[PORTUGAL] Porto Travel Recommendation

10:30 Travel Bunny 1 Comments

Porto, the second largest city of Portugal, is my first stop in Portugal. Its historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. This beautiful city was built on the hills overlooking Duoro River.

Getting in:

1) By plane: I arrived in Francisco Sa Caneiro Airport, which is Porto's international airport. There are several ways of getting to the city from the airport including metro, bus, shuttle and taxi.

The most convenient way is to take a metro, Line E (Purple line), which runs every 20 - 30 minutes. You'll reach the city in 34 minutes. The ticket can be bought from ticketing machine in the airport.

Metro station at the airport. A one-way ticket is EUR 2 (airport is in Z4). You can buy a 24-hour pass for metro and buses for EUR 6.90 at the airport (since airport is in Z4). If you only travel by metro in the city, then a Z2 24-hour pass will suffice (EUR 4.15). Card cost is EUR 0.60, so do not throw away the card as it can be re-charged. The only tricky thing is that it cannot carry more than one type of travel ticket.

If you plan to take a bus from the airport, STCP (line 601, 602 and 604) and Resende provides connections from the airport to the various areas of city. You can also book private shutter from various service providers such as https://100rumos.com (1 pax price from EUR 14). If you are arriving late at night after 1am, you can take a taxi which is available 24/7. The other options would be an hourly bus coming from Av. dos Aliados (3M-Line) or spending a night at the airport.

2) By train: São Bento station only served by local trains and selected regional and inter-regional services to Regua and Pocinho. If you want to take a train to/from Lisbon, Campanhã is the train station in Porto for the high speed line. The 5-minute transit between Campanhã and São Bento is at no extra cost using the same train ticket.

Alternatively, you can travel to Porto by car or bus.

Getting around:

By metro: The metro has 6 lines, running across the city. It opens 6am till 1am. Photo above is line D (Yellow line across the Duoro river). Metro passes which are available includes Andate 24 (price from EUR 4.15 depending on zones, travel 24 consecutive hours after the first validation, in the acquired zones), Andate Tour-1 (EUR 7, travel without limit throughout Andate transport network within 24 consecutive hours after the first validation) and Andate Tour-3 (EUR 15, travel without limit throughout Andate transport network within 72 consecutive hours after the first validation). You must validate the card before starting the trip or whenever you change vehicle.

Porto metro map above (click to see enlarged map). Important metro stations that tourist frequently use includes: Campanhã (main train station), Bolhão (historic centre), São Bento (train station and historic centre), Trindade (the only station where all six lines intersect) and Jardim do Morro (Hill Garden).

By tram: The charming vintage trams run on remaining three lines: Line 1 (Infante - Passeio Alegre), Line 18 (Massarelos - Carmo) and Line 22 (Carmo - Guindais Batalha). Single ticket is EUR 3.50. Two trips on the same day cost EUR 6.

By Funicular dos Guindais: It is a cable railway system that runs along a steep hill connecting the Ribeira neighborhood on the river bank and Batalha at the top of the city. For only EUR 2.50, you can take a one-way journey either up to Batalha or down to the river bank.

By bus: Bus is the most useful means of transport to get to certain destinations such as Vila Nova de Gaia. You can also get to Gaia by tram or metro on the upper part of bridge but it is quite far from the waterfront. You can use the Andate Tour Card on the bus.  

By hop-on-hop-off bus: Like many major cities, you can take the open-top double decker buses for sight-seeing around the city. A ticket is valid for 48 hours after first validation. Ticket is EUR 18 for adult and EUR 9 for children age 4 to 12.

By Rabelo: Rabelo is a traditional Portugese cargo boat originally used to transport the barrels of Vila Nova de Gaia to Porto. Today, the boats are used as sightseeing cruises that sail down the Duoro River. A trip typically cost around EUR 17 and takes about 50 minutes.

By Teleferico de Gaia: This is the cable car service in Gaia area. It connects the Dom Luis I Bridge and Porto Wine Cellars. Maximum capacity per car is 8 person. For adult, one way trip is EUR 6 and return trip is EUR 9. For child age 5 to 12,  one way trip is EUR 3 and return trip is EUR 4.50. Family ticket for 2 adult and 2 children round trip is EUR 22.50. It opens from 10am.

Website: http://www.gaiacablecar.com/Teleferico_UK.html

On foot: My favourite way to explore the city is on foot since the historic centre is a maze of narrow cobbled streets. Due to the fact that it is very hilly, remember to bring good walking shoes.

Accommodation:

I chose to stay right in the heart of the old city, just next to the São Bento metro station (see the building in the middle in photo above). It was an Airbnb apartment. The only thing I would complain is the narrow stairs that lead up to the apartment. Don't bring large suitcase.

There are lots of lovely details if you care to look in the book shop.

The large stained glass ceiling of the book shop is worth a look. It bears the book shop's monogram and motto "Decus in Labore" meaning "beauty in labour".

My favourite shots after the book shop is closed.

Tip: If you want lesser people in the background while taking photo in the book shop, try to come in as the last batch of visitors before closing time. The employees did not immediately kick everyone out from the book shop at its closing time, the upper floor will be closed off first. But one can still linger around for a couple minutes to take photo on the ground floor.

Ticket voucher: EUR 5 (normal), EUR 15.90 - EUR 17.90 (priority)
Opening hours: 9.30am - 7pm
Website: https://www.livrarialello.pt/en/home

3) Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina (chapel) 

Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina is a chapel dating from early 18th century. In 1929, the outer facade were faced with tiles by Eduardo Leite, produced by Fabrica de Ceramica Viuva Lamego.

Really love the blue and white tiled facade of this chapel. These photos of the tiled facade were taken across a busy road.

Nearby the chapel, an unique building piqued my interest. It is Shopping Via Catarina, a shopping mall that opens from 9am to 8pm. It has restaurants on 4th floor and stores on 1st-3rd floor. From the looks of its website, it seems like a good shopping mall to visit. Website: https://www.viacatarina.pt/en/home/

4) Igreja de S.Ildefonso (church) 

Ildefonso and stories from the Gospels.

5) City Hall and Porto sign 

My next stop was the City Hall and Porto sign in front of it. 

6) Liberty Square 

Walking towards Liberty Square from the city hall. In the center of Liberty Square is the statue of King Pedro IV, inaugurated in 1866.

Palacio da Bolsa. I decided to buy tickets for Palacio da Bolsa first and came back later at the designated time. This church has only one nave. It is worth admiring the wood Rococo carvings and panel painted by Joao Glama.

8) Cais da Riberia 

From Igreja de S. Nicolau, I continued to walk along the river bank of Duoro River. 

Porto's riverside quarter known as the Riberia, is one of the city's oldest neighbourhood. Cais da Ribeira on the quay side is a long strip of restaurants, bars and shops overlooking the river and Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite bank. There are many old, colourful buildings built by rich merchants on the steep slopes leading up from the quay.

9) Ponte Luis I (bridge)

Ponte Luis I was inaugurated on 31 October 1886. This bridge is built of two metal trays supported by a great iron arch and five piers with maximum span of around 391.25m.

This bronze plate set in 1897 in memory of the deceased in the "Ponte das Barcas" tragedy. The tragedy happened on 29 March 1809, when the bridge collapsed under the weight of people fleeing from the French troops of Soult.

These two incomplete granite piers were all that remains of the suspension bridge that was stopped being used in 1887.

Crossing the bridge to the Gaia area.

View from the bridge.

10) Vila Nova de Gaia 

Vila Nova de Gaia (or simply Gaia to locals), is famous for its port and port wine. This is where barrels of wine loaded or unloaded for hundreds of years.