Winter in Porto – is it worth going there?
What is the weather like there in this season?
What to do in Porto on a short day?
What to see, and how not to freeze in the most romantic city in Portugal?
Where it’s better to go to Porto or Lisbon in Portugal in winter because of the weather?
It is better not to choose between them. Just make a plan for a trip to two cities at once. Then you will have a chance to compare and choose the one you like. Although comparing cities and impressions is a thankless task.
I started my discovering of Portugal from the old, shabby, and sometimes abandoned Porto. But it’s so cozy and romantic – it stuck like a thorn in my heart. So I’ll start with him – the favorites always get the best)))
So, I’ll try to answer the many questions. What to do in Porto and the surrounding area, what entertainment is free, and what is really worth paying for. How to get to the city of Portland and where to choose accommodation for a few days.
Porto – where the soul lives
If you want to go somewhere warm and tasty in winter, you don’t have to travel far. Portugal is a comfortable country for a winter trip. It’s ideal choice for those who love warm weather, beautiful nature, flavorful cuisine, good wines, and cities with a special character.
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, and if you fall in love with it, you fall in love with it once and for all. Tourists love Porto, but in January and February there are much fewer of them than in other months. But for me it’s the best!
In winter, it is visited by lovers of quiet walks. Those who appreciate the relaxed atmosphere of ocean cities, love fresh seafood and the sweet taste of port wine.
Despite its shabby appearance, Porto is a fantastically cozy city with lots of cafes, and small restaurants. His famous blue Azulejo tiles are harmoniously intertwined with the architecture of the old town. I would like to stay in Porto for some weeks. But I Could see a lot of interesting places in a couple of days. Of course like a tourist, not like a local.
How getting to Porto
There are no direct flights from Ukraine to Porto. However, you can find convenient connections with Ryanair, or take a direct WizzAir flight to Lisbon and then take a train or bus to Porto.
Book cheap accommodation before your trip. Here you can read which neighborhood is best and where to stay in Porto.
Transportation from the airport to the city-center of Porto
It is quite easy and inexpensive to get from Porto Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport to the center of Porto. You can use the subway, city buses or a shuttle buses.
Subway
A purple metro line leads from the airport to the center. It takes half an hour to get to the center of Porto with a transfer to the red or yellow line.
The fare is 2,15 €, and you need to choose the Z4 ticket type in the machine. Within an hour, you can make transfers not only on metro lines, but also transfer to other modes of transportation, such as trams and buses with the same ticket.
The cost is added 0.6 € for a non-named (cardboard) transport card – Andante Azul.
This card can be used on other types of transportation, such as trams and buses. Each passenger gets their own separate Andante Azul card. Do not forget to attach the card to the validator.
Buses from the airport
There are city buses from the airport to different destinations in Porto. The cost and method of buying a ticket is similar to the subway.
No. 601 (from 5:30 to 00:30) : Cordoaria – Airport
No. 602 (from 5:30 to 00:30): Cordoaria – Airport – via Padrão de Moreira
No. 604 (from 6:00 to 21:00): S. João Hospital – Airport – via Crestins
3M night bus (from 00:30 to 05:30): Aeroporto – Avenida dos Aliados
Get Bus shuttles offer bus services between Porto Airport and the cities of Braga, Guimarães and Porto. Buses depart every 25 minutes from 10:00 to 18:30 daily. The ticket price to the center of Porto is €3 for adults and €1.5 for children.
Free entertainment in Porto
Take a look at the St. Bento station. In the huge waiting room, you will find monumental historical paintings made of Azulejo blue tiles. The walls of the station are decorated with battles on milky blue clay tiles.
Azulejo tiles are a traditional exterior and interior decoration of palaces, churches and buildings belonging to noblemen. The azulejo tradition dates back to the Arabic expansion of Iberian peninsula, from where it migrated to Portugal and became one of the country’s symbols.
Walking in Porto
The Doro River flows through the city. So take a walk along the Ribeira promenade. Along the river winding and high banks are scattered colorful houses of the old town with shabby tiled roofs and small balconies.
Recommend to read: 3 walking routs in Porto
Ponti di Don Luis I bridge
Take cool photos on the Ponti di Don Luis I bridge. The bridge was built according to the Eiffel design and looks very much like the legs of the Paris tower. If you cross the bridge over the Doro River, you will find yourself in the neighboring town of Vila Nova di Gaia.
The bridge offers a fascinating view of the river, Ribeira – the heart of Porto, and the rabera boats that were used to transport barrels of port wine along the Vila Nova embankment. You can walk along both the upper and lower spans of the bridge. The view from the upper span of the Porta is worth the effort of going up and down the stairs.
Go up to the observation decks to see the panorama of the Portо. One of the most photogenic Miradouro da Vitoria is an observation deck on Rua da Vitória, near a small church called Nossa Senhora da Vitória. It is fashionable to get here for free at any time of the day or night.
The observation deck near the Miradouro da Serra do Pilar Monastery is located above the Ponti di Don Luís I Bridge. It offers a breathtaking view of the river, Ribeira and the bridge.
Slightly more expensive than free
A Gaia cable-car runs from the top of the Ponti di Don Luis I bridge, an attraction for tourists and those who do not like going up and down stairs.
- 6,00 € regular one-way ticket
- 9,00 € regular round-trip ticket
- 3,00 € one-way ticket for children (5-12 years old)
- 4.50 € return ticket for children (5-12 years old)
The ticket comes with a coupon for a free “tasting” of port vine in one of the cellars of Vila Nova di Gaja. Tasting is in quotes because only one type of inexpensive wine is poured in exchange for a coupon and no more than 50 ml. A nice bonus and nothing more – but why not?
