Porto Itinerary: what to see, what to do and what to feel in a weekend

Any time of the year is a good time for a weekend trip to Porto. Is it time to make yours? Get to know the best travel tips and know what to see, what to do and what to feel in this Porto itinerary for a weekend.

Porto itinerary: dive into the city's culture

Porto is the second largest city in the country and has become absolutely trendy in recent years as shown by the numerous awards it has won as one of the best European destinations, being also a candidate for best destination in the world.

Feel carried away by a city with high self-esteem and great pride in being itself, with its typical things, with its unique expressions and accent... Feel refreshed by the sight of the way the Douro River crosses the city and flows into the ocean... Feel the mystery that lies over the city on foggy days and live a truly unforgettable experience.

There are things that are typical of the north and specifically of the city of Porto that you really must get to know during your trip to the Invicta. Do you have a pen and pencil? Write down this list of things you cannot miss during your stay: regueifa bread, Avintes corn bread, "Tripas à moda do Porto” and take the opportunity to ask the locals about the meaning of these expressions:

• chuço,
• vai no Batalha,
• molete,
• adiantar um grosso,
• dar de frosques,
• estrugido,
• alapar,
• arreganhar a taxa.

Porto itinerary for a weekend

Day 1 of Porto Itinerary: Saturday 

To spend a truly fantastic Saturday morning, we suggest you start by getting lost in the heart of the city, in downtown Porto, to experience in loco everything the city has to offer. Are you in shape? How about a little physical exercise? In rua dos Clérigos, near the central Aliados square, you will find one of the icons of Porto's historical heritage: the Torre dos Clérigos. Why not climb its 240 steps and observe the city from above?

Then, still on the same street, you will come across another of the city's icons: the Lello Bookshop, considered one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world with its emblematic staircase: "As you walk around the room, you will see the staircase, which is a surprisingly attractive piece, due to the lightness of its appearance which conceals the audacity of its conception. One feels the desire to climb it and fears that our weight might bring it down", a description in the 1930 Catalogue of Livraria Lello & Irmão.

 

And because Porto is also the name of wine, we suggest that you spend the Saturday afternoon in the Port Wine Cellars, located on the south bank of the Douro River, in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia and after a nice walk along the fabulous Douro riverside. You will be able to cross the Luís I Bridge, by car or on foot, and from the other bank photograph the Ribeira do Porto with its typical architecture and the Douro River flowing beneath.

Since you are in Gaia, and if you are driving, you can follow the riverside road until Afurada where you will find many good restaurants to taste the fresh grilled fish specialities.

 Day 2 of the Porto Itinerary: Sunday

Book the Sunday morning of your Porto itinerary to get to know the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in detail. Get to know Siza Vieira's masterpiece of contemporary architecture in Porto, marvel at the gardens of the Serralves Foundation and visit the art exhibitions that showcase the most current exponents of contemporary art.

As you're already on your second day and you haven't tried the famous francesinhas, we suggest you try the Cufra recipe and have lunch at this restaurant on Avenida da Boavista, near the Serralves Foundation.

You can ask the locals what they think of Sunday afternoons spent in the Parque da Cidade and its unique combination of pure nature by the sea. Take your family or friends for a picnic in the vast meadows by the lake in Parque da Cidade and finish your Porto itinerary with a short drive south to see the sunset in Miramar, near the Capela do Senhor da Pedra.

Get a lift for this weekend in Porto with Guerin

We suggest that you walk around downtown Porto, but renting car from Guerin to make your Porto itinerary and travel to the northern capital may be an excellent option because it allows you to see what the city has to offer in a faster and more convenient way. You can go and watch the sunset on the beaches of Gaia and spend a Sunday afternoon in Parque da Cidade, in Foz. You can visit the Port Wine Cellars and spend Sunday morning at Serralves Museum. Find us near you, at the Porto Industrial Area Station or at Gaia. 

And now, can you imitate the « tripeiro » accent? What new and typical expressions have you learnt? Probably you are already thinking in returning to the Invicta at the next opportunity…