Visiting Porto? Here are 8 awesome tips you must know.

City of Porto

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So, you have heard about the new hype: the most charming city of Portugal - and no, we are not talking about Lisbon, that probably everyone you know that has ever been to Portugal has been to (and probably only to as well). Of course we are talking about Porto, that up in the North city that gave the name to the country and whose luxurious wine - Port wine - is world-famed and yet a city that remains the best kept secret of the Mediterranean culture. And now, you are about to meet this mysterious beauty and decided to give it a try.

So, let us help you out with a few tips about the city, the people and it’s traditions, to set you in the right mood and enjoy the most.

1. Rule number one: we are not Spanish

This is a general rule that applies to any Portuguese folk. We love our neighbours, we really do, but we have been an independent country for most of our 888 years of history and we do have a language of our own. So, if you are in trouble, if you are not Spanish, please, try English or whatever. We do understand Spanish, but we will always get the feeling that you do not see us an independent entity and that kind of hurts our feelings.

2. There is a healthy rivalry with Lisbon

And you will notice it even in this text. This is no longer taken that seriously - unless you are talking about football (soccer) - but as with people in Lisbon that will rave about their city (we don’t really understand why, but hey, who are we to judge, right?) you won’t find a single person that comes from Porto that is not in love with his or her city. So, if you reaaaaallly want to get into our hearts, praise our city. It’s ok to lie. Go on. Say it that this is the best time of your life, much better than time you were in Lisbon. Go on. Say it!

3. This city is built on mountains

You will find Porto is a delightful balance between many extremes. One of which is the fact that its urban landscape is a mix of medieval buildings and highly cosmopolitan and trendy areas, such as the Galerias de Paris area, where the nightlife goes around now. That said, the city is quite sloped and we advise you to wear comfortable footwear so you can see as much as you can without feeling like you want to chop off your feet. Luckly now with the metro and all the busses network and even trains - if not taxis - you can easily go from one place to the next without walking as much as ten years ago. Still, it’s better to travel light and cosy.

4. This city is extremely safe

Contrary to other European cities of which you probably have heard of before, we don’t really have problems that are common to touristic cities like pickpockets or violence. Of course, in a place where there is wine people sometimes get carried away and you should be smart enough not to leave your things unwatched, but you can walk safely in almost any part of the city and at any time of the day or night. Portuguese people are generally friendly and try to be helpful and we are like to welcome people.

5. This is still a working city

Despite the amazing growth in nightlife in the past five years, traditionally Porto was a blue-collar city, while money and decisions were all left to Lisbon - who wants any of that, anyways, right? So, you while there is an increasing amount of fun that you can have during the weekdays, the best time to visit Porto is obviously on the weekend. Again, Porto is very culturally-oriented and there is always some play or concert or exhibition or whatever going on - especially in the Summer, when you simply choose between doing all the stuff or sleeping - but you should reserve at least Saturday for fun in Porto.

6. Coffee is a staple

If you are from Porto and you want to meet with friends, you arrange a meeting at any of the thousand cafeterias that are scattered all over the city. When you want to have a light business talk you meet up for a coffee. When you want to be by yourself and read a book or whatever, you get a coffee. Basically, when you are from Porto and you want to do something or you are out of purpose, you get coffee. And by coffee we mean “espresso”. Coffee is a thing here and there is a whole culture around it. There are at least ten different names for a coffee with or without milk and depending on the size of the cup or the kind of coffee you use. Be warned.

7. We eat a lot!

As we said, we come from a blue-collar background. And we have to walk a lot up and down. So people are sturdy and eat accordingly. This is considering the already strong Portuguese diet. If we don’t know what we are talking about, try asking for the Francesinha, one of our many city symbols. There are many places that serve a wide range of variations of the this delicacy but if you want one that is a very nice balance between the traditional one and something that is somewhat adapted to newbies, pay us a visit. You will also notice that there is pastry every-freaking-where. No, that weight you were trying to keep? Forget it. It’s not going to happen. But hey… you are on vacations, aren’t you? Live a little.

8. We party even more!

We eat late for most country standards - still not as late as the Spanish. We dine at around 8PM - which is something that can drag a bit with all the great wine and awesome beer (nothing like that yellow water they serve you down in the South) - and then people go for a coffee (yes, a coffee, because, what else, right?) up until midnight. And then nightlife begins. Yes, midnight. That is why it’s called nightlife. Get over it. Drink some more coffee because you are going to need it to wake up from the slumber of all those great drinks and hefty food and to keep you up until at least 4AM. Yes, that’s right. 4AM. We work hard and we play hard as the song goes. So, bring it on. We are game. Are you?

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