Porto (Portugal): Travel Diary

With JB out of paid leave but still wanting a change of scenery, we had to pick a destination that wasn’t too far for December. That’s how we ended up spending a weekend in Porto right after Christmas.

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Day 1

There’s a direct flight from Lille with Ryanair, which saves us a lot of time (plus Lille airport is just a 20-minute drive from the city center, handy!). Unfortunately, during peak holidays, prices are sky-high for both flights and hotels. Ryanair is already not great, but the plane we were supposed to take had an issue. They bumped us to one of their sub-brands we’d never heard of, with even tighter seats. Hard to believe, but yes, there’s something more uncomfortable than Ryanair 😀 From Porto airport, there’s a metro that goes to the city center for €2.25 (get a zone 4 ticket).

We’re staying at an Airbnb (booking link) a 10-minute walk from the central Aliados square. The building is brand new, so it’s very quiet. That’s not the case for other Airbnbs in the city center, in older buildings with soundproofing issues. We’re glad for the double glazing because it’s particularly cold and the only heating is a reversible AC unit. If you’re looking for a better-located hotel, I highly recommend the Mercure in the city center (Booking link), it’s well located on a nice street and not too expensive (between €80 and €130 off-season).

15 minutes later, we’re at Aliados square. The huge all-lit Christmas tree in front of the town hall is still there. We’re hungry and need to find pastéis de nata ASAP. We find some at Manteigaria, €1.50 each. You can even watch them being made right in front of you. They’re good, but there will be better, as we’ll discover later.

We keep walking and arrive at the bookstore Livraria Lello, the most beautiful bookstore in the world, in an impressive “art deco” style. There’s a long queue of people who booked Silver tickets (€12) for a specific time but still have to wait a long time because it’s so crowded. Funny, a bookstore that charges for the privilege of entering to buy a book. The Gold line (€15.95) is empty, and at the time indicated on the ticket, you can walk right in. Both entry tickets are deductible from book purchases, but the Gold ticket can only be used for books from Livraria Lello’s The Collection or Pop Collection. The €12 ticket lets you buy any book in the store. Since The Collection really appeals to me (the books are available in multiple languages, including French, and have gilded edges), I booked a Gold ticket in advance and got in with no wait. The Collection notably offers a beautiful illustrated edition of The Little Prince.

The bookstore is small, so it’s a good thing they charge, or we’d have brought down the first floor and the staircase under the weight of tourists. People are busy taking photos and finding a book to deduct from their entry ticket, but they forget the bookstore is mainly for admiring. Sure, there are cool books like the entire MinaLima Harry Potter collection… but the walls, the ceiling, the stained glass… are extremely beautiful too.

Here is Igreja do Carmo. Access to churches in Porto is fee-based, and we’re not talking €2-3 but rather €15, so we didn’t visit many.

We then stumble upon a small artisan market at Praça de Carlos Alberto. Yet, after visiting several similar markets in Porto, I find they often lack boldness and true creativity. The posters are beautiful, but you can’t hang dozens of them at home. The jewelry is cool, but those resin pieces look a lot like Temu’s; there’s no craftsmanship. On Instagram, many artisans are disappointed with this year’s Christmas markets, but when you see their creations, the average consumer struggles to see how it’s better than Temu; or worse, they might think it’s a Chinese product passing off as “handmade.” Machines are always more precise than humans, so you need to offer added value. In sewing, for example, a tailor can create a 3D effect on the collar and bust with hand stitching that remains impossible to reproduce mechanically.

We visited 3 t-shirt shops. Portugal produces and exports tons of cotton t-shirts, and I was able to buy my favorite t-shirts in Lisbon in the world. But here, I’m appalled to find only nearly see-through t-shirts cut from cheap cotton. Should I go back to Lisbon just for a few t-shirts? 20 minutes from Porto, in the suburbs, there’s a factory that works for Hanro, my favorite brand of base layers (merino wool & silk). Every Wednesday, they sell items with slight imperfections. I know this because I follow a few women who go every week and resell them on Vinted. That’s how I get access to these products for next to nothing.

Time to eat. I opt for their famous cod dish and unfortunately, it’s not very good.

Being cramped on the plane, feeling cold, and walking non-stop on Porto’s hills have left us sore all over. We decide to get a massage. At Nuad Thai, Thai masseuses put our bones back in place (€50/hour, deep tissue sports massage). I highly recommend it! Note: they only accept cash. Avoid the many Euronet ATMs (€2 to €5 in fees); look for bank ATMs to withdraw without fees.

Overall, credit cards are accepted, but some restaurants decide that in this economy, this context… they only accept cash. So I think it’s better to ask beforehand.

We then visit the Porto Cathedral. We get a combined ticket to visit the cathedral & the palace next door for €6. Opposite the cathedral there’s a viewpoint; I recommend spending some time there, it’s really nice.

The hardest part is climbing the steps. We could have climbed those steps before getting our massage 😀

The palace next door is not very visited because there’s not much to see except the ceiling and its silverware collection.

We walk to the Dom Luís I Bridge. There’s a souvenir market along the quay, it’s very nice.

We end at the Palácio da Bolsa. Note that even if you bought a ticket online, you need to go there and reserve a specific time slot because tours are guided. For me, it’s not a must-see if you’re short on time, as there’s only one truly interesting room, reminiscent of the Alhambra. If you want to brush up on your knowledge of Islamic motifs, this is the place to be.

We then pass by the São Bentostation, known for its tiles.

We have dinner at Han Table Barbecue Porto, a Korean barbecue place. Note that you have to pay in cash here. It’s better to order individual meats rather than going for a set. The wagyu without sauce was our favorite.

… before finishing at Gelatari Portuense, whose only competition is our La Romana in Rome. €6 for two scoops, but the portion is very generous.

