One of the beautiful things about visiting a hilly city, apart from the thigh toning possibilities, is that every twist and turn in a street can review a new landscape. When my friend Emma and I visited Porto at Easter, we stumbled upon some hidden gems of viewpoints and sought out others. But rest assured, we combined the healthy aspects of near-constant stairs with an afternoon of hiding from the storm in various port warehouse cellars – an option I can’t recommend highly enough.
Miradouro da Vitoria
The first panorama we saw of Porto was of the stumble-upon variety… heading down to the river from Torre des Clerigos, we ended up at Miradouro da Vitoria. The graffitied empty space didn’t look like much, but it wasn’t the space itself but the amazing views that were the attraction. With the steep drop to the river, each building felt stacked on top of the next like jenga blocks. It gave us an instant appreciation for the compact nature of the city – and its beauty.
Cracking up at the hilarious Spanish guys who took our photo with great dedication
Ponte Luis I
Unlike Miraduoro da Vitoria, the viewpoint of Luis I Bridge is one of the most famous in the city. There are two levels – that at river level, where cars and pedestrians traverse, and the much higher tram and pedestrian level offering the aforementioned panoramas. It was thronged with people on Good Friday, which made life interesting when a tram rumbled past every few minutes!
How gorgeous are the colours of Porto, even in the grey?
The arches of the bridge may look familiar in style to you – if so, congratulations, you’ve recognised the work of a partner of Gustave Eiffel, creator of a certain French tower. Opened in 1886, at the time it was the widest span of its type in the world. Despite the crowds, I loved the equality of view to the north and south banks of the River Douro.
Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar
As we were crossing the bridge, the round white tower of the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar caught Emma’s eye, so we climbed up the hill to examine its whitewashed facade. It was too late to go in, but with the views of the Ponte Luis I and the city that the extra height afforded, I certainly wasn’t complaining!
Awesome view of Ponte Luis I
Looking down on the warehouses
Jardins do Palacio de Cristal
The next day, despite the storm, Emma and I headed for the Crystal Palace. This was a classic #travelfail moment for me… I somehow managed to mix the poetic name of an old convention centre up with the pictures I’d seen of the beautiful interiors of the Bolsa Palace. End result – traipsing across town, soaked, to find the modern Pavilhao Rosa Mota. Undeterred we again headed for the river to find this foggy viewpoint. It was sort of fun to be battered by the wind as we strained to make out the port warehouses on the other side of the river! Less fun was attempting to make our way down, only to discover the gardens were an absolute maze and having to climb all the way back to the Pavilhao to exit. Ah well – live and learn!
Time for Port!
Hair styled by Porto’s umbrella-destroying storms
With weather this bad there was only one possible option – taste the city’s most famous beverage. There are no shortage of cellars or caves along the southern bank of the city, also known as the Nova Villa de Gaia, many with tasting options and guided tours. Bear in mind the port grapes come from the Douro valley up-river… there’s no vineyards in town. But what you will get to see are barrels upon barrels of the good stuff, and we learnt a lot at both cellars about the production of the different styles.
First up was Burmester, tucked next to Ponte Luis I. For a few euros we were shown the barrels, talked through the varieties of port from white to ruby, and learned the history of this cellar, which has been selling port since 1750. Deep within the cosy stone walls, the storm felt miles away… and the delicious port certainly took the chill from us! I already knew I liked a tawny port, but I’d never even tried a white one before. The difference is in the grapes, but there are so many variables in the process from vineyard to bottle – it was fascinating to learn more.
After our tasting at Burmeister we weren’t quite ready to head back – I was enjoying the little fire in my belly and keen to continue my drinking educational experience. We tried to head to Sandemans, but it lived up to its popular reputation and was fully booked. Instead, we went to Offley, just up the hill and part of the same group. There I tried not one, not two, but three delicious ports!
Hair not improved in the walk between cellars
Offley’s cellars were altogether darker and more mysterious, but the contents were the same – wall-to-wall delicious port. Here I tried a white port known as lacryma, a very sweet version. To be honest it was a little much for me, although I can imagine it would make an excellent post-dessert digestive. I also sampled the tawny classic, which was again my favourite, and the ruby reserve, which had tones I would associate with an earthy red wine – very intense!
Visiting the cellars was a brilliant way to learn about this famous export – and to hide from the storm outside. It gave me a new appreciation for the tipple at dinner that night – and I’ve brought my taste for it back to London!
Torre dos Clerigos
Our final day dawned clear – if only it had been like this all weekend! However, it did justify our decision to delay climbing the Clerigos Tower… reaching the top of the 240 stairs to be greeted with this stunning view was a lovely moment.
How many cellar names can you spot… there’s at least four!
The Tower is attached to the Clerigos church and from the top you can have 360 degree views of the city. Standing up there in the sunshine (and gentle breeze) gave me one of those wonderful holiday moments where you feel a million miles away from real life. The city sparkled and the air felt fresh and clean, filled with promise for our last day in Porto. Including, just maybe, one last port!
Have you visited Porto? Did you stumble across or seek out any of its wonderful panoramic viewpoints?