I was actually blown away by the city, it is just so beautiful. It has lovely weather, a nice river, epic bridges and some really delicious food….and if anyone doesn’t know what Fado is, it’s so worth experiencing it. We spent a relaxed weekend in the city, and if you have longer you can also read my post on potential day trips from Porto HERE.

If you’re visiting Porto, here are some of the things to do in this amazing city.

1. Drink Port wine

The Vila Nova de Gaia area has been home to port wine companies for centuries. The area is situated right on the river bank, and along the water’s edge are posts with the names of the port wine traders based in Porto. There are a LOT. My favourite was Taylor’s Port. Here you can visit the cellars, an on-site museum and the visitor centre.

But most importantly, you can taste the wine in the garden of this historic home (founded in 1692). We learnt all about (and much more importantly, tasted) white, rose, red, tawny and vintage port. What better way to spend your first afternoon in the city, and then roll back to your hotel?

2. Marvel at the massive bridge(s)

Ponte Dom Luis I is a double deck metal arch bridge spanning the River Douro linking Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia (the port wine area, above) on the opposite river bank. You can cross by car, foot or train, and I recommend crossing on the upper deck as the views are amazing. On the Vila Nova de Gaia end you can walk to the Belvedere for even more amazing views over the city. There is a restaurant with a sunny terrace just below the Belvedere which is great for watching the world go by.

Further downriver is the Maria Pia Bridge built in 1876 by Eiffel (Eiffel Tower fame), which is also well worth a visit.

3. Watch a Fado performance

One of the main reasons I like travelling is learning about other cultures and traditions. ‘Fado’ is one of these experiences, and you can’t visit Portugal and not experience Fado! You basically have your dinner, and the courses are served in-between being entertained by musicians and singers playing emotional tales of lost love and longing. The Portuguese present all sang along, and it was an amazing evening of entertainment. Have some port wine with it and it’s a winner. We visited O Fado! to experience this.

4. Ribeira

This area is the harbour front on the Porto side of the river. It’s full of really characterful buildings which make for great photos and lovely views to the river and the bridge.

5. The Sao Bento train station

Opened in 1916, this historic train station is truly special. The main entrance hall is truly incredible, as it’s full of beautiful blue and white moasics, made with more than 20,000 azulejos (handpainted tiles) depicting the history and legends of Portugal. It took 10 years to complete!

6. The Palacio de Cristal gardens

If you want some lovely views of the Duoro river, then the Palacio gardens are for you. They are the perfect place to take a stroll and snap some photos.

7. Porto Cathedral

A lovely Cathedral to explore, and just outside the cathedral is a statue of Vimara Peres a 9th century duke who secured Porto and Gaia from the Moors and became the Count of Portugal (the name Portugal is derived from combining Porto and Gaia).

8. Church of St Ildefonso

This church is well known from Instagram due to its striking blue tiles. Completed in 1739, the church is named in honour of the Visigoth, Ildephonsus of Toledo who was bishop from 657-667.

9. Boat cruise along The Duoro River

A great way to see more of the riverfront is aboard a boat, a perfect way to spend the afternoon on a nice day. There are a few that leave from the main water front so you can just go down and pick one – they run almost every 30 minutes.

10. Stroll the Clerigos area

There’s a famous tower in Porto, Clerigos Tower, which gives amazing views. When I visited the queue was over 2 hours long. No fear we said, let’s visit the super famous book shop Livraria Lello – noooope, 3.5 hours for that one and you had to have a ticket. For a bookshop?! Instagram has gone mad.

Anyway we had to settle for walking round the area, but it didn’t disappoint as it was absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you’ve found this post interesting and helpful in either planning a visit to Porto, or just learning about it. You can also read my other Portugal posts here:

• Day trips from Porto
• Visiting Coimbra
• A weekend in Lisbon
• A day in Sintra
• Highlights of Madeira

Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

So, today we head to Portugal. I’ve already posted about trips to the much more visited Lisbon and Sintra, but Coimbra is also a great option if you’re visiting the country. Coimbra is an ancient university town, situated right on the Mondego river and was once Portugal’s capital city. Coimbra is about a 2 hour drive, or 1.5hr train journey, from Lisbon so is really easy to combine with a trip to the capital. And here are 5 reasons why it’s worth a visit.

