Thank you to Yellow Bus for hosting our 3 in 1 Porto tour and to Porto Cruz for hosting our Children’s Tastings.
When we booked a trip to Portugal over Thanksgiving, a visit to Porto was high on our list. Porto is considered the capital of North Portugal and known as the home of port wine, which buses grapes harvested in the nearby Douro Valley and aged on its riverbanks. Because Porto was not devastated by the 1755 earthquake that crippled Lisbon, many more of its historic buildings were preserved. As a result, the city oozes with old-world charm and has a different vibe from Lisbon. Porto is located along the Douro River near the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, and Porto’s historic center was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. We spent two days and one night in Porto, and even though it was overcast and rainy for virtually our entire visit, we enjoyed our two days in Porto with kids.
Porto’s Ribeira District
Because we bookedan apartment in Lisbon for our entire 12-night stay in Portugal, we wanted to make our overnight in Porto as economical as possible. We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in the Ribeira District through booking.com that’s no longer listed. The Ribeira District was the perfect location because of its proximity to Porto’s city center and Villa Nova da Gaia.
Travel to Porto
Porto is about three hours from Lisbon by train. Trains depart from Lisbon’s Oriente or Santa Apolónia stations and arrive at Porto’s Campanha station. We booked our tickets from Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia station because it was significantly closer to our apartment. From Porto’s Campanha station, a four-minute shuttle train to the Sao Bento station in the center of Porto is included in the price of the ticket. We booked our train tickets two days before our departure, and round trip second-class cost about 60€ each for adults and 30€ each for children. We’ve heard that discounted tickets are available if booked in advance, but we weren’t able to book early because we were not sure of our itinerary. The almost three-hour train ride was comfortable and included free WiFi. The train was mostly full, and it’s important to sit in your assigned seats.
Porto is also served by buses and an international airport that offers direct flights to many European cities and Toronto. We were relieved that we didn’t attempt to drive to Porto. Central Porto would be a headache by car. The roads are narrow at best, and parking appears to be a nightmare. I’ve never seen cars parked in so many unlikely spots – in the square in front of the Bishop’s mansion or along the River.
Parking in Porto
Transportation Around Porto
The city center of Porto is compact enough that we were able to explore sites easily on foot, but Uber is also widely available. On the day we arrived, we walked across the Dom Luis I bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. After visiting Porto Cruz and eating dinner at Real Indiana, it was pouring rain, and we were all too tired to walk. So, we ordered a six-person Uber to take us back to our hotel near the Ribeira.
We had never been on a hop-on-hop-off double-decker tour bus but were ecstatic to take the Yellow Bus Porto Premium 3 in 1 tour. The Yellow Bus offered an ideal front seat, panoramic view of the main sites in both Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. It also offered us a respite from the rain that made walking rather uncomfortable. The open-air portion of the upper level would be perfect on a clear day, but unfortunately, we didn’t experience any clear skies in Porto.
The 3 in 1 tour includes travel on both the 90-minute Historical Porto tour, the 120-minute Castle tour and one ride on the Guidais Funicular. We boarded the Yellow Bus at Praça da Liberdade and each picked up a pair of headphones. After we selected our seats in the enclosed portion of the upper level, we plugged in our headphones to the console in the back of the seat in front of us and selected the English narration. The console was easy to use and had a volume control.
My middle son was also not feeling well during our second day in Porto, so we decided to take the entire 90-minute Historical Porto tour without hopping on and off so he could rest. The narration was informative and interesting for the entire family. My five year old was completely entertained during our tour and still talks about how much she enjoyed the bus tour.
The view from Vila Nova de Gaia was stunning and is even more spectacular on a clear day.
Photo courtesy of Yellow Bus
We didn’t have time during our short two-day visit to take the two-hour Porto Castle tour on the Yellow Bus, but it’s something we would have liked to do if we had more time or more pleasant weather. The Castle tour takes the riverside road to Foz do Douro and makes stops at Matosinhos Beach and the 6th-century Queijo Castle.
Queijo Castle
Image by alvarosno from Pixabay
A single ride on the Guindais Funicular was also included in our Yellow Bus 3 in 1 tour and was a great way to travel from the Ribeira District near the River to Batalha at the top of the hill.
Best Things to Do in Porto With Kids
There are so many sites see in Porto and across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia. Here are a few of our favorites.
#1: Espaço Porto Cruz
Our hands-down favorite activity in Porto was our family tasting at Porto Cruz. We were drawn to Porto Cruz because of its reputation and its resemblance to our surname, which has Portuguese origins. Porto Cruz is located in Vila Nova de Gaia, a Porto city on the south bank of the Douro River. The Gran Cruz House dates back to 1887. We scheduled our tastings in advance, and our check-in was quick. After my husband and I chose our combined tastings, we were directed to the Wine Journey 360º on the first floor. The interactive exhibits and short films outline the history of port wine.
