#it's not from Porto it's from Minho but you're close enough to get the good stuff

[momo-de-avis]

hi! I hope you're having a lovely day :) feel free to ignore this if you don't want to do more work on tumblr lol, but you seem very knowledgeable about all sorts of historical and touristy things in Portugal, so I figured I'd ask anyway!

I'm going to north Portugal in September on my honeymoon, we're spending 5 days in Porto, then a couple of days near the Douro valley, and then a few days near Manteigas in the Serra da Estrela national park.

me and my husband are both very into museums/art galleries and historic buildings - is there anything in Porto that we absolutely shouldn't miss whilst we're there? is there any particular food we should try? do you have any recommendations for cafes or restaurants to visit?

Hi! Very glad to answer!

Porto is beautiful and I promise you are going to love it, and I admit I'm excited about you going to Serra da Estrela. It's so quiet at that time of the year, all you hear is nature, it's just so peaceful. Also, please try the cheese. Serra da Estrela cheese is a sin, it's so good, and you can go straight to the source there.

In Porto, there is a lot to see, especially if you enjoy museums, monuments and galleries, so I'll list a few things:

Palácio da Bolsa is a must, in my opinion. I believe they have guided tours, if you are interested in that.

Clérigos Church, Hospital and Tower. The view from up there is amazing, but the whole building is rich with history and super interesting, and the church is beautiful.

Porto's Cathedral, which includes the Chapter House and has some amazing artworks inside.

The entire area of the old Borrough of Porto, which is the hill where the Cathedral sits on. That is where the oldest house in Porto is (in Beco dos Redemoinhos, it's about 700 years old), or where the "stairs of the queen" also are, said to have been the stairs taken Countess Teresa on her way to the church that would later become the Cathedral, and the watch tower in front of it.

There are points of interest you might come across as must-sees in Porto but you're better off standing there looking at it cause they're either expensive or they're a McDonalds. The McDonalds building is beautiful, yes. Majestic café is a unique art nouveau building, but it's SO expensive.

On that note, Lello. Lello is interesting and super beautiful, I am not one to discourage people from visiting it. But expect a long line. (it's right next to Clérigos and you can see it from there...). However, you can buy the tickets online (I think they're 5€) and that allows you to skip the line, and if you buy a book, the price of the ticket is deducted from your purchase.

For museums, Soares dos Reis has a lot of art, from painting to sculpture to decorative arts, and it's rich with some of the most important portuguese artists, focused mostly on the circle of Porto, especially from the 19th century.

Porto is known ofr being a vast sea of blue and white tiles. You don't have to look for them, you will just find them. However, Capelinha das Almas and Church of Santo Ildefonso are a good example (Ildefonso stares at Clérigos directly... they were once rivals).

And on THAT note... São Bento Train Station. It is worth it just standing there admiring the architecture and the tiles (keep in mind a lot of these things are stuff you can just include on a long walk)

Some streets... Rua das Flores, or famously Rua de Santa Catarina (where you'll find Majestic and Capelinha das Almas) they're all just very nice walks. Same for Ribeira (the riverside). No plans, just a walk while enjoying the view.

If you are interested in Contemporary Art, Fundação Serralves. At the very least, the gardens are wonderful and they're just a great place to rest and enjoy the afternoon (I think they have cafés there too, but I haven't been there in years, now).

Go on a Douro Valley tour. I cannot emphasise how great these are. You get to visit a handful of cellars, try several wines and enjoy a ride across the Douro. In Porto itself, they also have boat rides across the Douro, some might have wine, I'm not sure, but I find it so much more enriching to do a Douro Valley tour and be able to visit the cellars.

As for food and where to eat, I am not going to give you any restaurant names because I KNOW I have people from Porto who follow me and they can answer that better than I can, but there's 2 things I usually tell people to try in Porto.

One, of course, is Francesinha. It's going to feel like it's a lot. I call it a tower of bread with fibre for days. But try it, because nowhere else in Portugal can they make them as well as they make them in Porto. Besides it's one of the most important hallmarks of Porto culture, and I find that it's a fundamental experience in your journey to try Francesinha. It's like going to Valencia and trying Paella, you just HAVE to.

The other one is a personal opinion and choice of mine because, well, Portugal is known for codfish dishes and my all time favourite codfish dish was born in Porto and it's Bacalhau à Gomes Sá. If I'm not mistaken, it was born on a restaurant that was nearby Ribeira, somewhere in that area, and they actually put up a goddamn plaque celebrating this

Ribeira is the easiest place to find this dish, but it's going to be above average in price (I can guarantee you someone will come into this post to scream that it's a complete theft how expensive it is, but we're just poor and cheapskates, and the restaurants aren't bad. Again, they're going to be above average but not all are ridiculously overprices).

On a final note, if you're interested in doing a walk tour of Porto, there are several companies that do so, but I happen to know a guide who is currently living and working in Porto and I can ask her availability and you guys can agree on something if you're interested. Just let me know!

I hope you have an amazing time!!!!

Anything else, let me know!!