1. The University

Coimbra university was founded in 1290. That’s a whole 400 years older than Harvard, older than the discovery of gravity, older than clocks and wayyy older than vodka (what did all those students even drink on their nights out?!)

The university is amazing, with lots of beautiful colonnaded courtyards with mosaics and lovely views out to the town and the river.

2. The Monastery of Santa Clara

This is a 13th Century convent which was abandoned in 1677 due to recurrent flooding and eventually covered in silt. It’s now a beautifully excavated site, and has a nice museum and a lovely patio outside with an on-site restaurant which makes a lovely spot to watch the world go by. From the Monastery, you can also walk to the gardens of Quinta das Lagrimas.

3. The churches

There are a number of interesting and picturesque churches in Coimbra including Igreja de Santiago which was consecrated in 1206, and Igreja de Santa Cruz which is home to royal tombs (including the first two Kings of Portugal!)

4. River cruise

To see Coimbra from another perspective, I recommend doing it from a boat. O Basofias run boat trips on the Mondego river and let you see the lovely sites of Coimbra from the water. It’s also a perfect, peaceful way to spend a sunny afternoon.

5. A trip to the Roman ruins of Conimbriga

The above can all be done at a leisurely pace in 2 days (or in 1 day at a rushed pace). If you have another day, and are interested in history, then you can take a day trip from Coimbra by a really easy public bus (or taxi) in about 20 minutes to the Roman ruins at Conimbriga.

The Roman houses here are spectacular with beautiful mosaics that look like carpets! The site was classified a National Monument in 1910 and is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portgual.

And that finishes up the top 5! Coimbra is definitely well worth a visit if you’re in Portugal. We spent 3 days there at a nice, relaxed place, though you could see the main sites in a day if you wanted to. I also really recommend the restaurant Passaporte-Lounge Terrace if you’re looking for somewhere to eat – this was by far and away our favourite.

Thank you for reading and fingers crossed we’re all out of quarantine/social distancing/isolation soon. I can’t wait to start planning a trip again! Stay safe and happy travelling all.

We decided to spread our wings and take in a few more sights in the region. We had heard about Braga whilst in Porto as we managed to visit at the same time as Roman event going on there, and thought that sounded like fun. I had also heard of Aveiro as the ‘Portugese Venice’ full of canals and colourful boats. So we tried to navigate public transport and visit these places to see what was there. And we were really glad we did!

Braga

Braga lies around an hour north of Porto by public train. We started off exploring Braga town itself and found ourselves caught up in the aforementioned Roman event marking the town’s Roman origins. So if your day trip requirement list is the same as mine and includes a hog roast lunch, men in togas serving you wine and wreathed dancing men banging tambourines, then you’ll be pleased to know all requirements are met!

To add even more excitement, we then took a taxi from Braga station out to the sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte (Good Jesus of the Mount). This is a sanctuary set just outside of the town, with an amazing set of stairs in a stunning setting. It really is worth a visit and added some culture to our otherwise totally indulgent day!

Aveiro

Aveiro is a coastal town in the west of Portugal, lying to the south of Porto. Again, you can reach the town by train within an hour. The town’s economy has traditionally derived from seaweed picking in traditional Moliceiro boats and salt production. The area is know for codfish, canned fish, eels and bivalves. Yum, I hear you say.

The town is built around a network of canals, and nowadays most of the Moliceiro boats are used for transporting tourists around the canal network but they still smell of seaweed. Not quite as fancy as Venice, but much more authentic and much less expensive!

Seaweed is still important to the local economy. The macro-algae are used as a source of vitamins, iodine and minerals and in various local health and beauty products as well as for soil fertility to boost agricultural productivity. Other local delicacies are shell like biscuit wafers and a sponge cake, both said to have been invented by nuns in the convents which used to be in Aveiro. Who said a day trip couldn’t be fascinating?!

