I am going to Portugal for the first time next month. Specifically Porto. Any tips for getting around and good restaurant recommendations?
Ok-ish destination. We disliked the messy and somewhat uncontrolled migrants sleeping all over the place.
Youāll be offered bacalao in literally every restaurant (codfish) and the Portuguese claim they have 100 recipes for it. Its ok, nothing spectacular.
Whatās amazing: probably the best tarts in the world (I donāt say this lightly) Pasteis de Nata and although a clichĆ©, the Majestic Cafe is something special. We loved it. Touristsic, but maintains a fantastic quality and ambience.
Having lived in Spain for quite a few years, the jamon and seafood generally are a few steps behind.
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Iām going for an event so not my personal choice. I know about the egg tarts as I used to live in HK so Macau of course had them.
The river area in Porto is pretty mind blowing, with all the tall bridges. That would be a must see.
The popular fabrica de nata is popular for a reason. Donāt miss it. I even took a few pastels with me to Geneva, eaten the same day by my spouse.
I also liked Braga and the driving to it, but thatās probably not in your plans
Enjoy Caralho!
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My wife and I did a few cellar tours of the port producers in that area. I recall Taylor having a nice view from the top of the hill and a packed tasting room. Sandeman along the river felt the most touristy.
We took the tram to get to the beach where we had some really good grilled seafood. The grilled octopus was memorable with big bits of sea salt. The name of the restaurant escapes me right now but honestly they are probably a dime a dozen in that area. If thereās a line and theyāre mainly speaking Portuguese, then itās probably a safe bet.
I lost count of how many č”ę» I ate during the weekend I was there.
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I know Porto quite well as my ex-husband was from there.
The cathedral (Se) is truly beautiful. You can climb to the top of it and have a great view of most of the city. But there are several more magnificent churches in the area.
The Eiffel bridge is nice (yes, same architect that the Eiffel tower).
You can take a tram to the Foz and walk near the ocean. Itās great even in winter, but can be windy.
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Donāt forget rainy as well.
@swissotter and make sure to eat some gooseneck barnacles. Salty goodness.
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Thank you everyone for the advice so far - I personally love to hear real experiences.
iām there only 3 days so maybe next time for Braga, Do you recommend the Douro river cruise?
I donāt mind portuguese tarts but i still prefer the canto version fm HK (i miss them alot)
lots of great tips thank you.
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I totally get it. Especially since I associate čę» with Sunday é»åæ with the family.
I had to look back at the photos from the trip to remember the places I visited in Porto. Just shows how I am getting on in yearsā¦
Might be worth checking out if you have time.
Casa de Musica is the symphony hall in Porto. Really cool architecture.
Also, if you are into Harry Potter, Porto provided Rowling with a lot of inspiration for her. The Library Lello and cafe majestic were worth a look but the lines to get in were a real drag.
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No idea, I had fun walking around.
I had a good weekend in Porto several years ago. I went to a football game there and saw the city. All very friendly. I did the city tour bus and did a cellar tour of one of the port producers. It was really enjoyable and I would gladly go back.
I have also done Lisbon and that was also really good.
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Better keep your eye on the weather watcher channelāN. PT has had horrific weather this winter. We gave up and moved out of PT after 3 years of rain, damp, and cold (which houses in PT are not built for, even the posh ones). Hereās her latest on Louis, which is hitting hard. She seems to be based in PT:
I already like Portugal you donāt have to keep selling it to me
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I like PT tooā¦fabulous food, wonderful people, fascinating history, nice sceneryābut not living there, because of the damp. Even posh Cascais was uncomfortable.
Wow - did not realise the weather in Portugal. Iāll be there in mid March - letās hope all is fine 
From the view times Iāve been there in winter, they tend to be quite mild, if windy (my son actually took off by the ocean 
He was three at the time and simply couldnāt resists the strength of the wind).
The main problem in Portugal in winter is humidity. Houses are damp, and itās actually way colder inside than outside. It shouldnāt be a problem in a hotel though.
Sorry to derail a bit your thread, dear OP. 
While at Portugal, what would be the top āmust seeā spots/things in Lisbon? And how easy is it to go to a fado concert while there - do you have to book a ticket months in advance?
What to eat? I see many people have already been there, can you expand a bit your knowledge, including Lisbon this time? Thanks.
no worries GM. I want to visit Lisbon also at some point- so itās useful to ask (also have edited the thread title ) 
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Iām surprised no one mentioned the Algarve. Wife and I have visited half dozen times and love the beaches. We tend to stay away from the touristy areas and find beaches just beautiful. If you love surfing, this is the place to go and learn if you havenāt yet surfed.
Food wise, seafood was good tho we really love the way the locals cook their chickenā¦actually bbq them. Delicious! Some of ZĆ¼richs Metzgers (butcherās for new arrivals to CH!) have a fair frozen version in their icebox if anyone is curious. Definitely worth a visit for beach lovers!
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Algarve is lovely, but way too far to go during a 2-3 days weekend trip. Even from Lisbon itās not that close.