Porto and Guimaraes, Portugal

Porto and Guimaraes, Portugal

Just a two hour flight from London and I found myself in Porto, Portugal's second city. Porto is located on the Douro River in Portugal's northern area; it is one of Europe's oldest centres (UNESCO registered in 1996) and now has an area population of 1.5 million with 230,000 inhabitants in the city itself. Visitors to Porto will find it to be a hilly city yet compact and easy to explore on foot. If, however, the hills prove too much of a challenge there is a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour, a metro system or trams for visitors to enjoy a ride on. A good way to start an exploration of the city is on foot through the Rue de Miguel Bombardas where there are different curio shops, restaurants and art galleries. At No 457 we found a wonderful quirky tea shop with a great garden out the back for relaxing and deciding where to visit next whilst savouring delightful cakes. We then retreated to our hotel - home for the next three nights - Infante Sagres. Located in the heart of the historical district, this hotel has an extraordinary contemporary style décor and is a member of the "Small Luxury Hotels of the World". During my time in Porto - famed for the Port wine which comes from this area - I was also lucky enough to take a full walking tour of the city which started with a visit to the Livraria Lello bookshop considered by many to be the oldest in the world and ranked as the third best. If you are a Harry Potter fan you will recognise the staircase (the one in the films is said to be a replica of the one in the Lello). I also discovered the Stock Exchange Palace, which from the outside seemed (I thought) quite unimpressive but on entering my opinion changed and as I moved from room to room I was more impressed until I reached the Arabian Hall. Inspired by the Alhambra Palace, this room with its floor to ceiling gold Arabic writing is where heads of state are received when visiting Porto. I also had opportunity to wander the colourful squares and shopping areas of Aliados Avenye and Sta. Caterina Street along with a quick visit to the S.Bento train station - certainly a good stopping point so that you can view the tile panels of the station! I was also lucky enough to eat at D.Tonho restaurant on the banks of the River Douro - here you will find a good selection of regional cuisine. Go with the daily recommendations and enjoy the view with a glass of good wine. As well as D.Tonho, I also ate at the Hotel Teatro - originally a banquet theatre in 1859 it is now a 4* design hotel with some fantastic suites and superb food from the restaurant. The highlight of my visit though was of course the visit to the Port Cellars of Porto, located over the river in Guia side of Porto. Every Port house is represented here from Taylors and Grahams to Sandemans where I enjoyed a guided tour of the cellars followed by the opportunity to taste the Port - both white and red for myself! After my tour of the Port Cellars it was time to relax with a river cruise on a traditional Rabelo boat for a different perspective of the city. We took a full day tour from Porto to Guimeraes (45 minutes’ drive away) European city of culture in 2012 and also referred to as the birthplace of the nation. Guimeraes is a medieval city with cobbled streets, a dominating castle, old houses with balconies and a superb central square just perfect for relaxing over lunch or a drink and watching the world go by. If you are looking for a bit of a ‘different’ place to stay, you might like the Pousada Saint Marinha da Costa. Set on a hill overlooking the city, this hotel was once a Monastery and is indeed a retreat with superb gardens. However, I would also highly recommend the Casa de Sezim with just eight bedrooms, a lounge, pool and tennis court this really is a great place in which to relax, explore Northern Portugal and enjoy wine from the vineyard of the house. All in all a great short break which I would highly recommend to Port and wine lovers with a good blend of cuisine, culture and history thrown in too!

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Caroline Bailey

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