Portugal Days Nine – Ten: Bridges, Sunsets, and Even More Hills (Porto)

Next up: Porto. We debated the various modes of transport to get from the Algarve (far South) to Porto (far North). We looked at flights, trains, and buses before ultimately opting to rent a car. The prices on a car rental through our original booking company (Guerin – excellent experience) were cost prohibitive, so we ended up booking with Sixt which have pretty uniformly horrific reviews at the Faro Airport. We spent a long time documenting all the existing damage to the car before we hit the roads. (Suggestion: in addition to capturing still photos of the car, I took videos of the interior and exterior, audibly documenting existing damage.)

The trip was relatively uneventful. While in the Algarve we purposefully skirted toll highways, but on a drive across the country, they’re unavoidable. Rental cars all come with automatic toll passes so you can drive through tolls and they charge your credit card for the amount you accrue. 

We stopped for some food and bathroom breaks along the way and, since we technically had the car for 24-hours, decided to make at least one detour en route. We considered Evora (old Roman ruins + a very cool, macabre chapel made of human bones) and Coimbra (famous and picturesque university), but both felt like too much to see in a quick stop. We settled on Aveiro – often called the Venice of Portugal because of the canal system and gondolas – but when we got off the highway it looked extremely crowded. We ended up skipping this spot and going right to Farol de Aveiro. Turns out, this lighthouse is the tallest in all of Portugal (and one of the tallest in Europe) at 203 feet. It really did tower over us. 

After a quick stop to see the lighthouse (technically in Barra, not Aveiro), we made our way to Costa Nova, a quaint fishing village with a STUNNING beach. This would definitely make a lovely day trip from Porto. The waves were huge and there was a lovely boardwalk.

We finished off by going to see the famous striped houses – palheiros – traditionally used by fishermen to store their nets. This landmark wildly exceeded my expectations. Apparently the bright stripes made it easier to navigate back to shore in dense fog. Whatever the reason, they are lovely. I wish we’d had longer to stroll these streets – the colourful houses seemed to go on forever. They can be tricky to find and it seemed nearly impossible to get an address for them on most travel blogs. They are all along Av. José Estevão which is opposite the beach. Highly recommend this detour if you’re in the area.

Finished admiring the multi-coloured houses, we made our way to Porto and met the host of our next apartment. She was so friendly, giving suggestions about where to eat and what we should prioritize seeing. She even gave us a handmade ceramic magnet – a lovely touch!

We still had to return the rental car and heaved a sigh of relief when we no longer had to navigate (me) or drive (John) through narrow Portuguese streets. Our host had explained the public transit options but it sounded complicated to use them (we were at the car rental spot, not the airport), so we opted to take a Bolt to Jardim do Morro – a park in Gaia that is supposed to give the best view of Porto sunsets.

The crowds were INSANE. Wall-to-wall people, so we opted to trek up the hill to Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar. This spot was also crowded but not so densely and we managed to glimpse some lovely views of the Duoro River. 

By this point the kids were exhausted and hungry. We’d mostly subsisted on snacks all day. We found a little gem of a restaurant – Mirone – and the kids and John tucked in to francesinhas. These are ICONIC meat, egg, and cheese sandwiches covered in a gravy-like sauce. They lived up to the hype and were enjoyed by all. I snuck a few bites to supplement my Caesar Salad (also delicious). We had planned to navigate back to the apartment on foot, but the thought of walking uphill at 10 pm was less than appealing so, once again, we opted for the easy route and took a Bolt. 

DAY TEN:

Our first full day in Porto. We started with coffee for the three coffee lovers and then headed off down the hill.

Our apartment was in Gaia, a city directly across the river from Porto. Like so many spots in Portugal, Gaia is built on a giant hill. Luckily, we were going down to start the day. We wound toward the water on adorable cobblestone pathways that zigged and zagged through tiny streets oozing with European character.

At the bottom of the hill, we intersected with a lovely boardwalk. L managed to spot some schools of fish and we spent a lot of time twiddling our thumbs while he shouted with excitement over each new fish that came into view.

