Porto. Anyone been and is it worth going?

[Kankurette]

I'm hoping to go to Primavera Sound this year but I've been going Barcelona since 2013 (I missed one year, think it was 2018) and I fancy a change, so I was thinking of going the Porto leg of the festival, which is a bit later. I don't think the Deftones are doing it, but the line-up's still pretty good. I have been to Portugal before, but it was the Algarve and I was about six years old at the time. Is Porto any cop? Also, what's the public transport like? It's amazing in Barcelona but I'm guessing Porto is smaller, and I don't want to do too many all nighters at the festival if I can help it. I did one on the night Blur played last year and felt like shite after.

(Not posting in Oscillations because this is about the city, not the festival itself)

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Never been but re:public transport I like a city with good trams and from what I can tell it delivers on that front

[The Crumb]

It's a beautiful city. I don't remember a huge amount of specific must see or do activities, but it's a great place to wander round, taking in all the great views and making frequent pit stops. The upper bridge over the river is spectacular if you don't mind heights.

[shoulders]

Porto is superb, extremely distinctive, and very memorable.

I strongly recommend it.

Public transport is good, but largely to get you in and around the suburbs. The centre is all walkable, if steep in places.

Also bear in mind while there is a central touristy economy you can still get a Francesinha and a beer for €8-10 euros in a locals spot. I mean, hell, a Bifana and a Super Bock can be as low as €2.50 in one of the old man tascas. They won't speak a word of English but point and say please.

[Tiggles]

Love Porto. Spent a few days there in late Feb 2020 and really enjoyed the atmosphere, how laid back it was, the food/ drink/ bars etc. Tons of history too, and easy to get out to the vineyards on the Douro river if that's your thing. It's very much its own place, and easy to combine with a trip to Lisbon on the train if you have time/ fancy it.

It's tons smaller than Barcelona and very different in feel.

[Kankurette]

I'd love to go to Lisbon! I was hoping the festival would be there but alas, no.

I can understand Portuguese a bit (I speak Spanish), but I can't speak it very well, though I can do a refresher on Duolingo.

[touchingcloth]

I live here and I just say FARLE INGLESH POR FÁ DICK HEAD and they get the gist.

[Capt.Midnight]

Porto feels more compact than Lisbon, and all the better for it. I stayed at an AirBnB on R. De Sao Franciso, which was a good location (albeit downhill, so a bit of uphill walking needed at times).

There's an ace vegan all-you-can-eat buffet chain called daTerra dotted around. Definitely worth a visit, even if not vegan (like myself). The Banoffee pie is amazing.

Also ordered an amazing burger from this place via Uber Eats:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/fapVZKPMkHxVV2wA6

The waterfront at night is great too, on either side. I'd avoid staying in the area where Hard Rock Cafe is generally, that seemed like the busy, mainstream nightlife area.

This street/area seemed really buzzy at night time, slightly hip but laid back. Good vibes there. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZrG6xAzsXJ3cWfhW8

[shiftwork2]

I live here

Another pin in the 'expats who spend 6h a day on CaB' map of the world.

[shoulders]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wgdZm8mwdLy6Y1YZA

Guindalense Football Club.

This will get recommended but may as well throw it in early doors.

[Inspector Norse]

Had a couple of nights there when Interrailing Iberia when I was about 20. Remember it being beautiful and seedy.

Don't remember specific Tourist Visits apart from the inevitable port distillery. Not sure which one but they had a tasting session afterwards at €1 a glass and a serious, besuited Japanese guy who'd been on the tour with us just lined up loads on his table and basically had to be carried out of there.

Also remember my friend asking a group of teenagers hanging on a corner near a bar for a lighter and getting a slap in the face and followed back to our hostel. As this was in 2005 I reckon the teenagers have probably moved on by now so you should be safe.

