Porto, Portugal
We arrived to Porto by bus from Sintra. We rode flixbus from Sintra south bus station, which lies on the residential area. The bus ride was about 3.5 hours long. It was a really nice bus compared to the past we rode from Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. Remember to book your bus tickets quickly online, as the buses do fill up quickly and prices do increase the sooner it gets! We scored on our bus tickets and got them for 3 euros each!
So… a little bit about the city of Porto! Porto is well known for their historical and architectural attractions, the historical side of the city is designated a UNESCO heritage site center. 10% of the city economic activity is driven by tourism. There’s everything to see from nightlife, viewpoints, parks, and beaches!
The bus dropped us off right in the city center which was so easy to walk to our house or from. We stayed in Hostel One Ribeira. They also have additional hostel locations in Barcelona, London, Madrid, Budapest and Sevilla. Once you have stayed in this location, they send you an email for a 20% off code for additional bookings later on!
We were able to walk everywhere in Porto and do all the sightseeing that we wanted to do by foot. We only had a couple of days here, but would definitely be back!
 |
| Porto, Portugal |
Currency: Euro €
Highs: you are able to see a lot of Portuguese tradition, old architecture, food scene, cost of living is pretty cheap! An espresso is about .80€!
Lows: if you are not into traditional Portuguese food, it can be a little disappointing at the food scene here.
Things to do: A port wine tour at the river or in Duoro Valley, The Porto Cathedral, walking across the Porto Bridge, Lello bookshop, Ribeira and Gaia riversides, seeing the sunset from any of
these viewpoints: Clerigos Tower, Garden Park of Virtudes, Jardim do Morro, Vitória View Point.
Things to eat: there are much more options to restaurants of these specific foods, however we had some good recommendations and chose these places.
Cafe - Majestic Cafe ( a well known cafe for its uprising cafe culture here in Porto! We stopped here not knowing any of this and their cheesecake is to die for!)
Specialty Porto coffee - Combi Coffe
Francesinha - Lado B, Cafe Santiago
Cachorro - Gazela (known as the Portugal hotdog)
Port Wine - Sandeman Wine Cellars
Traditional Food - Taberna Santo Antonio
Pastel de Nata - Manteigara (be sure to add the canela “cinnamon” they give you!)
 |
| Be sure to go to a port wine tasting! |
 |
| Pastel de Nata |
 |
| The line when we left after eating their famous Francesinha! |
 |
| Majestic Cafe |
 |
| Francesinha! |