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Discovering Porto

Written by 14 January 2013 2 Comments

Having been seduced by its great street art, funky hostels, liquor and allround mysterious atmosphere, I’ve been yearning to visit Lisbon for a few years now. So imagine my disappointment when I finally managed to negotiate a week off work and can’t afford the flight (€650 for a return with easyJet!!!) nor find a free bed in one of Lisbon’s funky award winning hostels! Instead of sulking my week away on my home sofa with a bar of chocolate I decided that this trip was obviously not meant to be and then booked a flight to Lisbon’s cheaper but by no means poorer little sister, Porto.

PortoPorto

We’d only been there for an hour or so when I realise we hadn’t made a mistake in choosing Porto. The city was just the most perfect mix of cultures, architecture and style. We came to discover that it wasn’t only pleasing to the eye but the food was incredible (not to mention cheep) and people were so friendly and open (which makes a change to the hostility I’ve become accustomed to in busier European tourist destinations).

DPP_113DPP_137

Located along the Douro river estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is a World Heritage Site. Despite being Portugals second city I never felt overwhelmed by the size of the city nor did I get the chance to be bored. There were all the advantages of being on a city break and a beach holiday combined with the surrounding countryside just a stones throw away (famous for producing great wine and Port).

DPP_122Porto

There was a lot going on in the city in addition to loads of great cafes and bars to wile away an afternoon reading a good book and watching the world walk (or sail) on by. We found a lot of great insider tips and placer to visit via the Porto blog Go Oporto and in my next post I’ll talk more about the DO’s and DON’Ts from what we saw and did. So until then here are a few more visuals from my trip:

DPP_136DPP_116DPP_112PortoPortoPortoDPP_121 PortoDPP_109DPP_110PortoPortoDPP_104Discovering Porto

 

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2 Comments »

  • Roddy said:

    Oporto is a lovely city, I”m happy for you that you managed to visit it. You must return for a stay in June, when the city turns crazy wild to the São João festivities!

    # 14 January 2013 at 12:25 pm
  • Forest Parks said:

    SO stunning! I have only visited Faro in this amazing country and know I need to get back sometime. I may be in Europe for the next few years so hopefully can swing by!

    # 14 January 2013 at 8:34 pm

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