Day 2

Today, we cross the bridge and suddenly find ourselves in a different city (Gaia). The bridge can be crossed on two levels. At the top, you’re with the metro. At the bottom, you’re with cars, scooters, and bikes. I recommend crossing on the upper level; it’s more pleasant.

We visit CALEM, a port wine producer. There are tours in all languages, and we’re lucky to get a French tour right away. Here, everyone working in tourism is polyglot. They speak at least English, Spanish, Portuguese, French—even the ticket seller or the sardine lady. We’re very surprised because that’s not necessarily the case in Lisbon.

Our guide explains that port is a real wine, not an aperitif. You can feel the product repositioning to attack new markets. At the end, we get two glasses each; it’s not very good. Anyway, even the Portuguese don’t drink it. It’s an export product. The vines are far from Porto and on hillsides, which is why harvesting is always done by hand. However, drones are used to identify which areas should be harvested first. Many processes are automated and digitalized… they show us medieval-style barrels because for flavor, they must still use those, but bottling and such are handled much more automatically.

The presence of port producers on this quay explains the many old boats (used for transporting wine) as a marketing tool. There are other cellars; we visited the one recommended by our Airbnb host.

We go to the Bolhão Market to find something to eat. There are normal restaurants on the second floor. On the ground floor, you can get takeaway, and there are a few tables where you can sit down for a quick meal. My favorite part: the seafood stalls where I can eat oysters, sea urchins, salmon sashimi… Pick any stall. People tend to follow each other like sheep, all buying from the same stall, but the products are similar; choose an empty stall if possible. JB opts for pasta prepared in a cheese wheel, but it’s not very good. Stick to the seafood stalls, fresh juice & ham.

We’re still hungry, so we get another dish at Time Out. The octopus at Rui Paula is a must-try. Our octopus is so gorgeous that many people stop to admire it lol.

I have a filigree class at House of Filigrane while JB explores the city. It’s a technique seen all over Europe, but apparently it’s in Portugal that the wires are the finest. To make such wires, you twist two very thin wires together before flattening them. For my class, since we only have 2 hours, they give me fairly thick wires. And the outer shape is already made and soldered.

The result is very impressive, but in reality, you just need to be very patient and have good eyesight, since the soldering is done by the teacher. Instead of using solder in sheet form, she reduces it to powder and sprinkles it over the whole pendant. We did the soldering several times (at each step) to make my work easier, but in reality you want to minimize solder so it’s as invisible as possible.

After the class, I can also visit the museum. Having made the filigree pendant, I can better see the difference in techniques between the objects on display and the jewelry for sale. The trick is to look at the ratio of fine wires to thicker wires. The more fine wires, the more complex it is. Note that not all jewelry is handmade; when it is, it’s necessarily very expensive (€100 for silver with a simple motif, €1500 for gold). When there are many solder layers, they generally start with high-temperature solder pastes and then decrease the temperature, so that subsequent soldering doesn’t ruin the earlier ones. Polishing is very easy given the simplicity of my design and is done by hand.

The course costs €60. There are 3 per day and the times depend on the day. It’s better to book, but if that’s not possible, you can just show up because the teacher is an in-house jeweler who is there all the time. You can pay by card without any problem. If you have no knowledge of jewelry, fear not, you just need patience.

And to finish, we walk along R. de Santa Catarina, a pedestrian shopping street. It’s here that I found my down jacket at Falconeri.

And we try the pastéis at Fábrica da Nata, much better than the other brand.

We take the metro, heading to the airport. Careful, you have to pay attention because the platform number is not clear. You have to take the metro at platform 1, but everything suggests it leaves from platform 3.

In short, it was a short but pleasant trip. The city is very beautiful and safe. I don’t know if it’s because it’s full of tourists, but you don’t feel the insecurity that exists in France. There are no announcements warning about pickpockets, the metro is small like a tram, people are calm (but tend to stare a bit too much, as if we were on TV), the only examples of rudeness come from tourists. Prices are still low and there are small shopkeepers still able to survive in the city center. It’s seeing this contrast (over just a few days) that I can confidently say that we have unfortunately lost a lot in quality of life in France.

Part 2: Practical Tips

• If you’re looking for a better-located hotel, I highly recommend the Mercure in the city center (Booking link), it’s well located on a very nice street and it’s not very expensive (between €80 and €130 off-season). Second option, our Airbnb (booking link).
• Airport metro ticket – city center: choose zone 4.
• You can take the metro to explore the city center, but it’s easier on foot
• There are river cruises, count €18/person
• Filigree class (2h): €60 at House of Filigrane
• Pastéis de Nata: between €1.3 and €1.5 each. Eat with a bit of cinnamon
• Bring some cash for restaurants that don’t accept bank cards
• And here is the list of things to visit & restaurants to try according to my Airbnb host:

PORTO MAIN SIGHTS

• são bento train station
• clérigos tower
• Lello’s Library
• Mercado do Bolhão (market)
• Santa Catarina street
• Majestic Caffe
• Porto wine cellars (Cálem or Ferreiras)
• Ribeira
• Ponte D. Luís bridge
• Serra do Pilar
• Jardim do morro
• Sé do Porto (Cathedral)
• Aliados (main Avenue)
• Museu do Pastel do Bacalhau | Codfish pastry museum (cais de Gaia)
• Rooftop Hotel Porto Cruz (Cais de Gaia)
• Serralves
• Palácio de Cristal
• Time Out

RESTAURANTS :

• Brasão for our famous traditional dish FRANCESINHA
• Vapor or Armazém do Peixe for fresh fish near the Fish Market
• Casa da Mariquinhas to hear FADO, our traditional music
• Museu D’avó for traditional Portuguese tapas
• MARIA RITA for trying Bacalhau (codfish)