Porto

Portugal

Things to do in Porto:

View the Gallery Douro Valley

Porto Restaurants

Affordable (28)

Restaurante Pombeiro

Award-wining, family-run and very friendly restaurant well off the tourist path. Try the tripe Porto-style or any of the delicious fish or meat dishes. German beer on tap. read more
Fine dining (19)

Escondidinho

Escondidinho offers a rich variety of dishes in a warm and rustic atmosphere. The King of Spain and his family have dined here. Those with a sweet tooth should try the custard pudding. read more

Porto Nightlife

Chilled (20)

Brasileira

Housed in a beautiful art-nouveau building dating from 1903, this landmark is well worth a visit. read more
Clubbing (24)

Clube 3 C

Not just a club, but a restaurant and bar as well. DJs, live Jazz and much more in a beautifully restored building downtown. read more

This Month in Porto:

By Joseph Guerra

Shopping: Mundano Objectos offers a wide range of household items from top Portuguese and international designers. Located in the arty section of the city (668 Rua de Santos Pousada, tel: 22 510 7447).

Sightseeing: The Portuguese Photography Museum in Porto (housed in a former prison) offers a fascinating exhibition on the women in the life of Camilo Castelo Branco throughout May (Campo M�rtires da P�tria, tel: 22 207 6310, cpf.pt).

Key areas: For an interesting walk, start beside the river at the Don Luis Bridge then head west, keeping the river on your left. Follow Rua Nova da Alfandega past the old customs building and take the tram back. Along the way, there are caf�s and museums to visit, including the Port Wine Museum.

Porto News & Gossip

Knock-out: Maribor vs. Guimar�es

Maribor: "the jewel of Slovenia"

Matjaz Latin, theatre and film director

"I love Maribor, especially its peculiarities and its people. It has an industrial past and a great cultural future. Its location is perfect, too: we are close to the mountains, countryside and coast."

Must see

"The city's Mestni Park is a real paradise, especially in summer, when there are workshops for children and great concerts. There's a really positive vibe from morning right through to evening." maribor-pohorje.si

Claims to fame

LARGEST SKI RESORT IN SLOVENIA!
WORLD'S OLDEST VINE!
VINAG WINE CELLAR: 5.5M LITRES OF WINE!

Famous faces

ARCHDUKE JOHANN - 19TH CENTURY PHILANTHROPIST
DANILO TURK - CURRENT PRESIDENT
ZLATKO ZAHOVIC - FOOTBALLER

Must do

"The Lent Festival in summer has outstanding concerts and street theatre. It's the most social event of the year. Music lovers should visit the Maribor Festival in September, and in October the town hosts the Bor�nik theatre festival."

Party here

"Tildo's (13 Slom�kov Trg, Maribor; tel: +386 (0)41 796 964), opposite the National Theatre, is my second home. It's always full of actors, artists and musicians."

Eat this

PICKLED CHEESE "Try it at Rozmarin (8 Gosposka Ulica, Maribor; rozmarin.si), which has a good, affordable mix of Mediterranean and traditional Slovenian food and wine."

Need to know

POPULATION: 157,947
LOCALS WHO FEEL SAFE WALKING AT NIGHT: 89%
FLY TO: LJUBLANA (85 MINUTES AWAY)

Cost of visit

HOTEL, DOUBLE ROOM �80 | MEAL FOR TWO �34
THEATRE PERFORMANCE �17
BOTTLE OF WINE �16 | BUS TICKET �1.10

Guimar�es: "the cradle of Portugal"

Jos� Bastos, director of the Vila Flor Cultural Centre

"It's exciting to be part of the urban renewal in this city of extraordinary heritage. Half the population of Guimar�es is under 30, which brings a creative energy that shows up in every corner of town."

Must see

"The UNESCO World Heritage city centre and the ancient Cit�nia de Briteiros site, about 15km away, are must sees, as is Penha Mountain and the cable car that carries you to the top." guimaraesturismo.com

Claims to fame

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE!
FIRST CITY FOUNDED IN PORTUGAL!
HOSTS MAJOR JAZZ FESTIVAL IN NOVEMBER!

Famous faces

KING ALONSO I - FIRST KING OF PORTUGAL
FRANCISCO MARTINS SARMENTO - EARLY ARCHAEOLOGIST
ELISABETE MATOS - OPERA SINGER

Must do

"The Vila Flor Cultural Centre (701 Avenida D Afonso Henriques; ccvf.pt) for exhibitions and performances, and the beautiful Alberto Sampaio Museum (Rua Alfredo Guim�raes; masampaio.imc-ip.pt) for art and local history."

Party here

"The historical centre is where locals and visitors gather. Projecto Bar (in Parque das Hortas) near the Guimar�es cable way, hosts DJ sessions and live music."

Eat this

TRIPE IN PORT "Try it at S�o Gi�o (Avenida Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas, Moreira de C�negos: tel: +351 (0)253 561 853). It has a creative menu and exceptional wine cellar."

Need to know

POPULATION: 52,181
GREEN SPACE PER CAPITA: 21m2
FLY TO: PORTO (40 MINUTES AWAY)

Cost to visit

HOTEL, DOUBLE ROOM �85 | MEAL FOR TWO �30
THEATRE PERFORMANCE �20
BOTTLE OF WINE �10 | BUS TICKET �0.90

Porto Trivia

May: An old British naval tradition exists for port wine. A decanter is placed in front of the host, who serves the guest to his right and passes it to his left. The decanter goes around the table to the left, until it is empty. Should it stop, the host asks the individual nearest the decanter if he knows the Bishop of Norwich. When this individual replies no, the host says: "He's a terribly nice chap, but he never passed the port."
April: Portugal is the world's greatest producer of cork. The wine industry in Portugal alone requires 300 million cork stoppers a year. A cork oak requires approximately 42 years to mature in order to produce wine stoppers, although younger trees can produce lesser quality cork for other purposes.
March: The new Centre for Art and Architecture Affairs (or "CAAA") in Guimaraes is housed in a former textile factory in the city centre. Today, where once cloth was made, cinema, dance, theatre and other fine arts take shape.