Porto

The Weather

Whilst Portugal is known for it’s hot summers, the city of Porto is situated in the northern part of the country and is no stranger to both sunshine and rainfall. This diversity in climate makes it hard to know what to expect during the change of season, so just check the forecast closer to the date to know what to pack.

In the Historic Center, the buildings retain the original design of more than one century and although their rehabilitation has incorporated heating systems, central heating is not commonplace, just warm jumpers and cardigans.

The city has the most astonishing sunsets by the sea, and the view from it’s beach cafes is great all year round, even if watching a thunderstorm roll by.

Its position next to the Atlantic ocean brings a cool welcome rain that, when it meets the mountains in the East, helps produce one of Porto’s greatest treasures: the wine.

The Sights

The best view of Porto is actually from Gaia, the neighbouring city that watches from across the river Douro. From this side you can spot all the key landmarks: the Clérigos tower, Sé (Porto’s cathedral), Palácio da Bolsa, and the cascade of old streets pouring down towards the river.

Porto itself is full of miradouros (lookouts) and perfect for long walks with a camera. You can explore the picturesque riverside, the busy town centre with its old relics and mosaics or the fancier, upmarket seaside. Get those lens caps off, there’s something about the city light that makes it extremely photogenic.

Or for a unique experience take the cable car

Culture

Porto truly has something for everyone.

The below is just a small selection of all the available attractions, so if you feel you want to make the most out of it, why not joining a sightseeing hop on hop off tours?

Cuisine

As it’s the case in many other Mediterranean cultures, food plays a major role in people’s lives; Porto’s locals pride themselves for being welcoming and knowing how to wine and dine.

There is a big cafe culture in Porto. People are very sociable and always have an excuse to go out. Old friends meet for their morning coffee, read the paper or even play cards; students can be seen sitting for hours on end at an esplanade with a mountain of books or a laptop and well dressed entrepreneurs make key business decisions at their favourite watering hole.

Although there is no real time difference between the UK and Porto, we recommend doing everything later than usual. Before 20:00, the restaurants tend to be empty as the locals enjoy getting ready at home before going out for dinner.

Portuguese hospitality revolves around a deep rooted urge to enjoy yourself at a leisurely pace, and a leisurely pace it is. Often brits can be thrown off by this, and rightfully so. There is a Portuguese saying that holds true to the difference in culture: ”pontualidade Britânica”, “British punctuality”, which the locals often refer to when they want someone to be on time.

Don’t expect to finish your meal at a “decent hour” the norm is to eat, talk, relax, rinse and repeat. Explore one of the many cafes, or perhaps take a tour of the Port wine caves and learn a bit of the city’s famous history.

There are so many places that are great to eat in that it would be impossible to list them all, but here are just a few of our favourites.

Markets

Porto has many markets, from farm to table fresh groceries, to urban boutique markets. Filled with locals and tourists alike these markets take your senses on a journey, like the many restaurants on offer in Porto, some these markets operate into the evening where you can have a drink and a light snack to take a load off.

Nightlife

Once you finish dinner the nightlife starts, and finishes late… Expect the city to come to life around 11:30pm, from Wednesday to Sunday.

The city center parties through the night, with several late night bars at Galerias, and clubs such as Armazéns do Chá, all within walking distance. In one night you can have a glass of wine at the the bohemian Café Candelabro, dance at the top of a parking structure at Maus Hábitos and find yourself at the warehouse Hard Club. If all else fails, there’s always Plano B.

When it all closes in the early hours, why not find a nice spot for breakfast before you head home? Pull down the light blocking shutters and sleep off your sore feet… ready to do it all again the next day.

The Beach & the Pool

50% of Portugal is bordered by the sea, so no wonder that five hundred centuries after the Portuguese maritime discoveries the people still see themselves as explorers and adventurers.

Porto’s beaches are great fun, but they’re urban beaches and we primarily recommend them for the world’s favourite pastime: people watching! Praia da Luz or Molhe are our favourite spots and you can stroll down the boardwalk from one to the next at a leisurely pace.

