This was part of our Western Portugal (2016).
(Click here to see all our trips.)
Day 1: ‘Imperial’ McDonald’s, Baroque Clérigos Church, Livraria Lello & Irmão, Sao Bento Station
After a long flight from the US, we arrived in Porto airport around noon. There’s a Metro (purple line) taking us to the Estadio do Dragao, where our hotel AC Hotel Porto was located. After checking in and leaving our luggage in the room, we took Metro to the city center to start today’s sightseeing.
We walked past the impressive City Hall and then stopped by the ‘Imperial’ McDonald’s to have some coffee. This was probably the most splendid McDonald’s in the world. There’s an eagle crest and the word ‘IMPERIAL’ at the entrance, and the interior was full of colorful stained-glass decorations. We ordered some coffee and snacks, then simply sat there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!
After the short coffee break, we continued to visit Baroque Clérigos Church and Tower. Even though the Baroque church itself was pretty impressive, the real attraction was the tower. From the top of the tower, one could see all the way to the Douro River and beyond.
Livraria Lello & Irmão was nearby. It’s probably the only bookstore in the world that required an entrance ticket. Rumor had it that J.K. Rolling got inspired here. Therefore, it’s a must-see for Harry Potter fans.
We then walked a couple of blocks to reach the famous Sao Bento Station with beautiful azulejos decorated interior. The tiles depicted some important events of the Portugal history. After leaving the station, we strolled by Battle Square to find a restaurant for dinner and to end this day’s sightseeing.
Day 2: Ribeira, Sao Francisco Church, Stock Exchange Palace, Six-Bridge River Cruise, Wine Tasting
We had excellent weather today. After a delicious breakfast at the AC Hotel, we took another Metro ride and walked to the Cathedral to start today’s sightseeing.
Today we would focus on the famous Ribeira region, which was a very colorful neighborhood right by the Douro River. All attractions we wished to see in Porto were all very close together. Porto Cathedral was also in the area.
A short stroll through the Ribeira took us to the Sao Francisco Church. It didn’t take us long to see the church, including the crypt. After that, we walked to the nearby Stock Exchange Palace.
The Stock Exchange Palace, built by the city’s Commercial Association in the 19th century, was a famous Porto attraction. It could only be visited by joining guided tours. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long for an English guided tour. The tour visited several rooms inside the stock exchange, including the opulent Arabian Room.
After an entire morning of walking, we were ready to take a relaxing Six-Bridge River Cruise on the Douro River. The one-hour narrated cruise passed six bridges (including the famous Ponte de Dom Luis I) on the Douro and provided excellent view of the Ribeira neighborhood. There happened to be a big group of middle school students and their chaperones from Spain boarding the same cruise. They were a bunch of energetic and cheerful crowds that made our journey more exciting.
You cannot visit Porto without tasting its famous wine in at least one of the wine lodges. That’s indeed what we did after lunch. There were several wine lodges along the Douro River. We picked the Sandeman wine lodge just across the river from Ribeira. This was a popular lodge with many visitors. After some waiting, we had our tour of the wine lodge and tasted red wine and white wine at the end of the tour. I liked the red one better.
Amy 'n Rei 