Kath Las Colinas

I have a big birthday in May and have arranged to go to Porto for 4 nights. Can anyone give me any advice on where to stay and what to do. I would like a nice hotel which is in the centre of all the night life and near to the shops.

Can anyone give me some ideas of what to do. I had thought of a trip up the Douro valley perhaps travelling by boat in one direction and train the other.

I know I should do my own research on the internet, and I intend doing so but would appreciate advice from people who know the area to give me a place to start.

Thanks in anticipation

Kath

Ukkram

Porto is a picturesque city and the city center is very viby especially after 10pm. Almost all the posters here live in the Algarve or lower Lisboa area so hence no replies.

I am alone up in the north with no expats here but it is for me personaly the best part of PT with all the mountains and luscious greenery.

As it is winter now, I am not sure if there are boat cruises. Here in Viana, the boat cruises have stopped down the river lima but then again, the river in Porto is deeper and the city is more busy than here so perhaps you can.

I have only travelled through Porto by train so cannot recommend anything.

Good luck.

GeniB

[QUOTE=Ukkram;11490417] viby especially after 10pm. Almost all the posters here live in the Algarve or lower Lisboa area so hence no replies.


Umm not sure why the above would mean we don't know Oporto Ukkram?

I know it quite well having stayed there for my birthday on two or three occasions
at the wonderful Yeatman Hotel on the opposite side of the Douro to the city in Vila Nova de Guia.It gives a wonderful view of the city especially at night,yet is close enough to cross the bridge for the night life.It's also the area in which all the famous Port houses are.It's possible to visit several and follow the history of port wine,the English connections,and of course taste the products.It's no longer the rather 'stuffy' drink of olden times.It's now become a fashionable aperitif in Portugal with white and pink ports forming the basis for interesting cocktails.
The city of Oporto is a beautiful ruin which hopefully now its been declared a UNESCO site will be saved.I believe restoration has already started on the wonderful railway station,Its a fascinating place to explore.A boat ride along the Douro is also to be recommended ..p.s The Yeatman is on the pricey side (has a michelin starred restaurant and amazing cellar worth it to me for a special occasion) Have a wonderful birthday

gedscottish

I live 40 mins east of Porto but I'm afraid I don't have a clue where to stay, probably tripadvisor would be worth a look. I took the boat trip once late October on a beautiful sunny day, loved it, wonderful scenery especially up past regua. Perhaps I went to far by boat though(almost to Spain) as further up there was a lot of lock gates and there was a bit of waiting involved. That a short bus journey back to nearest train station then took the equally gorgeous train journey back!
As suggested, get over to Guia and take a tour of one of the Port cellars. Centre of Porto on a sunny day is a great place to be.

EMR

I have only been to Porto on business but will certainly return.
Yes its a bit shabby in places but what city isn't
We certainly had some of the best food we have found in Portugal at prices well below those we are used to paying for similar quality in the Algarve.
As a university city it has a vibrant night life as you would expect.

garden2002

We have stayed in Porto at 3 different hotels- best western Inca (a bit tired and not as central for transport), the pestana palace (right on the river so easy walk out at night but a bit pricey) and the hotel quality inn (near majestic cafe, sao bento station, Santa Catarina shopping area, trams & metro). Would def recommend at least 1 port tour (we liked the Taylors tour best), a trip down the Douro after going up on the train and a visit to the majestic cafe.

A & M

The tourist buses ("red" and "yellow" routes) give you a reasonably good introduction to Porto. You can hop on and off them as much as you like. Your ticket lasts 24 hours (I think) from the moment you buy it. The disadvantage is the tinny headphone commentary with the same Fado song repeated on a loop between the commentary. (It was a very good song, sung by Amalia Rodriguez, I suspect, but you got a bit weary of it after about the 15th rendition.)

The distinct advantage, though, is that within the price of the ticket, you get not one but two port tastings (can't remember which lodges) and the "seven bridges" boat tour. You're only supposed to get the most basic port tasting but as we were the only British people at one of the lodges, we got our own private tour and a lot more free port than we were meant to get!

