Porto and surroundings – the north of Portugal!

As mentioned in part 1, our trip started in Porto. At our arrival, we immediately headed a bit further to the north. Also, we made a day trip from Porto to the Douro Valley.

Our Airbnb Ginas’s Apartment in Porto

What we can really recommend is Gina’s Apartment, which is located in Bomfin. From here, we had seen everything by walking. It was not in the centre, but also not too far to walk to the Old Town.

There are a few parking lots in the inner courtyard, which is great because in general, it’s not easy to find one within the city. It’s clean, well equipped and the owner is super nice. We really loved this place and would definitely return here.

Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

What you can easily find in Portugal – right, pompous churches. One of the is Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, a place of pilgrimage. To be precise, it’s not only a church but a huge area with beautifully landscaped forest on the one hand and mighty stairs on the other hand.

The view from the bottom is by far the best and photos become really instagrammable. It was definitely worth coming here even for a short period of time.

Guimarães

The Old Town of Guimarães is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen in Portugal. Beautiful squares with cafés and restaurants and at least in low-season it’s not overrun by people. There’s also a fortress you can visit. If you want to.

A few photos here, an ice cream there and it was time to leave again. Meanwhile, Tilda caught up in sleep in the baby carrier. And we caught up on very much needed sleep at night. Which was thankfully a good one.

Porto

Such a beautiful city and such a beautiful view over the ocean of roofs. The best view over the Old Town is seen from Gaia and the bridge.

If you want to leave the bridge and go to the waterside, choose walking. It doesn’t take long and won’t have to pay for an overcrowded Gondola (6€ each). Especially with the baby in the carrier walking is the better option. It’s also a very nice walk.

The shore at the Gaia side is really crowded. Understandable on the other hand. But the number of people spit out of busses is a bit perverse. People were waiting for the jumpers on the bride. I think the main season might be awful here.

For those who want, there are many possibilities for wine tasting.

Instead of taking the Gondola back, we chose again to walk up the steep hill on the side of the Old Town. As we experienced first-hand, October in Portugal can be quite hot. If we had decided to squeeze ourselves in the gondola with the masses, Tilda would have given us hell. So we decided to hike up with her in the carrier and a full buggy. Let’s just say it was a little fitness unit.

All of a sudden it was so calm when we arrived at the top. The view was totally worth it. On the way up, Tilda woke up and we could finally change her diapers in a calm place. (Yes, this is important for parents to know.)

Grilled dishes at Francos

Dear readers of this blog, this is a recommendation you should keep in mind when in Porto. With a rustic lack of interest, you’ll get served simple, delicious and convenient food without frills. Also, for take-away. It was so, so good and way too affordable.

More of Porto

We had another day in Porto and spontaneously ignored the Livraria Lello. It may be one of the most beautiful bookshops in Europe. The queue on a Saturday afternoon is insane. I don’t’ want to imagine what it’s like inside. Probably just stress for us and a baby. If you want to get in, entry costs 6€. Which actually says everything. But google it. It’s a really nice bookstore. Maybe one time in the future.

We found a nice café nearby and fed our little Tilda mouse. Afterwards, we were walking around Ribeira, seeing all the old churches (from outside) and the famous cable car, before we headed to Café Santiago.

It’s one of those places where you can eat the famous Francesinha. One of the heartiest foods, we had ever eaten. It looks a bit disgusting, but it tastes really good. Nothing for sensitive stomachs. But actually, it’s a must-try.

Douro Valley

For a breastfeeding woman, the Douro Valley is a difficult place. This is a place that is bliss for wine lovers, but yes, this time it was not supposed to be. We had a rental car and made a day trip there nevertheless.

It was worth being there without all the wine tasting. Seeing the vineyards in beautiful autumn colours and feeling the sticky heat at the same time felt crazy. It was definitely warmer than in Porto.

We had lunch in the Veladouro restaurant. Rack of lamb and black Iberico pork fillet. Very delicious and convenient.

The Douro Valley is really beautiful, but it’s a bit of an adventure getting there. As said before, we had a rental car and if you’re not used to narrowing serpentines, you can feel the cold sweat running down your face. You should definitely not underestimate it. If you don’t feel like doing this on your own, you can easily book a tour from Porto or negotiate with a taxi driver. Or maybe take the train. It takes 1:45h.