Well, I had to stop finagling with Lisbon for now and move onto Porto. You all were so helpful with that part of the trip. Here's what I know and what I need help with.
1) We take the high speed train from Lisbon to Porto, arriving ON SUNDAY around 3:00 p.m. We'll go straight to our hotel, Infante Sagres. I figure we should get out and walk the neighborhood a bit, but don't know that we'll have time for one of the Rick Steves walks.
2) Our first full day will be on a Monday, so I'm assuming some things will be closed. I was wondering about doing one of the Rick Steves walks, or I saw a number of positive reviews of Porto Walkers, and I also saw an interesting Jewish Heritage walking tour.
3) Second full day, and last full day on a Tuesday.
4) Last day we'll be driving to the Douro Valley, I have a separate thread on that. And then when we depart, we'll drive back to Lisbon and that drive is part of the same thread (I think).

I don't have as good a sense of neighborhoods as I did for Lisbon, Porto seems more compact. I saw a 6 Bridges 50 minute boat tour that seemed interesting. And a Photography Museum. I'm interested in that bookstore but read in multiple places that now that's it's associated with Harry Potter, there's a cost AND a line to get in, so we may give that a miss. Of course we'll see the train station, and there seem to be a number of nice parks and cathedrals. There's walking along the water. There's a LOT!

So I'm having a little trouble organizing. I basically have a little over 2 days IN Porto, suggestions for how to best organize are welcome.

We leave a week from TOMORROW(!).

Many thanks as always,
Alice

I'm interested in that bookstore but read in multiple places that now that's it's associated with Harry Potter, there's a cost AND a line to get in, so we may give that a miss.

Yes, 5 euro admission. Can be booked online, but the line was pretty long the day we attempted to get in.

HelenaFatima, as a local, can give much better advance than I can but just a few thoughts from a visitor's perspective...

Yes, for me, there's a LOT to see but Porto, I find, is more compact.
1). Sunday--
You could walk over (west) to do part of the RS 1st walk. He divides Porto walking into 2 parts for 2 days.
You could do part of his "Upper Porto" (p. 358), west side, on Sunday afternoon, as much as you feel like----Avenida dos Aliados, Praça de Gomes Texeira, where the University building sits, the Carmo Church, walk past the Lello & Irmão bookshop (yes, lines are long, it's extremely crowded inside, plus there's an entrance fee), then over to Clérigos church (although you'll miss the free, daily organ concert at noon)

2) Monday--
You could do the 3-hour Jewish Heritage Walking Tour, which wouldn't be a repeat of Sunday afternoon.
There are private (pricey) tours
https://portoalities.com/en/tours/pr...ge-tour-porto/
and small group (much less pricey) tours
https://www.efungpstours.com/jewish-...-in-porto.html.
The EFun tours depart at 9:30 and 2:30

Monuments open on Monday:
Porto Cathedral (Sé), the gloriously Baroque Clérigos Church, the Stock Exchange/Palácio da Bolsa (guided tour only--the interior of the Arabian Hall is lavish), São Francisco church and catacombs, the lovely Serralves Foundation Park and Art Deco pink villa out in Boavista (its museum is contemporary art-- gardens are gorgeous and serene)

Closed on Mondays
The Misericórdia Church and Religious Art Museum on Rua das Flores
https://www.mmipo.pt/en-gb/paginas/plan-your-visit.


3) Tuesday--
You could do the RS "Lower Porto" (p. 358)

Reviews of the 6 Bridges boat tour are mixed. I haven't done it. I have taken the boat taxi that runs back and forth from the Ribeira district over to the port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia to walk along its quai and visit a few port lodges. There are splendid views of Porto from Gaia.

The Livraria Lello & Irmão is nothing like the lovely Bertrand bookshop in Lisbon. The entrance charge can be put towards a purchase, and they do have a small selection of English books, but it will be jammed with visitors because of Harry Potter

There are also evening concerts at the Rem Koolhaas-designed Casa da Música that we've enjoyed--jazz, symphony, etc. The acoustics are fabulous and concerts are inexpensive.
https://www.casadamusica.com/en/.

Just some thoughts.

Thanks, Maribel, splitting up the RS walking tour is a good idea. I will look further into the Jewish Heritage Walking Tour. Maybe I will try to see the Clérigos church free concert on Tuesday...

I love the idea of the boat taxi, sounds like a good alternative to the 6 Bridges tour. And so much for the bookstore, I certainly don't need to wait in line for THAT.

The evening concerts sound lovely, I will look into those.

Good thoughts! (as always).

Alice

water taxi-
https://www.dourorivertaxi.com/en/home-en.