We found the kids some fresh churros at a street vendor along the waterfront (delicious and much better than the famous ones in Lisbon), and then popped in to Vila Nova de Gaia. What a shock. It was like stepping inside a Disney castle. A sweeping staircase, floor-to-ceiling bookcases (complete with a wheeled ladder). We bought a few snacks and even got to listen to an organ recital. Highly recommend this stop (and they have delicious Pastéis de Bacalhau – essentially a breaded fishcake, in this case filled with cheese). 

Next was our first (of many) treks across the Dom Luís I Bridge. There are a lot of bridges in the Porto area but this is the most famous and was designed by an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel (three guesses what he built, and the first two guesses don’t count). It really is a stunning piece of architecture. We wandered along the side streets and through water-front markets, before winding our way up the hill. Again with the hills. SO MANY HILLS!

We stopped by Santo Ildefonso – one of many tiled churches in Porto. Then to Majestic Cafe (purported to be a spot J.K. Rowling wrote some of her Harry Potter material when she lived in Porto), before reaching the top of our climb at Capela das Almas (Chapel of the Souls) which is perhaps Porto’s most famous tiled church. Very beautiful!

We wandered through the streets – heading down this time – while I navigated us to Manteigaria, one of the most famous bakeries selling pasteis de nata. It was extra fun to watch chefs preparing the pastries, and I thought they were delicious (I’d rank them #3 from our time in Portugal), but John and L were less enthused. A doesn’t like pasteis!

Next we walked through Mercado do Bolhão. With free entry and clean (free!) bathrooms, this is a place not to be missed. There is fruit. There is fresh pasta. There is seafood and wine and flowers and chocolate. I found all the options a bit overwhelming and we didn’t end up buying anything, but this would be a great place to pull together a lovely lunchtime buffet. 

We left the market and started walking to see more tiles. São Bento station – which has to be one of the prettiest train stations in the world. Then by Torre dos Clérigos, which is a giant bell tower and the tallest structure in Porto. You can book tickets to walk to the top (and there is a well-reviewed light show in the church at night), but we opted to just take in views from the ground. We swung by Livraria Lello, one of the most famous bookstores in the world now that Harry Potter fans lay claim to it being the inspiration for the Hogwarts Library. I knew there was an entry fee, but did not expect to see the insane lineups to enter. Disappointing (A is a huge HP fan), but it didn’t seem worth the time or money. 

By now we were all hungry. Stopping for sit-down meals is tough with the kids, but eating on the fly makes it challenging to find things at the right time that everyone will enjoy. A was craving empanadas so we navigated to a local store – Empanadas Malvón – (we returned a second time during our stay in Porto and both times John proclaimed them to be better than the empanadas we had in Spain) and then stopped by a McDonald’s on the waterfront for L. Without a doubt, this McDonald’s offers the nicest views I’ve ever had in a fast-food establishment.

Before and after food…we wandered. Porto’s streets are so charming and you never know what delight you’re going to come upon.

We wandered through a few more river-side markets – A and I each bought a pair of tile-inspired earrings, watched an impressive trio of breakdancing performers, and stopped to watch a group of fearless boys jump off the bridge (it’s a loonnngg way down). 

I was keen to get another sunset perspective and suggested we go out to Farol de Felgueiras. Once again, we opted for a Bolt over trying to figure out public transit. So often it was cheaper for us to take a Bolt for four people versus purchasing public transit tickets! On the ride out the sky kept getting cloudier and cloudier. And then we noticed more and more fog. By the time we arrived it was a WALL of dense fog. It was also very cold. Whomp, whomp. Every once in a while the horizon would look to be clearing and we’d even glimpse some blue sky, and then minutes later the fog would be back and even denser! But in retrospect, this ended up being cool. It meant we had the place to ourselves, we arrived close to high tide and the waves were so high (impossible to get perspective in pictures but the water comes in intensely; the kids thought this was incredibly fun, especially when spray would come up over the edge).

We took a Bolt back to our apartment and planned to visit a local restaurant for supper but it only took cash and we didn’t have enough and the nearby ATM wouldn’t work. We were tired and cranky, but we made the most of things at the apartment. I toasted some bread we had on hand and topped it with some squares of chocolate (impromptu pain au chocolat, anyone?), pulled out some leftover fruit and yogurt, and we had a little picnic of sorts.

Your turn. Do you seek out street art when you travel? How do you handle food/eating when on the road – are you a sit down for a full meal or eat-on-the-go?