Porto is a city on the rise; a tangible air of purpose cloaks the granite streets, which ring with student laughter and the babble of foreign tongues. I live in southern Portugal, but every time I visit Porto, there is something new to explore. On my last visit, I stayed in three recently opened places – two chic, art-filled guest houses and a hotel with a wine list to return for. New initiatives, from their hugely successful first literary festival in July, (I heard Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Salman Rushdie) to wine weeks, abound. It is the perfect place to dip into for a long city break, ticking all the boxes we travel for – good food and wine, history and heritage or just to immerse ourselves in the culture of another country and expand our horizons. Here is how to make the most of three days in Porto.
Almas chapel in PortoGetty Images
Day One
Morning
Start your day at the Bolhao Market. Order a bica (an espresso) and a pastel de nata custard tart, if you want to live like a local or if savoury is more your thing try the little pies (empanadas) filled with the game or the sashimi that the fishmongers prepare. The neo-classical building has recently been restored, but the market here has been a culinary hub of Porto since 1914, famous for its popular produce, from percebes (goose barnacle) to tripe after which the Portoenses got their nick-name of ‘tripeiros’ or tripe eaters, due to their generosity in the 15th century when they sent all the good cuts of meat with the army to conquer distant lands, leaving only the innards for themselves.
If it is near noon, you could leave the market and stop just nearby for a drink at the Belle Époque Café Majestic, which opened in 1921 and was the haunt of writers and artists. You can see the Palladium Galleries Clock across the street from a table outside. On the hour, four little figurines come out as it chimes. Two are Portuguese poets; one is Prince Henry the Navigator of The Golden Age of Discovery fame, and the other is St. John the Baptist, Patron Saint of Porto. The latter’s feast day in June is a huge affair with fireworks and boat races.
Mix the old in with the new and head to the Wine Bar for lunch at the three-story Matriarca townhouse, recently opened by the Symington family; fifth-generation premium port and wine producers. Named in honour of their original matriarch in Portugal, Anglo-Portuguese Beatriz was renowned for the dinners she hosted. The Wine Bar on the ground floor (do look at the tiles underfoot) has zingy, light dishes like seabass carpaccio with lemon, pistachios and avocado alongside traditional beef croquettes.