Water taxi: very usefull for disabled people, wich I think it's not your case. Why would you take a boat across the river? Just use the bridge (Luis I). It has 2 levels, so just use one or the other.

6 bridges cruise: a tourist trap.

A litle thing I want to tell you: I will try to write the "correct" name of the streets, but we have a problem, things in Porto usually have two names. Like for instance the bookshop Lello, which name is in fact "Chandron" (I call it Lello). Or "Foz" - a place in Porto that is completely different for google or for locals. Anyway, I'll try to write the correct names.

After arriving Porto, and check in at your Hotel (good choice!), go out, turn left, left again to Rua de Avis, turn right at Rua da Fábrica (aka Rua Santa Teresa, the oficial name), left again at Rua Candido Reis. This one is the place to go after hours. Drink, dance, etc. There are 3 parallel steets to do that: Rua Galerias de Paris, This one, and Conde Vizela. Your age (or at least mine) should go to this one. Go further and you will be at Rua das Carmelitas, facing Clérigos tower and with the bookshop Lello at your right hand. The book shop is lovely, with a nice stained glass ceiling, Harry Potter was not written here, but for sure this bookshop inspired JKRowlling in her writting (she lived in Portugal for 4 years, and I can tell wich part of the books have portuguese inspiration. The dresses, for sure (our university students dress in black, with capes (sloacks?). And the stairs at Hogwarts. And the name of the 1st Slytherin (Salazar, our dictator).

I used to buy books at that bookshop. Well, tourism is good for the economy.

From there you can go up to see the nice churches of Carmo and Carmelitas. Carmo has a facade of tiles that everybody likes, so take pictures (by the way, I was born there. after the tiles facade it was a hospital belonging to carmo order). Between those 2 churches is the tiniest house in Portugal (the churches are both catholic but from different religious orders so they cannot share a wall. They built a house between them, used for the person that worked with the Bells.). After the facade of tiles you are in a litle square, Praça Carlos Alberto (the King of Sicily, that lived here his last days), where you can find a house where one can see old stuff, meaning old materials. For instance, if you buy an old building and you need ancient tiles, you go to this house to see if they have it; also if you have spare materials you are not going to use, you give this house those materials. Going further you will have the streets of old things, called antiques: or to the left you will find the art neighbourhood.

Returning to the square, Carlos Alberto: in a very narrow street, called Travessa do Carregal, there is a very good restaurant, "Travessa do Carregal". It's a family restaurant, unfortunately the mother died a few years ago, but she was from Alentejo region, and they still make a very good dessert, called Sericaia. In the square itself you can find Zenith, a touristic place that serves brunch all day, and also Café Luso, one of the oldest in town, very good traditional food, and next to Café Luso is a small place I don't know the name but they have a very good cake called pão-de-ló. To the other side you find Lareira, for "Petiscos", and if you go to the other square, Guilherme Gomes Fernandes you have "Leitaria da Quinta do Paço" for the best eclairs.

I'm not helping. This can all be done in 5 minutes, and here I am, writting and writting! Sorry! I cannot help it! It's my home!

Well, let me try. To the other side, in front of you you have a nice yellow building: that's the photograph center. What's important about this building: unique architecture and the fact that it is the old jail (prison). In that square there is a coffee shop named "Porta do Olival" that means door of olival, because there was (is) a door there in the ancient walls (Muralhas Fernandinas). The door is still there, in the -1. You need to ask to go to the restroom if you want to see the wall. The owner is a very nice man (or not) but he doesn't like people to go there just to see the wall. He should do the same as the bookshop Lello and charge people.

Straight ahead through Rua São Bento da Vitória, you are in the old jewish neighboorhood. Almost at the end of the street, to your right, is Rua de São Miguel (my parents went to live there when they get married), with some jewish signs, and at the left there is the church built over the Synagogue. There is a nice place to see the views, and some stairs goind down - these are the "escadas da esnoga", oficial name "escadas das virtudes". Esnoga is the way people from Porto pronounce Synagogue. You can go down and reach the river. Cross to the other side (forget about that thing called taxi boat), see the cellars (yes you may visit, I just don't understand what for, are you going to produce wine at home? We used to visit the cellars because it was for free, and they served port wine at the end, for free, so... welll, why not? Now, forget about that).

2nd day: opposite side: Rua de Santa Catarina, where "Capela das Almas" and "Majestic" are located. Francesinha also lives here, at "Brasão", "Café Santiago", or "Lado B". Lunch, perhaps? Well, in front of "Majestic", there is a pastry/Coffee shop (for locals) with the best "rissol de vitela". Well, continuing: go further south until Rua de Santo António (aka Rua 31 de Janeiro), at the corner is the only place classified heritage by Unesco that is outside the city center. Go down, visit the trains station, and up to the Cathedral.