Kath Las Colinas

Thanks for all the suggestions. The Pestana is fully booked and the Yeatman costs £1900 for 4 nights so is way out of our league I'm afraid. Will keep looking. Any further recommendations would be gratefully received.

Will definitely do a port tour and a trip up the Douro river.

Kath

blownaway

If you decide to go again, this is definitely the place:

Nasoni Guest Hostel

Smack bang in the centre - or almost (5 mins from Sao Bento station) and smack bang on top of the "boom, boom, boom" all night party street.

I came out of the hostel (cheap 'n chearfull yet clean and fun), at 7 a.m. wading through plastic "Sagres" cups for 2-3 streets around, with stradlers from all night partying laying around and people looking for anything left of value in the aftermath.

Not sure what my 8 year old son thought of it all ! Maybe 10 years time will make a difference.

Here's a view of the nightlife in that area but you can find Nasoni Guest Hostel through tripadvisor, booking.com and other similar websites.

Night Life in Porto : Rua Galeria de Paris - European Consumers Choice - Product Reviews and Tests

Hope you found your place in 2011 and had a great birthday.

I was in Coventry around 10 days ago - bleak, dreary, foggy and ruddy COLD !

MrBife

Also from the deep south also but maybe surprisingly only to Ukkram a frequent visitor to Porto.

We really like this place Guest House | 6ONLY and would recommend it as being low cost but clean and stylish + run by nice friendly people.

Kath Las Colinas

Thank you all for your help.

Have now booked at the 6ONLY.

I am really looking forward to it.

Kath

Ukkram

Let us know how it went.

vertigobike

Hi, Kath & Everybody.

Oporto is a very nice place with plenty of variety in hotels for all price ranges.

From the very lowlife and dirty "Pensão" with prostitutes at the door (some "Pensão", not all of course), to private-rented apartments, to "chic" hostels and budget hotels all the way to "superstar"/posh 5-star hotels - you have it all.

Since you already booked your accommodation there is no need to advise furthermore but from what I know and from personal experience I would recommend going to the portuguese OLX (www.olx.pt) and/or CustoJusto (Anúncios grátis, classificados grátis: carros usados, motas usadas, casas, apartamentos e produtos usados de ocasião - CustoJusto.pt) - browse the categories "Imóvies" (OLX) and "Imobiliário" (CustoJusto) - there you´ll find classifieds from private people who rent out their rooms/apartments/houses not just for holidays/summertime but also for short-term and "days"/"nights", hotel-style. Overall I think it´s the best value for money because you enjoy living like a local in a common house.

For doing things while in Oporto, I would recommend doing the "Cruzeiro das 6 Pontes" (6-Bridge Cruise) on transformed "Rabelo" boats - regardless of the cruising company the price is about the same - € 10 - but some can offer you a free visit to the Oporto Wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia included in the fare (the visit to the cellars include 2 port wine tastings). You can either book the trip (50 min duration) online or just simply go to the Ribeira docks in Oporto and buy your ticket when you see the salespeople. Just make sure to bring your camera to take a lot of photos of Oporto, Vila Nova de Gaia, the river, the rivermouth, the ocean... and of course, the bridges.

I would also advise buying a ticket to the hop-on/hop-off sightseeing buses (red, blue or yellow ones) - you have your free earphones that you can plug on the seat and listen to the automated tour guide while you travel in the city center, avenues, river front, ocean front and some other places. These tours should cost around € 10 for a 1-day ticket. Hop-off at Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) where you can beside strolling the beautiful park and see the lovely free-roaming peacocks, take gorgeous photos of Vila Nova de Gaia, the Douro river and the Arrábida Bridge and the river mouth. You can also hop-off at São Bento train station and go on foot southwards to the top of the Ponte Dom Luís (Dom Luís Bridge) (where the Metro/subway goes through) - from the middle of the bridge the perspective/advantage point to take photos is phenomenal! Also hop-off at the Castelo do Queijo (Cheese Castle) at the very end/start of the Avenida da Boavista (Boavista Avenue), right where the land ends and the ocean begins - you can take gorgeous photos as well. There you can find the SeaLife Aquarium (book online to save on the tickets and lines), the Edifício Transparente (Transparent Building), the Matosinhos beach (full of surfers and surf schools) and the end/beginning of the Parque da Cidade (Oporto City Park) - the only park in Europe with a seafront, covering a few miles and separating the Oporto city from its neighouring Matosinhos city. Hop-off also at the "Casa da Música" (Music House) at the Rotunda da Boavista (Boavista Roundabout) - it´s free to go inside of what locals call "Calhau" (Rock) or "Meteorito" (Meteorite) - you´ll have some nice pictures as well.