Our tasting guide, Filipa, was superb and did a presentation on the history of port wine that was kid-friendly. We felt like we had a master class in port wine during our tastings in the professional tasting room located on the second floor. This colorful and sleek space was the perfect backdrop for tasting port. We learned that port comes from grapes from a defined Douro region. The grapes were crossed with an American grape to produce grapes resistant to the infestation of bugs. Grapes are harvested in the fall about 60 miles upstream, stored in silos during the winter and then shipped to Vila Nova de Gaia to age. Flat gondolas or rabelo barcos were used as cargo boats to transport the wine because the river is not deep. Port wines were transported to Britain for sale; however, many wines went bad before they reached their ultimate destination. To preserve the wines, the fermentation period was shortened, and spirits were added to create an environment where wine yeasts can’t survive. This produced a wine that could last the long journey to Britain and was also significantly sweeter than the typical table wine. Some wines are aged in stainless steel containers and others in barrels. Filipa described the aging process as “sleeping” to the kids.
The kids’ tasting included pineapple juice, tropical fruit juice and strawberry juice each paired with chocolates. After they finished their tasting, Filipa brought out markers and instructed them to draw pictures inspired by her port presentation. My son created this timeline showing the port process from grapes to sleeping to wine.
Filipa then moved on to port tastings for my husband and me. She provided details about how each port was made. We started with a sweet white port. The fermentation process for white port is stopped after one day, which makes it super sweet and is known as the “tear of Christ.” Dry white ports ferment for seven or eight days and end up with a steel, fruity taste.
No sugar is added to port, but the fortified wine added to stop fermentation is very sweet. Port wine is typically about 19-21% alcohol and comes in pink, tawny, ruby and white. Porto Cruz was just the second house to make rose wine. Their Porto Rose was created in 2009 and is now a best seller. Ruby is the darkest of the ports. The large barrel is completely filled so that no oxygen remains. Tawny has a caramel color and taste and is stored in smaller barrels that are not filled so that oxidation can occur.
We learned that vintage ports with a corkscrew top need to be consumed quickly. Bottles with a bar top can be opened and closed. Also, the Portuguese often by a bottle of vintage port from the year that their baby was born and keep the bottle until the baby is old enough to drink. After our tasting, we took a peek of the view from the Porto Cruz rooftop and only wished the weather was better. Our private tasting at Porto Cruz was definitely a highlight of our trip.
#2: Douro River
The heart of Porto is the Douro River, which separates the Porto city center from Vila Nova de Gaia. The Douro was shallow and fast-moving in parts before a series of dams and locks were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. Wooden, flat bottom cargo boats called rabelos were used to transport wine from the Douro Valley to the Vila Nova de Gaia wine cellars. Rabelos are no longer used for commercial cargo purposes but are now used for sightseeing cruises.
Even with less than stellar weather, we couldn’t get enough of the riverside view.
#3: Dom Luis I Bridge
The Dom Luis I Bridge is a double-deck, metal arch bridge that was designed by Theophile Syrig, an associate of Gustave Eiffel. The 564-foot bridge was completed in 1886 and was became the longest bridge of its type in the world. Dom Luis I Bridge spans the Douro River and is an icon of Porto. The ironwork on the Dom Luis I Bridge resembles the nearby D. Maria Pia Bridge, which was designed by Eiffel. These two bridges were named to honor Portugal’s current king, Luis I and his wife, Maria Pia of Savoy. The lower level is used for vehicular traffic, and the upper level is used for Metro trains. Pedestrians can cross on either level, but note that the upper level is 190 feet above the Douro.
Image by Frank Nürnberger from Pixabay
#4: Imperial McDonald’s
Even tourists who thumb their nose at McDonald’s while traveling abroad should make an exception for the Imperial McDonald’s at Liberty Square. Liberty Square is located at the bottom of the Avenida dos Alidos, the wide boulevard that serves as the central gathering place in Porto. It is truly the most beautiful fast food restaurant we have ever visited. We focus on local cuisine when traveling, but since my days traveling through Europe as a poor college student, I try to taste a McDonald’s ice cream cone in every country I visit, and my cone at the Imperial McDonald’s was one of my most memorable. I made an early morning stop for my Portuguese cone with my oldest and youngest children while my middle son and husband spent the morning at our apartment.
We visited the McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysees, which Conde Nast ranked as the world’s most stylish in July 2018. However, while the location on the Champs-Elysees might edge out the Imperial McDonald’s, Porto’s decor is the fanciest McDonald’s we’ve ever seen. Of course, we had to stop later in the day so that my husband and younger son could order some ice cream.
- Imperial McDonald’s Hours: The Imperial McDonald’s is open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Fridays through Sundays.