Now, if you really want to see Porto, from the Cathedral go through Rua D. Hugo, turn down at the Chappel (Capela das verdades) to Escadas das Verdades (Verdades stairs) and right (down) to Escadas do Barredo. This will lead you (again) to Ribeira, but... in the heart of the city it is a residencial area without tourists. Eat at "Escondidinho do Barredo", a not fancy at all place, with very good portuguese food (not brunches or fast food).

Take a taxi to get you up to Infante Sagres.

HelenaFatima, you are my hero! So much good information, especially about the two names for things, I haven't seen that anywhere else. Your suggestions are wonderful. I also am so interested to hear about the Portugese influence on the Rowling books (I should have know about Slytherin...). I can more than fill up the time I have with what you've given me, and I very much appreciate the restaurant suggestions. Also glad you like our hotel, Maribel liked it as well.

I'm getting very excited about this trip, thanks so much for your excellent help!

Alice

Names of things: when someone decides to change a name, it's complicated. If you ask me the name or the airport, my 1st answer is "Pedras Rubras". In fact it was, but now it's "Francisco Sá Carneiro" (ironic, a person that died in a plane crash). The same goes the square with the same name, that used to be Praça Velasquez. And nobody call Praça Mouzinho de Albuquerque that, everybody says "Rotunda da Boavista".

You don't have time, I think, to go outside the city center, that is in fact small and compact. But just as a curiosity, the best located restaurant, in the posh area of Porto, by the ocean, is a Pizza Hut.

And by the way, visit Mc Donalds in the city center, just to look at the beautifull stained glass.

This McDonalds Helena?

I read about that McDonald's! Hadn't heard about the Pizza Hut...

Alice

No Melnq, that one must be gorgeous to but I never went there.

It's this one:

https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdo...e-world-2018-8

Pizza Hut:

https://www.tripadvisor.pt/Restauran...=7&ff=87102137

Helena -

Is that the one around the corner from the Eurostars Porto Centro?

If so, we passed it a dozen times, but never went in. Not a fan of McDonalds, especially when traveling, but had I known, we would have popped in for a look.

That Pizza Hut in Foz is right on the beach!

Yes, it is. Sorry, never ocurred to me telling you to just go inside and take a look. Although...it is hard to see the beauty of the stained glass with all those big mac or happy meal being announced.

Maribel wrote:

"That Pizza Hut in Foz is right on the beach!" (Maribel speaking like a local! Yes, that is what we call Foz, although technically it is not.)

It's worst than that, it is right on the promenade over the beach! Some Porto mayors promised to demolish that thing, but well... it is still there. I must confess that many years ago, when it opens (not Pizza Hut but a fancy restaurant) I went there for dinner (who can resist a fancy restaurant so well located?). But it is an agression to ones eyes.

Well, I thought I'd book the Jewish Heritage Walking Tour (we leave tonight) for next week and - the most popular one is BOOKED. I looked for others but they had very few reviews or were expensive, private tours. However I see that you can visit the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Museum. Has anyone gone to those? Is it worthwhile? I looked at the Synagogue as well, but it seems harder to visit. I'm sure I can probably find a Jewish Walking Tour to do on our own, but any help on this would be appreciated.

Alice

Alice,
I assume that you contacted Sara of Portalities and her walking tour was fully booked as well?
https://portoalities.com/en/tours/pr...ge-tour-porto/.

And Efun Tours is also fully booked?
https://www.efungpstours.com/jewish-...-in-porto.html.

Have you looked at Living Tours?
https://www.livingtours.com/en/tour/...r-walking-tour

Hi Maribel, we’re in Lisbon now, bleary eyed and ready for bed. As to the Jewish heritage tours, the first is too costly, the second is booked and the 3rd is THREE hours, too long for my short stay. Thanks for the suggestions, I never imagined I’d have to book so early!

to bed.
Alice

Get your well needed rest, then have fun!

Hi! I came across this nice thread in planning our upcoming trip. I have reached out to the Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Museum and the synagogue...all have the same e-mail address for tourists, c/o the Jewish community...but still am waiting to hear back. I am wondering if you did visit any of these places.

I also am wondering if you did end up on a Jewish-oriented tour of Porto. I pulled up the 3 that someone linked in this thread.

Thank you.

We did NOT manage to find a Jewish tour in Porto. (We always look). But we had a grand time there, and liked it even better than Lisbon. I never did manage to do a trip report, so maybe you have inspired me to DO that.
Alice