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    looks magical! I haven’t been in Porto yet I do want to go there!

    Reply
  3. Claudia Blanton says

    February 19, 2020 at 10:22 pm

    that rabbit and the street art were very surprising and unexpected! I have never been to Portugal, but many times to Italy, where I would not ever have seen street art like this – at least not in the North, on Lake Garda. Well, that does not make it any less stunning! Thanks for sharing a side of Europe I have not seen yet – blessings!

    Reply
  4. LenLen de Dios says

    February 22, 2020 at 2:09 am

    This place is so cool and it seems that you enjoyed touring around Porto. You also took nice photos.

    Reply
  5. Autumn says

    February 22, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    I haven’t been to Poro yet but I would love to visit there one day soon. Your trip looks amazing!

    Reply
  6. Rae says

    February 22, 2020 at 9:33 pm

    Porto has been on my travel list for ages, that is for your street art tour tip, coming from Bristol I’m always interested in seeing new street art,
    .

    Reply
  7. Frank says

    February 24, 2020 at 12:22 am

    I love the river views. Looks so quaint! Seems like a great place to visit – thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Claire Hindwell says

    February 25, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    We went Porto last March 2019 and we stayed for 1 week. It is lovely to look round. Its got very steep hills to explore everywhere.
    I would advise to use the open top double-decker bus & get a few days worth of tickets. As a Yorkshire woman’s purse, its quite good to enjoy yourself round Porto.

    Reply
  9. Kavita Favelle says

    September 15, 2020 at 8:01 am

    I love Porto! I visited with friends but very keen to go back with my husband who would particularly enjoy the local wine and port! We really loved exploring the various parts of the city though wish I’d seen more of the street art while we were there and I’ve also noted your tip on the Photography Museum for my next visit, as . I agree with you about Porto’s hills being a challenge for those of us with mobility or pain issues!

    Reply

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About Me

Welcome to my little corner of the Internet! I'm Laura, a 33 year old Yorkshire girl aiming to see as much of the world as I can, usually by myself. I'm a big fan of animal print, bright lipstick, gin liqueurs, cocktails, photography, writing and booking flights. I'm in love with a Lhasapoo called Buster and if I don't have my phone, laptop or a camera in my hand, you probably need to ask if I'm feeling okay. I blog about short city breaks, usually solo, on a budget without a hostel in sight. I also cover food reviews, life with Fibromyalgia, and there's a bit of lifestyle content thrown in when the mood takes me. I'm aiming to have visited 40 different countries before I turn 40, so I have 7 years left. Coronavirus has slightly changed my plans for 2020 but so far I'm 17 countries into the challenge and as long as September and October remain safe to travel I'm adding Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Serbia and a couple of others to the list before this year ends. I love working with brands on sponsored/collaborative content and if you're a travel or food related company, or just someone you think I'll love, please do get in touch.

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