Porto, Portugal

It’s an understatement to say that we fell in love with Portugal. But, the romance we felt in Porto was incredible. There was an inexplicable and overwhelming charm about this city. And it was so magical to experience it with a significant other! Every corner turned onto a new quiet and perfect alleyway (like the one below) and we continued to mention that it felt a bit like Harry Potter for some reason, but with a different type of magic!

Well, fun fact, we later found out that JK Rowling once lived in Porto, and it’s said that some Porto landmarks inspired the Harry Potter books. If you’re a big HP fan – Majestic Café is where she supposedly wrote the beginning of the first book. And Livraria Lello Bookshop may have inspired the moving staircase, and parts of Diagon Alley! Note: the bookshop has gotten so popular, you need tickets to get in! As you walk the city, you’ll get a feeling for other things that may have peaked her creativity, as they seem eerily familiar.

This was the second half of our trip, so we took the train up from Lisbon (more on Lisbon here). It’s about a 2 hour train ride – and similar to an Amtrak. We did find this to be comparable to the flight prices, but without having to get there early, no baggage fees, and more room to spread out!

Assuming we’d need the metro as much as Lisbon, we bought unlimited passes. Well, we didn’t use them for the entire trip, except to get to and from the main train station to the center city metro. So, I’d say you’re better off just taking an Uber from the airport or train station to your accommodations. After that, depending where you stay, we felt you can walk to virtually everything.

We stayed on Rua do Almada, about a mile North of the water, and it was the perfect location to walk everywhere. Quite frankly, anywhere you stay within a mile or two radius from the Ponte Luis Bridge will lend to ease walking anywhere you’ll want to be in the center of Porto.

*Pro tip: We use Booking.com for all of our travel accommodations. I’ve found that they have the best prices and you can cancel most reservations 24 hours ahead. KEY when your travel plans are totally messed up, like ours were for Portugal (thanks NY winter) 🙂 You can easily search the area we stayed in by using the search bar provided at the bottom of this page!

Warning: although the whole city is walkable – there are hills and stairs ALL over the place, and the cobblestone makes it feel like you’re working even harder. All of Portugal seemed to be like this, and we just saw it as an opportunity to not feel guilty about missing workouts 🙂

Porto: we spent a full day just walking from center city Porto down to Ponte Luis Bridge. My biggest recommendation is to get lost in this city. Take a new alleyway and you’ll likely uncover some gems! Continuing South you can hit the notable spots: Porto São Bento (the most intricate train station), Church Of St Francis, Liberdade Square (peep more HP vibes here), and Palacio de Bolsa, amongst other beautiful sights. Then you’ll want to walk down the river front (Ribeira) and check out all of the restaurants and sites along the water, on both sides of the bridge!

Gaia: literally across the bridge. Talk about an easy day trip 🙂 Take an Uber, (or easily walk across the Ponte Luis Bridge), and follow the main roadway East down the river way. Nearly every single doorway leads you to a winery. It was incredible. They all offer tours and tastings, in many different languages, and you can have yourself a day just hopping from winery to winery – with no transportation needed. There’s also plenty of restaurants and pop up food spots along the winery strip – many had churros and waffles. Winning.

Douro: If you have the time – take a day trip to Douro Wine Country. This is where they make all the port wine that’s sourcing said wineries above. Unfortunately, we were completely rained out and didn’t have a chance to go, but people were raving about it, and the photos look STUNNING.

Where to eat:
Ris8tto: This small, but adorable spot cooks up some incredible risotto bowls. Oh, and get the cheese board, obvi.
The World Needs NATA: Oh yes it does! Get the Nata, non-traditional teas, and a variety of other baked goods!
Nut’Porto: Nutella on nearly every item, including: waffles, ice cream and crepes. Need I say more?
Bacalhau: Perfect for a warm night on the water, and Portuguese food. Get the cod – it was unbelievable.
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails: Brunch spot with board games and cool hangs. Get the smoothie bowl and eggs benedict.
Grigio: If you stay near Rua do Almada, this cute little spot has delicious homemade pasta and mediterranean fare.
Frankie Hot Dogs: Hot dogs and lots of different toppings, enough said.

If I haven’t made it clear enough – Portugal blew us away. Check out our recap of Lisbon and Sintra – equally as stunning and amazing cities!