#5: Porto Cathedral
The Porto Cathedral or Se is a Roman Catholic church that was constructed in the 12th century in a Romanesque style. It has been rebuilt and renovated since its construction and now incorporates Baroque and Gothic elements. The Porto Cathedral is located in Batalha, the highest point of the city.
#6: Lello Bookstore
The Lello Bookstore is a spectacular bookstore that dates back to the early 20th century. It is known for its twisting and interlocking wooden staircases and Art Nouveau. Lello gained popularity in recent years as the “Harry Potter Bookstore” because of its potential inspiration for Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling lived in Porto during the early 1990s when she was writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and the interior of this bookstore is reminiscent of the staircases at Hogwarts and Diagon Alley bookstore, Flourish and Blotts.
- Lello Bookstore Hours: The Lello Library is generally open from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.
- Lello Bookstore Tickets: A 5€ is necessary to enter and can be applied to any purchase.
#7: Clerigos Church
Clerigos Church was designed in the mid-18th century by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni in Baroque style. Its name means “Church of the Clergymen.” Clerigos’ 250-foot tower dominates Porto’s skyline and is one of the city’s most distinctive symbols.
Image by Vilve Roosioks from Pixabay
- Clerigos Church Hours: Clerigos Church is typically open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Clerigos Church Tickets: A day pass to the Tower and Museum cost 6€ for all visitors over age 10. A tour of the Church, Tower and Museum costs 6.5€ for all visitors over age 10. There is no fee for visitors under age 11.
#8: Stock Exchange Palace
The Stock Exchange Palace is located in Henry the Navigator Square. This 19th century building was designed in the Neoclassical style to serve as the seat of the Commercial Association.
- Stock Exchange Palace Hours: The Stock Exchange is open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. from November to March and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from April to October.
- Stock Exchange Palace Tickets: Tickets cost 10€ for adults and 6.5€ for seniors and students over age 12. Children up to age 12 are free.
#9: Carmo and Carmelitas Churches
The Carmo and Carmelitas Churches are two churches separated by a narrow house about 1-meter wide that prevented contact between the nuns and monks. The churches were constructed during the 17th and 18th centuries in Baroque architecture.
Photo courtesy of Yellow Bus
#10: Sao Bento Train Station
The tile work in the main entry hall of the Sao Bento train station makes it worthy of a visit even for visitors not arriving in Porto via train. The azulejos are hand-painted tiles that depict historical scenes from the Douro Valley.
#11: Guindais Funicular
The Guindais Funicular was constructed in 1891 to transport Porto residents from the riverfront to the top of the hill. The short ride offers breathtaking views of the Dom Luis I Bridge and the Douro River. After a serious accident in 1893, the use of the Guindais Funicular was suspended, and the funicular was shuttered until its rehabilitation in 2001. The Guindais Funicular is now part of Porto’s metro system and used by residents and tourists.
View of Dom Luis I Bridge from Guindais Funicular
We are big fans of funiculars, including Pittsburgh’s famous Duquesne Incline and were excited to take the Guindais Funicular from the Ribeira district to the Batalha at the top of the steep hill.
- Guindais Funicular Hours: From November to March, the Guindais Funicular is generally open from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and from 8:00 a.m to p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. From April to October, the Guindais Funicular is generally open from 8:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and from 8:00 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Guindais Funicular Tickets: A one-way ticket costs 2.50€ for adults and 1.25€ for children ages 4 to 12.
#12: Ribeira
Porto’s Ribeira District is a touristy area located along the Douro River. Praca da Ribeira is a lively square with cafes. A modern cubic sculpture sits on top of a fountain, which was built over the remains of a 17th-century fountain.
The narrow and winding medieval streets reminded me of York, England except that they were much more colorful. This touristy area is filled with restaurants and gift shops. We stayed in the Ribeira and thought it was an ideal location due to its proximity to Vila Nova da Gaia and the Porto City Center.
Eating in Porto
We enjoyed our meals in Porto. We stopped for a quick lunch at a cafe along in Vila Nova de Gaia. We selected a few prepared sandwiches from the deli counter that were delicious. We had our family Thanksgiving at Real Indiana. The food was very tasty, and the colorful decor was festive, but we wished there were more diners.
Porto specialties are two pork sandwiches. The francesina consists of pork cutlets, sliced sausages grilled on a dense bread and topped with melted cheese, a spicy sauce and an optional fried egg. It is a heavy sandwich that is perfect for splitting. We ordered three at Café Santiago F across from Porto’s Coliseum and enjoyed every savory bite.
The bifana is a slowly cooked shredded pork served on a bun with spicy sauce. We tried them at O Astro, which was located across from the Campanha station. The local favorite beer in Porto is Super Bock, and of course, port wine is widely available everywhere.
Two Days in Porto
Porto is a wonderful city to visit and learn about port wine. Even though we kind of wanted to curl up and hide under our umbrellas during the wet days in Porto, we were so glad we took the trip to see Porto.
