Porto, Portugal - January 2026
- chrissihuf
- Feb 10
- 3 min read
Brief History/Information
Porto/Oporto is Portugal’s second-largest city. Located in the north of the country along the Douro River, Porto is known for its world-famous port wine. In the 12th century, Porto played a crucial role in the formation of Portugal.
What we did
Day 1: After watching the waves in the morning in Nazare, we took off for Porto, this was about a 2 1/2 hour drive. We dropped our car off at the Porto airport, and took an Uber to the Renaissance Porto Lapa Hotel. What a beautiful hotel this is! From entering and checking in to departing, this is an exceptional hotel. It was cloudy, windy, and rainy, so we decided to take some time and go to a laundromat and clean our dirty clothes. While we did our laundry, we went to Casa Lamelas, a nearby restaurant and had a drink. We then went back relaxed, got our bearings and decided to find a place for dinner. We just started walking, so we didn’t really know where to eat so I pulled out my trusty cellphone and googled restaurants in the area and we decided to eat at Vacarum. This was a wonderful restaurant. We weren’t sure of what to get, so the waitress gave us some amazing suggestions. Apparently, Porto is known for their hearty northern Portuguese food, Greg had the Francesinha, their iconic sandwich, and I had the small grilled meat plate.
Day 2: This was our ‘Tour” day! We booked a Douro Valley Small Group Tour, through Cooltour Oporto, this included wine tastings, lunch and a river cruise. We chose this tour because it was a small group tour that was maximum 10 people. Apparently the benefit of traveling in January (off-season) is that the small group can be very small! We were the only ones there, so we really had our own private tour! Our guide, Alvaro Santos, a Portuguese native, was amazing and extremely knowledgable.
Day 3: This was our “Free” day! Again, it was cold, windy, and rainy, but we didn’t let that stop our day of exploration. We decided to Uber out and walk our way in. We started with an Uber ride across the Dom Luís I Bridge, with our first stop in the WORLD’S OLDEST PORT WINE HOUSE - Kopke, established in 1638. What a wonderful establishment this is. After spending time at Kopke, we tried to go to Burmester, because it was a cool looking port house in a cave, but it was closed for renovations. We then walked across the lower deck of the iconic iron Dom Luís I Bridge, which was pretty incredible. Once across, we were in the Historic Centre of Oporto (UNESCO World Heritage Site), in the Ribeira District, what a beautiful and colorful riverside area with its narrow streets, tiled houses, and cafés. The oldest tavern in Portugal is actually in Porto, TASCA DE BADALHOCA, we walked through the beautiful Ribeira District, looking for this place, we found a place at the address provided, but it had a different name and it wasn’t open. We decided to continue our walk and went to Imperial McDonald's, this is considered the most beautiful McDonald’s with nice seating, and chandeliers! Just across the square from the Imperial McDonald's, is the bookstore, Livraria Lello, they charge to enter and then you get a discount a your purchase (we did not go inside). Why is this bookstore so popular? Because it was inspired by J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter books. We were hungry, so we found Cafe Piolho D’Ouro, established in 1883, right across the street from the beautiful University of Porto. After our fabulous lunch, the weather turned on us and we Ubered back to the Renaissance Porto Lapa Hotel.
Places of Interest
Ribeira District: wander the colorful riverside quarter with its narrow streets, tiled houses, and cafés.
Baixa: City center
Foz do Douro: Coastal area where the river meets the ocean
Dom Luís I Bridge – walk across the iconic iron bridge (lower deck for river views, upper deck for panoramic city views).
Clérigos Tower after dark: Enjoy stunning panoramic views of the city illuminated at night. climb the tower for 360° views over Porto.
São Bento Railway Station: see the stunning blue-and-white tile panels depicting Portuguese history.
Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto)
Kopke: established in 1638, is recognized as the world's oldest Port Wine House.
Livraria Lello: one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores (arrive early to avoid lines). Harry Potter Tour: Discover the magic of Porto with a tour inspired by the Harry Potter books.
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