Don´t forget to visit Oporto´s renowed pastry/pattisserie shops/cafés - "Pastelarias"/"Confeitarias"/"Café" - with the local "ambient" and huge variety of fresh made pastries, cakes and croissants at very cheap prices. Ask for the typical request like a local: "Meia-de Leite e Torrada" or "Galão e Torrada" - a toast with a unique Latte-style drink - can be as low as € 1.10 for this 100% portuguese menu at "Bom Bocado" cafeterias in the "Continente" hypermarkets/supermarkets. Also popular is the "Café e Pastel de Nata" (espresso café and portuguese custard) - also as low as € 0.50 for this menu at the "Bom Bocado" cafeterias.

If you are on a week-day and want to eat lunch look for the restaurants that have "Diárias" (Daily Menus) - these menus are designed for the working class and are very cheap compared to other restaurant menus. For as low as € 4 or € 4.50 (some places even lower) you can get: bread + soup of the day + dish of the day + drink + espresso café at the end. It´s a very cheap solution to eat a fresh healthy "plate meal" and not just junk food or sandwiches.

For a night out I would suggest going to a bar in the city center or in the Ribeira docks of Oporto or Vila Nova de Gaia (the "Cais de Gaia"), or go to a discothéque/nightclub at the "Zona Industrial do Porto" (Oporto Industrial Park) which is closeby - for the ones on a budget use the Metro/subway to go there (stop: "Viso") rather than the taxi - it´s only € 1.40 for a one-way ticket; and the Metro runs 24h on weekends with security guards on board. Another good place to go out at night is the Leça da Palmeira town in Matosinhos - it´s right in front of the Atlantic Ocean/seafront and you have lots of stylish cafés and bars with "chic" people visiting them. Unfortunately you can only go there either by car or bus (but the bus doesn´t run all night).

For shopping visit the main commercial "artery" of Oporto - Rua de Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine Street) - it´s the shopping heart of the city. There you´ll find lots of trendy shops, the Café Majestic (a posh/gourmet/expensive art-déco café) and the Via Catarina Shopping Mall. Once again: use the Metro to go there. If you want also visit the NorteShopping shopping mall which is the biggest in Oporto (Metro stop: "Sete Bicas"). If you want to visit Ikea in Leça da Palmeira/Matosinhos take the Metro to "Casa da Música" stop and take the free bus "MarLines" to MarShopping shopping mall which sits next to Ikea - take the opportunity to go the budget Ikea cafeteria/restaurant where an espresso coffee is free up until 11 am.

Being from Vila do Conde with Póvoa de Varzim roots, I would also suggest to visit these seafront fishing cities - use the Metro to go there: cheap and very reliable. Stroll by the endless beaches and feel the fresh "sea air" penetrate your lungs. These waters are rich in iodine wich is good for your body, specially to prevent thyroid problems.

I Hope you have a lovely time in Oporto - the British were actually the ones who developed the commerce of Port Wine!

Regards,
c a r l i t o s

Ukkram

Thanks Carlitos. I printed out your "Aporto Tourism Manual" as I live in Viana, I will make use of this manual. :-)

vertigobike

Hi, Ukkram & Everybody!

Thanks - I´m just glad to help out as much as I can.

Of course being a local is a plus, but even for locals there´s plenty to discover and I´m not arrogant to say I know everything - I can also learn a lot with other locals and tourists/expats as well!

Sorry for any typos and/or mistakes along the way. :-)

Regards,
c a r l i t o s