Porto

The river Douro glides along peacefully through Portugal’s second largest city. The steep banks are a stacked high with medieval buildings, cobbled streets, towers and shop fronts and alleys. It’s simply gorgeous and will captivate any visitor as soon as they set foot in town.

Being the birthplace of the fortified wine named after the town – Port – it’s only natural that going from cellar door to cellar door tasting the sweet wine is the number one Thing To Do in Porto. Most of winery-distilleries have typically British names and have structured tours and tastings that allow you to learn and appreciate the process and outcome of creating port.

Ribeira is the name of the historic neighbourhood of pastel houses and narrow alleys that lead to the harbour of the river. There’s a beautiful promenade on which to stroll, drinking in the sights and sounds of this charming area. Your camera will be working overtime trying to capture this special part of Portugal.

Restaurants and bars really punch above their weight in Porto. Decor and theme are of utmost importance to the visionaries of these establishments which wouldn’t be out of place in some of the funkiest areas of New York or Paris. The quality of the food is phenomenal – you’ll want to have three dinners every night just to try all that is on offer!