Portugal: tips for Oporto? Help!
 

Hi everyone

I'll be in Oporto next week for a quick visit. I'll only have one full day free, perhaps a day and a half...

Any suggestions on what to see and do? I intend to visit the Ribeira area and attend one of those port wine tours across the river but any other suggestions?

What about nice places to eat? By nice I mean for the locals, plentyful, of quality and, of course, cheap!

Many thanks!

At the main tourist office, they can arrange a bus tour for you.

It might be the best way for you to see the most with only one day.

There are a lot of hills.

The old city stretches for quite a distance up the hill from the Ribeira, and it's all very interesting. A great combination of architectural styles, interesting shops. Check out the Sao Bento train station, the Torre dos Clerigos, the Lello e Irmao bookstore. Walk over the Ponte de Dom Luis 1 for a great view. If you are into contemporary art, the Fundação de Serralves, in an outlying residential district easily accessible by bus, is a must.

For dinner, a local recommended the restaurants along the water in Vila Nova de Gaia, near the port-wine caves. These are a bit shopping mall-like though reasonable.

We enjoyed Portugal and particularly the port wine institute in Oporto. Below is the URL of my web page on this trip. Hope it helps you find something interesting to see or do in oporto.

http://www.travel.stv77.com/portugal/pt.htm

I recommend the cafeteria of the Fundação de Serralves for lunch. They have a fine buffet.

If you have a buffet lunch at the Fundação de Serralves for lunch - which I can thoroughly recommend - just be careful with your camera. I couldn't juggle plate and a bag on my shoulder and thought I'd disguised and hidden it very carefully, but it was stolen, and I think it was an inside job. We were the only non-Portuguese there that Sunday, and I think someone was watching us very closely. I couldn't claim insurance because it wasn't on me at the time.

Try to make a reservation for Taylor's winery for lunch and if looking for accommodations try the Grand Hotel de Porto.It depends on your interests--we are wine people so the wine institute and Port wine cellars were of interest to us. Also Cafe Majestic for coffee or lunch. Enjoy--we have been twice and would go back again!