Thanks for reading! I hope this post has been interesting and helpful in planning a visit to Portugal, or given the current coronavirus situation – just taken you away for a few minutes to somewhere new from your armchair. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone.

We had 3 days staying in Lisbon. We spent the first two days in central Lisbon, and the 3rd day out visiting Sintra. Sintra is an amazing place, a UNESCO world heritage site home to palaces and castles, and well worth a visit if you can extend your Lisbon trip to 3 days or more.

However long you’re in Lisbon for, here are 10 amazing things to do in the city – all doable in 2 days.

1. Carmo Church

All that is left of what was once the largest church in Lisbon is now its Gothic ruins. This church was destroyed by the huge earthquake Lisbon suffered in 1755 as people were attending mass, and is now roofless. It is still beautiful though, and a popular spot for wedding photos. 

At the church

2. Monument to discoveries & Belem Tower

About a 30 minute drive outside the centre of Lisbon, you can visit the waterfront, right where the river Tagus meets the Atlantic Ocean. On the waterfront is Belem Tower and The Monument to Discoveries. 

Also in the same area is the 25th of April bridge and just behind the waterfront is the National Archaeological Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art and Jeronimo’s Monastery (see ‘the best of the rest’ below). This area, known as Restelo, makes for a lovely half day trip (or full day trip if you do both of the museums). 

The monument to discoveries is a celebration of the Portugese age of sea exploration, standing along the river bank where ships used to depart to Orient. Belem Tower is a UNESCO world heritage site and was built during the 16th century as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon and is viewed as another symbol of the Age of Discoveries. It’s really interesting to note that the tower was originally built on a small island in the middle of the Tagus river, but now sits near the shore because the 1755 Earthquake re-directed the river! 

3. Senhora do Monte Viewpoint

Located in the Graça neighborhood, this is the highest point in the city and offers panoramic views out across Lisbon. It is a bit of a climb, but definitely worth it. It’s also perfect for watching a sunset, though we went in the middle of the day and although it was hot, it was still lovely. 

4. Terreiro do Paco

This square sits on the river Tagus, with beautiful 18th century buildings and arcades. This location was home to The Royal Palace, which was again destroyed in the 1755 Earthquake. King Dom Jose I survived the Earthquake and headed up Lisbon’s reconstruction. It is his statue that sits at the centre of the square. 

5. Bairro Alto

This area is one of the central neighbourhoods in Lisbon, and home to lots of nice shops, bars and restaurants. It’s definitely the centre of Lisbon’s nightlife. 

In this area, you can also ride the Bica funicular in the iconic yellow trains. This line was reopened in the 1990s and preserves the tradition of the original late 19th century transport system. 

6. Jeronimo’s Monastery

Another UNESCO world heritage site, this Monastery used to belong to the Order of St Jerome. It is a huge building (near Belem Tower) with beautiful interiors and gardens. You can explore independently or go on a tour round the monastery, but the queue was so long when we arrived it was a 2 hour wait! We decided against it and just explored outside as much as we could. I therefore suggest getting there early if you do want to go round it! The cloisters do look beautiful. 

7. Sao Jorge Castle

This castle was started in the 5th century, then enlarged by the Moors in the 11th century and then later transformed into a Royal Palace, seeing its heyday in the 13th to 16th Centuries  when it was occupied by the King of Portugal. It is now open to the public, and takes half a day to explore the site. There is the castle, 11 towers, a museum, a bar and a restaurant. 

8. Elevator of Santa Justa and viewing platform

This elevator sits in the Baixa area of town. It takes passengers 45 metres up to the Largo do Carmo, and is made out of wrought iron. Inside the carriages are wooden and take you back to a different era. The viewing platform at the top of the lift gives lovely views out over Lisbon. 

9. Timeout Market

This is a big market hall perfect for a lunch stop. It has great food stalls selling everything from croquettas, to seafood, to charcuterie, to cakes, to wine bars. They even run cooking classes there if you want to do something a bit different. 