Go for a real port vine tasting on the opposite side of the bridge, in Vila Nova di Gaja. Here, along the river, there are wineries and warehouses of the most famous port wine producers: Sandeman, Grahams, Ferreira, Kopka, etc. which store countless treasures and the “blood” of Portugal – port wine. The price starts from 15 € for a set of 5-7 types of port. Plus, you can here the stories about the origin of this wine and the winemaking subtleties of the Douro River region.
Livraria Lello
Visit the old library-bookstore – Livraria Lello. It is said that it was here, on the steps of the store, that the writer J.K. Rowling came up with the Harry Potter fairy tale. The entrance fee is €8, but the ticket can be used as a discount when buying a book at Lello (the cheapest book costs €15 and up, which is very expensive by Portuguese standards).
Tip: Many people didn’t like Lello because of the long lines and crowds. We didn’t feel any discomfort because we arrived an hour before closing time, and there was no line. In addition, in winter, during the low season in Porto, there are no crowds of tourists.
Address: Rua Carmelitas 144 | Vitória, Porto
Go to the ocean beaches. The ocean beaches on the outskirts of Porto are huge and beautiful, covered with endless dunes of white sand.
Take the historic tram #1 for 3,5 € to get to the lighthouse and the waterfront. Along the promenade, locals walk, ride bicycles, rollerblade, and breathe in the ocean air while sitting in cafes. It is a short walk to Matusinhos Beach.
In the Matuzinhos area, before reaching the port, there is a beach of the same name, where you can try to swim, if the water temperature allows. The Surfing Life Club surf school is also located there, where you can take board lessons if you wish.
Recommend to read: The best beaches near Porto
What and where to eat in Porto
Sweets
Eat the most delicious pasteis near Bolhão Market at the Bakery and Pastry Shop Bolhão. A cup of coffee costs just €1.5, and pastel de nata is €1 . There is also a specialty here – Tsgelinha do Balhao pate with nut filling (€1) – they have been baked here for over 100 years.
Try local dishes in one of the restaurants in Porto
I really liked the restaurant A Tasquinha (R. do Carmo 23) – adequate prices, cozy atmosphere, nice service.
In winter, I recommend ordering the Portuguese soup Caldo Verde, a traditional soup that has spread throughout Portugal from the northern province of Minho. Caldo Verde is made from bright green Calais kale in two versions – purely vegetable or with the addition of spicy chorizo sausages. In winter, when fog comes to Porto in the evenings, this dish is especially warming and costs about €2-3.
What about fish?
There are a lot of fish-restaurants in Porto, but we went to the outskirts of Porto, to the Matosinhos district, for fish and seafood. It is here that huge fish warehouses are located, along which a number of fish restaurants serve the best sardines in Porto.
Sardines are salted with coarse salt, without gutting or peeling the scales. After a few hours, the salt is shaken off the fish and placed on a grill with coals. A serving of six sardines costs € 9. A bottle of white “green wine” – Vinho Verde, made in the north of Porto in the Douro River Valley, will match this food. Light and slightly sparkling, it will emphasize the taste of tender fish, which has retained its juiciness, sealed in silver armor, thanks to the scales.
Fans of traditional fast food will find a local McDonald’s in the center of Porto. And even if you don’t like fast food and Coke, it’s definitely worth a look to see the building in which it is located. You won’t see such a façade and interiors as McDonald’s in Porto anywhere else.
Opened on the site of the former Imperial café, Mac in Porto is decorated in the Art Deco style: a granite eagle towers over the signboard, and inside the walls are decorated with glass mosaic bas-reliefs.
What to see in the vicinity of Porto
If you stay longer in Porto, you will have time to explore the city’s surroundings.
Walk from Porto to Vila do Condi. North of Porto, a wooden ecological trail winds along the coast and through fishing villages. The eco-trail is used by joggers, cyclists, and pilgrims along the Portuguese Camino de Santiago.
Go to the Portuguese Venice – to Aveiro. Ride along the canals on brightly colored boats(10 € for an hour-long walk). Walk among the colorful houses along the narrow canals.
If you go a little to the northeast, you can get to the calm and religious Braga. Tourists come here to see the Bom Jesus complex, known for its magnificent staircase. It is better to come to Beaumont-Jezus in the afternoon, when the sunlight illuminates the stairs and the church, and it appears in the most favorable light. And in the morning, wake up to the sound of numerous churches calling for morning mass.
Viana do Castelo has a very cozy historical center. A hill hangs over the city, with a funicular leading to the top. The amazingly beautiful Santa Lucia Basilica is located up there, and the hill offers stunning views of the Lima River, the city, and the ocean.
Where to stay in Porto
I have been to Porto twice: the first time as a pilgrim, the second time as an ordinary tourist. So when I was choosing a place to stay for my winter trip, I wanted to settle in a cozy apartment with a beautiful view.
That’s why I chose a place to stay in Vila Nova di Gaia – a cozy apartment overlooking the Douro River for €32 per day.
Tip: Take warm pajamas with you!!!
In winter, Portuguese apartments and hotels often have no heating. The southern country – the Portuguese prefer to walk around in their apartment in fur coats and boots for a couple of months ))) In the evenings, old houses can be damp and cold.
Useful articles and links:
- 10 tips for those traveling to Portugal for the first time
- Cascais – a beach resort near Lisbon
- Algarve – the best beaches in Portugal
- Road trip in Portugal – from Lisbon to Porto
Find train tickets in Europe conveniently on Trainline
Car rental – cheap car rental options on Rentalcars.com
You can find a suitable hotel through – Booking.com