[shoulders]

Porto's peculiar architecture stands out in my memory. The sides of city buildings are often sliced clean like cake and not plastered up, so you can see bare brickwork and there are often cheap corrugated roof tiles, but on the front there will be this beautiful blue ornate glazed tiling, wrought iron balconies, baroque insets, and this is splashed in the most non uniform way across steep hills. Part shanty town, part palace.

The opposite side of the river, Vila Nova de Gaia is so taken up with Port warehouses that it completely, indelibly imparts a character to Porto you won't find anywhere else.

If you choose a Port tour I'd recommend one of the smaller ones like Churchill's or Ferreira for the less touristy approach, particularly the former which makes up for its relative youth with a personal approach. Put aside €30ish for that though.

From my first visit in 2018 to the second last September 2023 it was apparent the corporate side of things is on the march, but you'll see the situation in flux before American tech bros and AirBnB totally fucks the centre.

[touchingcloth]

Porto's peculiar architecture stands out in my memory. The sides of city buildings are often sliced clean like cake and not plastered up, so you can see bare brickwork and there are often cheap corrugated roof tiles, but on the front there will be this beautiful blue ornate glazed tiling, wrought iron balconies, baroque insets, and this is splashed in the most non uniform way across steep hills. Part shanty town, part palace.

This is the Portuguese vernacular really. The opulence comes from the days of empire and trade, so towns like Porto and Lisbon share traits with, say, Bristol and Paris. The degradation comes from 50 years under a dictator, followed by a brief period where membership of the EU was getting the country back on its feet before the financial crash happened and fucked everything again. There are a lot of building projects that got started before the crash and are still on a hiatus due to the original builders having lost the money to complete it and no one else having the money to pick it up. Inheritance laws play a part as well, as it's difficult for people to will their estate to a particular person, with the overwhelming majority of houses being split evenly among surviving children, and not sellable until all of those children mutually agree to it.

From my first visit in 2018 to the second last September 2023 it was apparent the corporate side of things is on the march, but you'll see the situation in flux before American tech bros and AirBnB totally fucks the centre.

It's a socialist country, so they're actually kicking back against AirBnb to help deal with the housing crisis - https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/portugal-ends-golden-visas-curtails-airbnb-rentals-address-housing-crisis-2023-02-16/

New licenses for tourism accommodations, such as Airbnbs, will be prohibited - except in less populated rural areas.

That bit isn't actually true, and the ban is pretty universal. We live in a rural area and know a few people who are trying to get some income by renting out a bedroom in the family home (so AirBnb Classic, as opposed to what it has since become of hedge funds buying up entire streets and apartment blocks) and for now they are unable to get the licences they need for it.

[sevendaughters]

went end of last summer, 3 days was enough if you're just mooching about. follow your nose, you won't go wrong. I ended up playing billiards against some old man in a bar and having the time of my life as he fuckin schooled me.

all the guides will recommend this francesinha up this hill, can't remember what the gaff is called, but they're good everywhere basically.

[touchingcloth]

all the guides will recommend this francesinha up this hill, can't remember what the gaff is called, but they're good everywhere basically.

Capa Negra was the one that was recommended when I spent a day in Porto a few years before moving over to Portugal.

I wouldn't say they're good everywhere, but they identical everywhere as they're a sandwich stuffed with meat and then covered in slops. If you like that sort of thing then there's not much variation from one place to the next, and if you don't like that sort of thing you probably won't find a particular place whose house recipe makes you a convert.

[Inspector Norse]

they're a sandwich stuffed with meat and then covered in slops

by the time etc

[dontpaintyourteeth]

delicious slops

[touchingcloth]

If you visit during wildfire season, you might get treated to a view of this

[thelittlemango]

Porto is great, full of interesting little sidestreets, distinctive architecture, great views everywhere due to how steep it is, great wine and food and lots of interesting bits of culture dotted around. Really liked the vibe there, even down by the water where there are a few plastic menu tourist spots you can just walk about a minute and be in a very buzzy and spot with locals drinking on the pavement. Think I preferred it to Lisbon.

