48hrs in Porto

After visiting Lisbon 5 years ago, pre-kids, my best friend and I decided to book another trip, post-kids, to another Portuguese destination - Porto.

Having heard great things, we were excited for a girls trip. We loved Lisbon - its architecture, it’ food and drink scene, its weather - but we may have fallen more in love with Porto. Porto felt a little more edgy with less tourists and the beginnings of a fantastic food and coffee culture. It felt a little more ‘real’. Equally beautiful but a little less polished than Lisbon. We found crumbling buildings, lots of grafitti and deserted back street. Of course, there are still popular tourist areas - especially along the riverfront, but generally, we found it easier to escape the crowds.

Travelling in early April meant we were unsure of the weather, but unexpectedly they had a mini heatwave for the weekend we were there, with temperatures reaching 28 degrees. This made packing a lot easier, as we’d flown with Ryanair, meaning we had to pack light. With only a backpack in hand, we’re not one to be beaten by luggage restrictions.

What to pack for a weekend break?

I packed a minimal wardrobe for the trip, ensuring all of my items mixed and matched. This meant I could create multiple outfits with very few individual items. As we didn’t expect the weather to be quite so hot, I probably could’ve packed even less.

2x trousers (beige and black) - one worn on the plane
2x t-shirts (white and black)
2x satin skirts
2x vest tops
1x handbag
1x sandals (my trusty Tevas)
1x cardigan - worn on plane
1x jacket (in case of cold evenings) - worn on plane
1x trainers - worn on plane

It’s surprising what you can fit in an average sized Levi’s backpack.

Where to stay?

We found a cute little apartment via Airbnb that was located right in the heart of Porto, just off Rue das Flores - a 5 min walk from São Bento Station and 10 minutest from the river front. Whilst conducting our search, we also found some gems on Booking.com - both self catering apartments and B&B hotels.

Regardless of which area you stay in Porto, everything is within easy walking distance. We didn’t get any public transport, other than the metro to/from the airport, for the duration of our stay. But one thing to note, is that Porto (like Lisbon) is very hilly! Expect some steep climbs in places, but what goes up must come down.

Top 5 Things To Do:

With all the essentials out the way, lets dig deeper into what to do, see, and most importantly where to eat and drink, in Porto!

With only 48 hours in the city, we did a lot of research beforehand and saved a ton of places to Google Maps. Whilst we didn’t have a rigid plan for our trip, this helped when wandering the pretty streets, when in search of baked goods (Pastel de Natas are a must!) or a Super Bock to cool off with.

Drinks at Base Porto

Located in Jardim das Oliveiras, Base Porto is a must if you’re looking to cool off with a glass of wine, an ice-cold Super Bock, or a cocktail. Surrounded by pretty olive trees, this bar has the perfect set up to chill out for a few hours, with comfy sofas under shaded umbrellas, and great music pumping all afternoon into the evening. And if you can’t find a seat, pick a shaded spot under the olive grove.

We loved this spot so much, we went twice!

It also happens to be in an area of the city where there are a ton of nice restaurants, boutique shops and the famous Livraria Lello. We spent a lot of time in this area, although we didn’t visit the famous library - the queue was over an hour long each time. But if you are looking to visit, my top tip is to skip the queue and visit Fernandes, Mattos & Ca., Lda next door instead! This wonderful shop has been open since 1886 and boasts some of the most impressive carpentry with floor to ceiling display cases and the most grand staircase - which could certainly rival Livraria Lello.

The best coffee at Combi Coffee

‘The best coffee’ is a bold statement, but having had a few in Porto, Combi Coffee was hands down the best. In a league of it’s own in fact. We walked a little way to find this gem… 25 minutes in fact. But that just served to work up our appetite even more, so that we could enjoy a couple of pastries with our coffee too.

Located towards the east of Porto’s centre, you’ll walk through some beautiful neighbourhoods on route - think cobbled streets and the beautiful blue tiled churches. We thought our walk had been in vain, when we arrived to be greeted by a power outage. But thankfully after a few minutes of waiting, the lights were back on and the coffee machine was warming up. During this time, a queue had formed - clearly a popular spot, and we can see why. Our flat white’s were as pretty as a pin, with perfect coffee art, and the pastries were neat as button, with layers of buttery lamination and just the right amount of sugar. We chose the cardamon bun and the chocolate/hazlenut pain au chocolate.

Towards the back is a concept store, selling everything a coffee lover could ever want, including big bags of beans, which we unfortunately couldn’t fit in our backpacks to take home.

Get a tattoo at Kria Studio

This one is a little off-piste, but if you can’t do something spontaneous with your bestie whilst on a girls weekend away, when can you? We’ve been saying for years that we wanted to get a tattoo together, and whilst I have a fair few already, it was her first. There are a ton of tattoo studios in Porto, but many weren’t our style. We were on the hunt for a fine line artist.

Whilst on our way to Base Porto, from having lunch nearby, we stumbled upon Kria Studio - a walk-in studio, located opposite Lazy Breakfast Club, and round the corner from Nicolau Porto.

We first spotted it shortly after arriving on Friday afternoon, but the queue was out the door. So after a few cocktails we syhced ourselves up to head straight there, first thing Saturday morning, when they opened.

Within an hour, we were both walking out with fine line doodles, and celebrated with a Super Bock at Aduela.

Grab brunch at Garden Porto

Now, there are a lot of brunch spots in Porto. In fact, we found there to be more brunch/lunch options than dinner ones, with cafes opening until long into the evening. Having also tried Nicolau Porto, Garden Porto was the winner for me. We had to wait a while outside, before being seated, but it was worth the wait. The menu boasts fresh, healthy ingredients, and the dishes are packed full of flavour and colour.

We highly recommend the fresh juice, made with whatever fruit and veg they have spare that day.

Again, it’s located in our beloved area that I keep mentioning. So afterwards, you can take a stroll, do a spot of shopping, grab a tattoo and celebrate with a drink!

Watch the sunset at Jardim do Morro

My final recommendation is to take a trip to the other side of the river, towards the south of the city, and grab a spot at Jardim do Morro. With a restaurant and bar on the edge of the gardens (or ‘the hill’ as everyone we know who’s visited calls it), you can get a drink and a bite to eat and have yourself a little picnic infront of some of the best views in the city. The garden literally looks out over the river towards the heart of the city.

Two great things about its location - first you get to it by crossing the top of the Ponte Luis I bridge. This bridge deserves a post of its own right. I’ve never seen anything like it. With pedestrians and trams frequenting the top, and cars and pedestrians on the bottom. If the engineering doesn’t impress, the views will! Just be careful when taking a photo, as you share the walkway with the trams!

The second great thing about Jardim do Morro, is the sunset from the top! Unfortunately we timed it all wrong, and in a desperate search for a toilet, we ended up at the river side, where the sunset was just as impressive, but we had no energy to climb all the way back up. There supposedly is a public toilet in the park, but people had put us off. But if you do find a way to stay on the hill all night, you might also be greated by live music, and you will most certainly be greeted by street sellers with cool-boxes crammed full of water, alcohol and snacks. It’s a real vibe!

Of course, I couldn’t leave this post there without mentioning the iconic blue tiles of Porto. Featured on the facade of many churches dotted around the city, some of the most impressive frescos can be found inside São Bento station. Be sure to keep your eyes open as you explore this wonderful city - they’re even more beutiful up close.