Porto can be visited in 2 days. Obviously you will not be bored if you decide to stay there longer. We spent 2 nights in Porto in June 2017
Accommodation: Dear Porto Guest House
Address: Rua De Santa Catarina, 744, União de Freguesias do Centro, Porto
2 nights, from 06/22/2017 to 06/24/2017
Price: 150 € for 2 people (75 € / night)
Booked with Booking.com
In two days, you will not be able to see everything, but it is possible to go around the essentials.
We start with a tour in the districts of the city and by strolling in the streets:
It is interesting to walk along the Avenue of the Allies (Av. dos Aliados). It is located in the very center of Porto and you can see there several monuments such as the « City Hall » and the « Igreja da Santíssima Trindade » church.
At the end of this avenue is Porto’s most important square: Praça da Liberdade with the equestrian statue of King Peter IV. Not far away, you will find the Porto São Bento train station, one of the city’s treasures. It is a great place to see the “azulejos” (ceramic tiles typical of Porto) that decorate the hall of the station.
You can continue towards the bank of the Douro river, in the district of “Ribeira” at the level of the « Cais da Ribeira » pier.
It is the liveliest district of Porto. You will find a large choice of restaurants with terraces. Do not hesitate to choose one to taste typical Portuguese dishes and a good glass of Porto wine, or more 🙂
The area remains lively in the evening:
If you cross the Luis I Bridge, you will arrive in Vila Nova de Gaia. This is where the Porto wine cellars are concentrated.
If the weather encourages you, it is possible to take a boat trip on the Douro.
The churches of Porto :
A few steps from the city hall, the « Igreja da Santíssima Trindade » church is a symbol of the city.
The Clerigos Church (Igreja dos Clérigos) is also a must-see monument in the city. You can climb the 200 steps of stairs to get to the top of the tower with stunning views of Porto.
You can also visit the other famous churches in the city:
- Church of Our Lady of Carmo.
- Saint-Ildefonso church and its facade decorated with blue and white azulejos.
- Chapel of Souls: Capela das Almas
- The Church of Saint Francis (Sao Francisco) with its catacombs.
Next to the Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas), you will have several things to see:
- La Rúa Santa Catarina which is the main shopping street of the city.
- Café Majestic, founded in the 1920s. Have a coffee in this place is a good idea to enjoy the historic setting.
- Take a tour of the Bolhao Market and discover the colors of Portuguese cuisine
Our stay in Porto coincided with the city’s most important festival: Saint John (São João), celebrated on the night of June 23 to 24. The whole town participates and it’s very funny. Young and old walk the streets with little plastic hammers and hit you on the head without knowing you. The hammer emits a small horn. This is the way to wish each other a happy holiday. It seems that the tradition of the hammer is quite recent. Before, we hit each other on the head with a bunch of onions.
At midnight, a huge 15-minute fireworks takes place on the banks of the Duoro.
But that’s not the end of the party. The people of Porto stay on the streets until morning and continue the celebrations in bars and in front of music stages. It’s great !
My Trip Memories 