Whilst May isn’t always the hottest of months you can still enjoy the sand or the waves. Leça da Palmeira is a known surfing spot due to its powerful beachbreak with various peaks with rocks in between; you can even book a lesson, if you haven’t been on a board before.

If you catch a hot day, step away from the city and towards the gorgeous gold standard, blue flag beaches of Gaia or Miramar.

If it’s sunny but windy, then the best thing to do is to hit the pool!

You can catch a 20min train from Campanhã to Granja and spend the day at the very spot where Mariana learnt how to swim! It costs €7.50 for the day, but you’ll have access to a large sea salt pool, a smaller kids pool and a great bar / restaurant, right next to the sea. It’s the perfect spot to relax, chill with the kids and have an outdoor swim. Make sure you take some playing cards and sun cream.

If you’re an architect buff, then you must take a cold dip at Piscinas de Marés. Classified as Álvaro Siza Vieira most interesting early work, this pool is a Pritzker award winner! The structure consists of two natural pools filled with fresh seawater, designed and built from 1959 to 1973. This is totally an atypical pool experience – the total opposite of your Algarve holiday…

Parks and Gardens

If at any point the city gets a little too much, don’t worry, there are plenty of green hideaways where you can relax!Porto is home to the largest urban parks in the country.

Parque da Cidade or “city park”, located by the sea, is perfect for a bicycle ride, a jog or a picnic. It has a restaurant, a cafe and even a couple of shops selling biological and local products. It also houses the Water Pavilion, which is a small square building commissioned by the municipality to show the importance of water through interactive exhibitions, mainly aimed at young kids.

If you’re looking for something more romantic, head to Palacio de Cristal, a nineteenth century garden with beautiful views across the river, ideal for a lazy (boozy) picnic.

Another great option is Porto’s Botanical Gardens, a lovely piece of nature right in the thick of it. This garden is brimming with wildlife, and is a great place to visit with kids, but be wary of the black swans! Though beautiful, they are territorial animals… oh and remember to head into the museum to check out the snakes!

Porto with Kids

Porto is an extremely family friendly city, with kids welcome pretty much everywhere. They can tag along to fancy dinners, museums, walks (though cobbles and strollers don’t always go together), tours and even Port wine tastings (though you might want to keep them away from the wine!).

Besides Porto’s beautiful parks, beaches and riverside, there are other fun and unusual attractions for kids.

When you first arrive, you might want to book the Yellow bus tours so you can easily navigate the town. You’ll also get discounts and free entry for kids for several attractions, and depending on which pack you buy, it can  include a boat tour (and even a Port wine tasting for the grown ups).

If traveling from the centre to the riverside, you must take your kids on the inexpensive Funicular dos Guindais, a fun way of traveling. Also popular with the kids are the tuk tuks, the trams and the tram museum.

If your kids love cars, then the Museum for Transport and Communication is the perfect destination, where they can admire the first car in the country to ever make it onto the road! Right next to it, is the World of Discoveries, an interactive museum that reconstructs the fantastic odyssey of the Portuguese navigators who crossed oceans to discover an unknown world.

If you find yourself at Avenida da Boavista, then it might be worth popping by the paper money exhibition at António Cupertino de Miranda’s Foundation, before heading to Parque da Cidade or Sealife.

Serralves foundation, one of Mariana’s longtime favourites, has family programs that has children, parents and grandparents playing scientists, discovering the secrets of plants and doing handicrafts in the different spaces of the foundation.

The Military Museum, maybe more suitable for older kids, right in the centre of town, houses a fascinating collection of weapons, military uniforms, warfare equipment and artillery dating from the 16th to the 20th century. It has also cleverly developed an exhibition using toy soldiers, illustrating how battles have developed over time, from before the middle ages to the present day.

In Matosinhos, Quinta da Conceicao is ideal for a walk in nature, seeing the remains the Franciscan monastery, playing mini golf or taking a dip in the pool.