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Jan
10
Oporto Travel & Sightseeing Guide
Filed Under Portugal
A trip to Oporto
The city of Oporto has more to offer than its famous wine, yet the wine is not a bad reason for a visit as the port cellars here enthusiastically welcome tourists. The food, charming historical architecture, art and markets all attract visitors from afar. An easy train ride from Lisbon will take you to this city that’s steeped in history and also for a great night out!
Flights to Oporto
Passengers arriving from points worldwide can fly to Lisbon and make onward connections to Oporto’s Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport on one of several flights available daily. The seven mile trip from the airport to the centre is quick and easy by taxi or Aerobus service. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Oporto try Ebookers.
More than two dozen trains arrive daily from Lisbon, taking 3 to 5 hours; and one arrives from Paris, taking 27 hours. Bus service to Oporto offers a cost-effective and popular option, with five daily departures from Lisbon, a trip that takes about the same amount of time as the train.
Oporto’s public transport network is excellent, with convenient, inexpensive and reliable service: the buses, metro, trams and trains do a good job of covering the area. Taxis are also a good choice, as they’re metered and offer value for money.
Oporto
Sightseeing in Oporto
A tour of the city will take you to a number of cathedrals including the well-known 12th century church and fortress at Terreiro de Se. Close by you’ll come across a museum dedicated to a poet, known as the Casa Museu de Guerra Junqueiro. Also in the centre is the Barredo section, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and loaded with attractions of interest including churches, markets and museums.
Tours of the port vineyards and wineries are readily available and visitors are encouraged to sample the goods. Wine lodges are located across the river from Oporto, in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
A wide range of nightlife options is on offer here, and will meet your needs whether you want to dance the night away in style or have a quiet, romantic meal before a moonlit stroll through the old city. There’s a good selection of live music, dance and gay clubs, and even art galleries that turn into trendy clubs late at night. Look to the streets around rua de Santa Catarina for the best in bars and other nightspots.
For a good meal out, the Barredo quarter is home to some of the best restaurants, and also quaint riverside cafés along with some lively bars and interesting shopping. Barredo mixes up the old and new, and offers up enough variety in entertainment to please most visitors.
The locals have a preference for traditional Portuguese fare, and it’s recommended that you give some of the special dishes a try. Authentic cuisine can be had at many eateries including popular dishes such tripas à moda do Oporto (tripe with beans and sausages), caldo verde (potato and cabbage soup) and bacalhau à gomes de sá (salt cod baked with potatoes).
Fun by day - shopping and activities
There are some well-stocked shops and colourful, traditional markets in the city, where you can find a selection of souvenirs, accessories, craft items and fashion. The markets in particular offer a uniquely Portuguese experience for visitors, which can then be followed by coffee and people-watching from one of Barredo’s riverside cafés.
Daytrips
The best way to explore the region around Oporto is to rent a car and hit the road. Coimbra is one town worth driving to as it’s one of Europe’s oldest university towns and has a tangibly energetic vibe. There are also some ancient Roman sites here to balance out the student influence. Guimaraes is another stunner, worthy of its UNESCO World Heritage status. This town is considered the birthplace of Portugal, and there are dozens of historic marvels to admire as you walk around the ancient town.
Two excellent museums specialising in the antiquity of the region can be found in Guimaraes: the Museu Alberto Sampaio and the Museu Arquelogico Martins Sarmento. For a taste of rural life in this part of Portugal head to Braganca, where traditional countryside life still exists as it has for centuries. The town’s medieval citadel and castle form the hub for a number of impressive historic sites.
Must-see attractions
Portugal’s second-largest city and northern capital is best known for its port wine and lovely bridges. The city sits along a deep gorge where the Douro River dumps into the Atlantic, and although its roots are industrial, there are plenty of cultural highlights in Oporto worth seeing. The city centre is the best place to start your explorations as it is chock full of medieval churches, narrow lanes and educational museums. Among the many churches of Oporto, St Frances has an opulent interior with gilded cherubs and lovely marble vaulted ceilings.
Port wine is the biggest source of pride in this city, and the ancient fortified village on the south bank of the Douro River called Vila Nova de Gaia is home to some 50 wineries tucked into the winding streets of this picturesque suburb. Many of them welcome visitors to sample their port wines. Sandemans is perhaps the best known of the ports. It is housed in a 16th-century monastery providing the perfect backdrop for sipping tasty port. The ancient riverside district known as Ribeira is another must-see in Oporto. It is in the midst of a complete restoration that has earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.
Best time to go
The nicest seasons to visit Oporto are during the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn. The weather is at its most pleasant, there are few crowds at the beaches and attractions, and hotel rates are lower. Summer is the most popular season as the hot dry sunny weather lures thousands of tourists looking to cool off by the sea. Even though it’s hot, the sea provides a refreshing breeze most of the time. Winters, however, are chilly damp affairs that make any outdoor activity relatively unpleasant.
Rainy day suggestions
Apart from spending a rainy day winery-hopping in the old district across the river, Oporto’s National Museum of Soares dos Reis is an excellent art museum that first opened its doors in 1840. It houses a vast collection of Portuguese art from the 19th century, including wonderful exhibits of glassware, ceramics, gold and silverwork. The foreign art wing has some impressive works by Italian, French, Flemish and Dutch masters. If you’re an art fan, don’t miss this one.
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