10. Pastel de Nata

No trip to Portugal would be complete without sampling a local pastel de nata, or custard tart. First cooked up by monks in the early 19th century, these sweet and creamy tarts are a beloved national favourite, and you’d be hard pressed to find a bad ‘nata’ anywhere in Lisbon. For me, if you’re in Lisbon you have to visit the original shop – Pasteis de Belem, which sells around 20,000 a day (!), and is just round the corner from the monastery (see 6 above). As the story goes, monks began selling sweet pastries in order to survive, and the recipe hasn’t changed since 1837.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you found this post helpful. Let me know your thoughts and if you’ve been on a trip to Lisbon in the comments below. Stay safe and happy travelling all.

About Sintra

Sintra is where the Portuguese royal family used to holiday and is filled with beautiful villas, castles and palaces, the most famous of which is Pena Palace with stunning views out over the mountains. It is also famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sintra is one of the wealthiest and most expensive places in Portugal and is home to one of the largest foreign expat communities along the Portuguese Riviera. It also consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal and it’s not difficult to see why.

What there is to see in Sintra

Sintra itself is quite big and spread out, so there are then 2 options; you can take the 434 tourist bus round the route of the main site, or you can hire your own tuk tuk and be driven round the site. We chose the latter as the bus times didn’t quite work for us. You can get the bus from Sintra train station to the historic centre as well.

There are many sites to explore at Sintra, and doing them all in one day would be incredibly rushed, so I think it’s better to pick a couple and do them properly – or stay over night to see everything.

A. Pena Palace

Built by Ferdinand II, this palace was built to be seen wherever you are in the Park. And it works. The colours and sweeping views are truly beautiful. This has to be top of anyone’s list for a visit to Sintra. Even on an overcast day the views were still spectacular, and we spent about 2 hours here.

B. Pena Palace Gardens

The gardens are lovely to explore. There are multiple woodland paths, water features, streams, lakes and you can even horse ride round the grounds. I don’t recommend going out of your way to visit the ‘waterfall’ – I’d describe it more as a trickle!

At the ‘beautiful waterfall’ and in the gardens

C. Castle of the Moors

A UNESCO world heritage site, this medieval castle sits atop the Sintra hills, looking across to Pena Palace. Again we were lucky enough to have it mostly to ourselves, by making it the second stop on our trip round Sintra. It’s a bit of a walk from the entrance of the castle to the main walls, so flip flops weren’t the best shoe choice! They also have lovely little stalls within the castle, including lemonade and roasted nuts – perfect for a mid-morning snack. We spent about 1.5 hours here.

D. Quinta da Regaleira

This is a big, Gothic mansion with pretty gardens that contain hidden tunnels representing ancient secret orders with lots of religious symbolism. We spent about 2 hours exploring the house and gardens.

E. The historic centre of Sintra (best for lunch)

in the centre are lots of nice restaurants and pretty buildings, as well as nice views out and up to the Palaces. We only stayed for about an hour whilst we ate lunch so didn’t get to explore the town properly.

In Sintra centre

F. National Palace

The Palacio Nacional Sintra is the best-preserved medieval royal palace in Portugal and was the Portuguese Nobility’s main residence from the 15th to 19th Centuries. It has a relatively simple exterior, and the elaborate interior is stunning.

Suggested Itinerary

We decided that as Pena Palace is the most famous we wanted to get there for opening and beat the crowds so actually got our Uber to drop us off there. We got there for 10am, were first through the door and had about 30 minutes in the palace with no-one else. Perfect. It then worked well as everyone goes there first, so we also then had most sites to ourselves until the afternoon. A good itinerary could look something like this:

• Pena Palace: 09:30-10:30
• Pena Palace Gardens: 10:30-12:00
• Castle of the Moors: 12:00-13:30
• Historical Sintra for lunch: 13:30-15:00
• Quinta da Regaleira: 15:00-16:30
• National Palace: 16:30-18:00

We were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, and there are multiple other places to visit (including Monseratte Palace, Seteais Palace, Villa Sassetti, Peninha Sanctuary and viewpoint and a hike to Cruz Alta), so you could easily spend much, much longer in Sintra.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found this post useful to plan your trip to Sintra. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!