I managed to put together a trip to Portugal in March, making both Porto and Madeira happen within a week. Here’s my experience on Porto!
On March 18th, a Saturday late afternoon, my Wizz Air flight left from Budapest, landing at 7.30 PM.
To get to the city center, there’s a direct train, and tickets can be bought from a machine. It’s available in English and offers two types of tickets: single journey and a 24-hour Andante card. The card itself costs 0.60 euros, the 24-hour pass 7.55 euros. The city is divided into zones, and you should choose the z4.
The tickets need to be touched to the yellow sensor at the metro station; if it’s okay, the indicator lights up green. It’s important to validate again when transferring from one metro to another. There’s no need to touch in when getting off (both metro and bus). There were several ticket inspections, so it’s not worth fare-dodging.
On Sunday morning, I started from my accommodation in a bit of fog, which soon cleared up and it became sunny. The main attractions in the downtown are close, so it’s possible to walk around.
The main attraction, of course, is the Luis I Bridge (Ponte Luis I), and the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar towering above it. The view from there is the most beautiful. Go there not only during the day but also at sunset, as the view is splendid both times!
From there, I walked down to the riverside, to the famous Vila Nova cellars. The view of the opposite Ribeira district and the bridge is also excellent from there.
Portuguese are very religious, so it’s no wonder that there are many churches. Quite a few are decorated with typically blue tiles, among which the Capela das Almas and the Igreja do Carmo are perhaps the most beautiful.
I also visited the Livraria Lello, known from Harry Potter, but I didn’t go in because there was a terribly long queue both days. I preferred to walk around rather than stand in line.
Next to the library is the Clerigos Tower, which also serves as a lookout. From here you can take tram 18 to the oceanfront.
On Sunday afternoon, I „popped into” the main hall of the Sao Bento railway station, where you can also see blue tiles.
Then I took a bus to the oceanfront and the lighthouse on the western edge of the city. Bus 500 starts from Sao Bento and is popular with tourists. It’s a double-decker bus, so it can be called a tourist bus. It travels along the Duero River, so I highly recommend it for the view!
Trams 1 and 18 also go to the oceanfront, but the day pass is not valid for this. You have to buy the ticket from the ticket inspector when boarding.
On the way back, I visited the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal gardens. Both the view and the garden are very beautiful.
On Monday morning, I took the metro to the Porto football team’s stadium, the Dragon Stadium (Estádio do Dragão). You can have a limited view into the stadium. Football fans should definitely visit! (It’s about a 10-minute metro ride from the downtown.)
I had an early lunch at the Bolhao market. It’s located at the entrance of the Bolhao metro station, where most tourists go. Nevertheless, the prices are fair.
The plane to Madeira left at 17:45, so I had plenty of time until about 15:00. I walked around, sat down on the Cais da Ribeira riverside promenade, and enjoyed the sunshine and the 20 degrees.
Overall, Porto is a pleasant place, similar to Lisbon. A perfect choice for a few days’ trip!