Revisiting Porto, Portugal | Ten Years Later 2025

Porto was the first stop on my first visit to Portugal in 2015. I’m happy to report that almost nothing has changed, it is as perfect and pretty as ever. This time around it’s also my port of entry to another week building houses, this time with The Fuller Center Portugal, just outside of Braga. I’d just finished a build in Cluj, Romania, spent two weeks in Slovakia and Vienna, then flew to Porto a couple days before meeting my team.

This is how I spent three days with my friends.

Late Arrival at Mo House

Our Ryan Air flight from Vienna landed after 9pm, so we grabbed a cab and headed straight for our hotel, Mo House, armed with afterhours check-in instructions. I found Mo House on booking.com, where I book most of my accommodations. “Bohemian style with luxury comfort,” it had all the things I was looking for: small, boutique feel, great location for walking, tasty breakfast and super friendly staff, all for a great price. It was a hit with my friends too!

[PRO TIP: Book as early as possible. Porto is a popular destination and anything interesting will fill up quickly!]

Day 1 | Porto—Perfect for Pedestrians

The only thing I pre-booked for this day was a “gold ticket” timed entry to visit Livraria Lello, which boldly calls itself the most beautiful bookshop in the world. Famous for its whimsical staircase and stained-glass ceiling, Livaria Lello has been delighting readers and contributing to Portuguese culture for over 100 years.

The bookstore is rumored to be the inspiration behind some of JK Rowling’s famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter. Rowling was an English teacher living in Porto, visiting the bookstore on weekends. Think of the magical floating staircases and bridges, and it’s easy to see how it may be true. Most likely because of increased popularity, the bookstore began requiring entrance fees for visitors!

[PRO TIP: Even with a ticket there will be a queue to get inside; make sure you wait in the correct line. Once inside, expect it to be crowded, but take your time to enjoy. Your ticket gets you a discount, which might equate to the price of a souvenir book. In other words, it’s free.]

Porto’s city center is compact and quite easy to navigate, but it is hilly, and you should expect to walk along uneven, cobblestoned streets at times. Testing our legs, we hoofed it down toward the river, over the Dom Luís I Bridge, enjoying lunch in Vila Nova de Gaia, before making our way to its highest point Miradouro da Serra do Pilar, where there’s a festive atmosphere, often live music, and a great sunset viewpoint. Check out the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, a former monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the building is unusual in that it is round.

The Porto Cathedral, otherwise known as Sé do Porto, the Roman Catholic cathedral was built on the site of an old chapel or hermitage founded in 1108. The Romanesque masterpiece, altered many times over the years, was completed in 1737, and is today the starting point for the Camino Portuguese.

Day 2 | In Search of Wine in the Douro Valley

The best day ever! Ten of us from the team met on Saturday, bright and early, for an all-day tour of the Douro Valley, visiting small quintas (wineries) in gorgeous villages in one of the most incredible wine making regions in Europe.

Trust me when I say, contact Luis, and let him take care of you.

Our tour began in the tiny town of Provesende, where we couldn’t get enough of the made fresh daily bread, served at Papas Zaide, with homemade local fruit jams and butter, with coffee or tea. This may have been the best bread we’ve ever eaten. The same guy has been making it in the same place for years and he delivers it to the townspeople each day.

Founded in the Upper Douro, in more than 250 years ago, family owned and operated Quinta do Bucheiro continues to be a totally independent winery, maintaining the time-honored traditions to produce high quality, and delicious, wine. After an outstanding and hearty family-style lunch and a private boat ride on the Douro River, we paid a visit to one of my favorite fairy-tale-esque towns, Amarante.

First stop, Confeitaria Lailai, for coffees and to try one of the most unique and well-loved local pastries, “Bolos de São Gonçalo,” Saint Gonçalo cakes. The name may bring to mind a pious monk, but don’t be fooled. They are made in the shape of an erect penis, the ultimate sign of virility and fertility. How the tradition of gifting the cakes to those wishing to have children is a mystery, especially since São Gonçalo himself was a 13th century Roman Catholic priest from Amarante, who after being kicked out of the parish joined the Dominican Order and lived the rest of this life as a hermit.

Go figure.

After enjoying our sweet treats, we headed a little further down the street to Taberna Don Rodrigo (on Facebook) to indulge in what but more wine, especially the variety for which this part of Portugal is known, Vinho Verde. With its fresh and fruit forward, slightly effervescent taste pairing perfectly with the local cheese and prosciutto.

Needless to say, we were completely and blissfully tuckered out by the time we got back to Porto.

[PRO TIP: You can find Luis, and his mini fleet of Mercedes Benzes, on Facebook, Porto Tours, or Instagram @portotourstransfer.]

Day 3 | Wander in Wonder

We didn’t need to meet our group until 4pm, so we basically had all day to explore. Porto is loaded with awesome restaurants, bars, and shops. Practically everywhere you look you’ll see buildings richly decorated with traditional ceramic tiles. To me, it always feels like there’s a party going on. There are loads of street vendors selling everything from hats, jewelry, home goods, art and (mostly cheap) clothing. It’s fun to browse on either side of the Douro River.

Here are a few of our favorite finds from this trip:

Chocolataria Equador—Serves delicious drinking chocolate!
Boutique do Gelado—Get your daily dose of gelato here.
Incontro Bistro—Absolutely delicious authentic Italian food. It’s a tiny place. Reserve a table. [4 Rua das Taipas, 910-284-526, incontro.bistro on Facebook and Instagram]
Flow—Everyone seems to love this Mediterranean restaurant and bar.
Panamar Concept Store—Beautiful boutique selling fashion, accessories, home decor.
Suuuper—Fun concept store selling lots of interesting stuff.
Futuro das Joias—Lovely jewelry shop in Gaia.