[shoulders]

Lisbon a tougher nut to crack and definitely wouldn't recommend it off season. Spring or Autumn though, god yes. Loads to explore. Even right in the centre it is so nice to see interesting businesses, non-chains, a focal point that's right on the water. Bairro Alto still kicks arse for nightlife. Alfama is still good for music, and Intendente is so central for an ethnic minority district to be located that it massively accents the town. Even Saldanha just has an effortless cool about it, you can still visit old restaurants that haven't changed since the 70s, corner Bifana places that are popular with all ages and mega cheap. People are actually nice too, in a capital city. Sure, intense in that Portuguese way, but there's a soul and it's not just the thinnest veneer of style and 'attitude' with a corporate cunt behind the curtain fucking the life and joy out of everything like basically 99% of central London.

It's such a mess in other ways, but a lot of those ways are so encrypted and alien to the forces of darkness I'm happy they're there.

Unfortunately the fucking insects eat me alive so I could never move there.

[Kankurette]

I can't eat Francesinha because meat. I know the Portuguese are big on fish though.

The hill thing shouldn't be too much of a problem. Parc del Fórum has stairs and slopes everywhere and Barcelona's metro is full of stairs. Which reminds me - are there any travel cards in Porto worth getting? I don't drive so will be relying on public transport.

[sevendaughters]

I can't eat Francesinha because meat. I know the Portuguese are big on fish though.

The hill thing shouldn't be too much of a problem. Parc del Fórum has stairs and slopes everywhere and Barcelona's metro is full of stairs. Which reminds me - are there any travel cards in Porto worth getting? I don't drive so will be relying on public transport.

4 zone Andante card (tram, bus, some trains) for a day is like six quid? Metro is essential in Porto. Some lifts up the cliffs charge per go.

[thelittlemango]

4 zone Andante card (tram, bus, some trains) for a day is like six quid? Metro is essential in Porto.

Porto is also very walkable, I didn't use any transport at all in my 4 days there, it's a mission going up the hills but worth it for the atmosphere you soak up.

You can also get vegan/veggie francesinha, I don't eat meat either but it's so rich and heavy that you won't feel like you're missing out on much when you eat it.

[sevendaughters]

Porto is also very walkable, I didn't use any transport at all in my 4 days there, it's a mission going up the hills but worth it for the atmosphere you soak up.

You can also get vegan/veggie francesinha, I don't eat meat either but it's so rich and heavy that you won't feel like you're missing out on much when you eat it.

see I was staying out near Dragao and the walk, which I did a couple of times, was not the most interesting and in the sun it was pretty rough.

[touchingcloth]

If you go in April, look at the sky while speaking with a local, make a face, and say "águas mil!" with a little roll of your eyes. It'll make them think you talk a lot more Portuguese than you really do, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your needs.

[greenman]

I would say Northern Portugal generally is more interesting than the South, besides the city itself the Douro valley and Guimaraes definitely worth visiting.

[shoulders]

Porto is also very walkable, I didn't use any transport at all in my 4 days there, it's a mission going up the hills but worth it for the atmosphere you soak up.

I think generally true for the centre, if anything trying to use public transport to help in the centre of the city will just prolong the hassle.

But depending where your accommodation is keep an open mind as the miles stack up on a trip and if you can cut through a trek with a handy link, you may as well, it's pretty cheap too.

[thugler]

Literally just came back from Porto. Loved it, great food, pretty cheap. Seems quite small and walkable, very distinctive feel.

Lisbon is slightly better though probably, been there a couple of times and absolutely loved it. The cheap wine is so good.

[Kankurette]

The venue for Primavera is Parque da Cidade.

[shoulders]

The venue for Primavera is Parque da Cidade.

May as well take the rickety but rather lovely tram out to Foz do Douro then. It's on the way. There's a lighthouse and a beach.