We arrived in Porto from Madrid, at a quite unfortunate time, during the 2024 Portuguese wildfires, and the sky in the city was a bizarre shade of grey/orange.
It felt strange being in the city during the wildfire, we were constantly weary of it spreading to the city proper, and were conscious of the fact we were an additional burden on the local resources. If we were flying directly from Ireland, we would have delayed/cancelled our trip, but we had little choice but to proceed as we were already on the plane to Porto when we learned of the wildfires.
We arrived, and made our way to the hotel. We stayed at Zero Box Lodge, which was very unique accommodation, with box rooms inside an old warehouse, with a charming bar at the bottom, and a themed room filled with fake cash.
We didn’t explore much our first evening, just up the street to see the ornate blue Chapel of Souls, and it was captivating.
We ventured into the centre of Porto the next day to explore some more of the City, first of all venturing to the most ornate McDonald’s to have a look at the decor.
We didn’t eat in McDonald’s, we just gawked prior to climbing up the Torre dos Clérigos tower at the back of the Clerical church to get views over Porto. It was surreal seeing the City surrounded in the smoke from the wildfires, with that tang in the air, but life went on as normal.
Prior to travelling, we were recommended trying empanadas from Malvón in the city, and they did not disappoint. You have an array of flavours, and myself and Amy tried a variety, my favourite being the smashburger, after refuelling with empanadas, we ventured down to the river front to see what life was like around there, and again, whilst there was a lingering smoke, life continued as normal, and groups of young people were jumping from the bridge into the water.
We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere at the river before venturing back to our hotel to freshen up for the evening.
We first went to Musa, a microbrewery with great views of the river further north from where we were staying, where we were met with a relaxed crowd and decent beers, and it was a in a good location for where we aimed on having dinner that night; the Holy Sandwich Shop.
The Holy Sandwich Shop was another recommendation prior to visiting, and it was divine, heavenly (insert your own religious adjective here). Amy opted for crispy cauliflower bites, whilst I tried the burger. We left very satisfied, and I would recommend the food and calm ambience.
After the food, we returned to the riverfront area with the bridge to see what the views were like at night, and it was very peaceful. And it seemed like the smoke had finally begun to clear.
The next morning, we noticed the air was a lot fresher and the smoke had cleared out. The skies were finally blue and not orange/grey. We sought out one of the local delicacies, a Francesinha. The Francesinha is a meaty sandwich coated in cheese, with an egg on top, garnished with a spicy beer/tomato sauce. We opted to try it in Gazela, as there’s is supposedly one of the best in Porto. It is incredibly filling and contains most of your days calories within it, so perhaps get it early in the day before eating anything else (which was our strategy). I managed to eat most of it, and whilst it’s tasty, it’s not delicious. But when in Rome Porto.
After our food, we ventured to one of Porto’s viewpoints, as it’s an incredibly scenic City. We walked down the steep staircase from Batalha to the waterfront, capturing some great snaps of the bridge.
We had booked on a tour to view the Sandeman Port cellars, and learn a bit about how Sandeman’s (and Port in general) is made. The tour was fairly interesting, and I was surprised to learn I liked the 3 varieties of Port that I had tried (prior to the tour, I was not aware there was more than one variety).
We opted for desert after, and ventured for some Portuguese pastries, Pastel de Nata. Pastel de Natas are filled with custard, so I presumed I would not like them, but I was pleasantly surprised, and have since been seeking them out at home.
We tried the Gondolier ski lift from the lower West Bank of the river, up to the top, to see the views from on top of Luis I Bridge. The Gondolier was very fun; and although the 5 minute trip felt more like 2 minutes, the views and experience were breathtaking.
We crossed the bridge, snapping some photographs, and made our way back towards our hotel to prepare for dinner that night.
First we stopped into Nortada Cervejaria, beside our hotel, where we sampled another of Porto’s microbreweries, and I thought it was delicious. A very nice array of reasonably priced beers, and friendly staff to keep you right.
We had then booked an Uber to take us to Plumas & Flores, a new wine bar in the city working out of an old renovated house. And it’s one of my favourite places I’ve ever been. The chill atmosphere, mixed with a back garden where you can mingle with cats and sample an array of different wine styles was extremely cool. I felt like I was on a travel show, just waiting to interview somebody. We ordered food from CURB burger next door, and we were told we could eat in Plumas & Flores, so it was a winning mix.
CURB Burger is operating from a small hatch just next to Plumas & Flores, but looks can be deceiving, as this was one of the nicest burgers I’ve ever had.
Porto is a city that I’ve often heard described as a “hidden gem”, I think that’s no longer the case. The gem has been discovered, mined, and made into jewellery, but just because there are masses of tourists, doesn’t mean the city isn’t worth visiting. It has so much to offer, you’ll just be on the receiving end amongst so many other tourists.
In conclusion, it was crazy being in Porto during the wildfires, and it was only once they’d calmed down that I truly began enjoying my stay there. There’s an amazing culinary scene in the City, and I would recommend Malvon (though it is a chain throughout Spain also), The Holy Sandwich Shop and especially CURB Burger to anyone who visits. Plumas & Flores is such a charming bar, that I feel you need to visit it too. Even if while just waiting for your CURB burger. All in all, get ready to climb hills galore, and give Porto a visit if you have not already been.
