Porto - Practicalities
March 2012
Porto is my first door to Portugal. It is the second city after Lisbon and located more on the north of the country. We were blessed with sunshine, in March which is normally chilly and raining. Porto is a hilly city. Streets are up and down. Take a pair of comfortable shoes. This article aims to share some practical information for planning a trip. I'll talk more on the city separately.
ACCOMMODATION
We were blessed with an excellent apartment and a landlord. Our apartment is at Rua dos Caldeireiros, near Sao Bento Station, the Clerigos Tower for a panorama view of Porto and key sightseeing points. Wifi internet access is free.
Our apartment is quite big and well equipped. It is colourful too, different colours for different rooms. Our landlord, Cesar, welcomed us warmly with a bottle of white wine and 5L water. Basic cooking ingredients were provided. Cooker, utensil, toaster were available. What a blessing! Our one week's stay was pleasant and delighted. Check it out at here
TRANSPORT
One can reach the town from the Porto Airport by Metro. Follow the signs for the Metro. You will see a few ticket machines and staff preparing to offer assistance. Airport is at zone 3, a ticket costs €1.8. But one needs to pay €0.5 deposit and don't expect to refund it easily. Every 30 minutes serves a train. The journey lasts about 30 minutes. Make sure you have validated your ticket before you go on the train. You can recharge your ticket for further metro rides. So, don't flow the ticket away.
Trindade is a major transit point to connect with other metro lines. Be sure to validate your ticket again when transit.
There are two railway stations: Campanha (national and international trains) and São Bento (sururban trains). It is free of charge between São Bento and Campanha if you have a valid ticket for routes going further.
The suburbano is a cheaper alternative to trains, €3 to Braga and Guimaraes instead of €10 by IC trains. An one way journey takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. The suburbano ticket also requires €0.5 deposit, rechargeable and refundable. Suburbano departs from São Bento Station.
If you have a car, no worry, car park is everywhere. Going to cities nearby is not a problem if you don't drive. A few coach companies offer regular service to Armarante, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, etc. But bear in mind that the coaches are usually 20-30 minutes late. Here are two companies for reference: Rodonorte at Rua Ateneu Comercial do Porto 19 and Santos at Centro Comercial Central
FOOD
Similar to Italy, cafe and bar everywhere. Most bars offer burger and chips. Coffee is either Italian (Sergfredo being the mostly seen) or local (a sweeter version). Don't expect good quality hot chocolate or gelato like in Italy. Ice cream is only packed and from a few manufacturers.
Our restaurant experiences varied. One fine dining was superb and unforgettable, O Paparico. Kool, restaurant of Casa da Música, was OK but not great. Grilled fish at Matosinhos (our landlord's recommended restaurant was closed down) was bad. However, a small and humble bar Miss Opo offered good food at unbeatable price. A cafe at Braga sampled bread as good as Germany. Its lunch charged at €4, drinks excluded. Portuguese are very family oriented. Recommended restaurants can be closed on Sundays. So, check the opening days ahead.
Supermarkets found in the town centre are very small but can still satisfy basic shopping needs. Shop between 9am and 8 pm. One on the neighborhood may be opened on Sundays. Wet markets also scatter the city but become quiet in the afternoon.
PEOPLE
Portuguese are wonderfully nice and helpful people. They are please to offer help. A man in Braga proactively asked us if we knew about Bom Jesu and advised us not to miss it. A taxi driver, not fluent in English, took us to the street at the exact street number. Another driver was passionate about our positive views on Portugal. Portuguese love their countries and are zeal to tell you about it.
Although Portugal is among as one of the poorest countries in Europe, Portuguese music is melancholic, people I saw were happy and optimistic. Most service staff can speak very good English.
ACCOMMODATION
Our apartment is quite big and well equipped. It is colourful too, different colours for different rooms. Our landlord, Cesar, welcomed us warmly with a bottle of white wine and 5L water. Basic cooking ingredients were provided. Cooker, utensil, toaster were available. What a blessing! Our one week's stay was pleasant and delighted. Check it out at hereTRANSPORT
One can reach the town from the Porto Airport by Metro. Follow the signs for the Metro. You will see a few ticket machines and staff preparing to offer assistance. Airport is at zone 3, a ticket costs €1.8. But one needs to pay €0.5 deposit and don't expect to refund it easily. Every 30 minutes serves a train. The journey lasts about 30 minutes. Make sure you have validated your ticket before you go on the train. You can recharge your ticket for further metro rides. So, don't flow the ticket away.
Trindade is a major transit point to connect with other metro lines. Be sure to validate your ticket again when transit.
The suburbano is a cheaper alternative to trains, €3 to Braga and Guimaraes instead of €10 by IC trains. An one way journey takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. The suburbano ticket also requires €0.5 deposit, rechargeable and refundable. Suburbano departs from São Bento Station.
Porto centre can be visited mostly on foot. Bus ticket costs €1.8. Cost of metro will depend on the distance. A zone 6 ticket, the furthest, costs €2.45. Taxi price is reasonable, with a surcharge if you call one in the night.
If you have a car, no worry, car park is everywhere. Going to cities nearby is not a problem if you don't drive. A few coach companies offer regular service to Armarante, Vila Real, Viana do Castelo, etc. But bear in mind that the coaches are usually 20-30 minutes late. Here are two companies for reference: Rodonorte at Rua Ateneu Comercial do Porto 19 and Santos at Centro Comercial Central
FOOD
Our restaurant experiences varied. One fine dining was superb and unforgettable, O Paparico. Kool, restaurant of Casa da Música, was OK but not great. Grilled fish at Matosinhos (our landlord's recommended restaurant was closed down) was bad. However, a small and humble bar Miss Opo offered good food at unbeatable price. A cafe at Braga sampled bread as good as Germany. Its lunch charged at €4, drinks excluded. Portuguese are very family oriented. Recommended restaurants can be closed on Sundays. So, check the opening days ahead.Supermarkets found in the town centre are very small but can still satisfy basic shopping needs. Shop between 9am and 8 pm. One on the neighborhood may be opened on Sundays. Wet markets also scatter the city but become quiet in the afternoon.
PEOPLE
Portuguese are wonderfully nice and helpful people. They are please to offer help. A man in Braga proactively asked us if we knew about Bom Jesu and advised us not to miss it. A taxi driver, not fluent in English, took us to the street at the exact street number. Another driver was passionate about our positive views on Portugal. Portuguese love their countries and are zeal to tell you about it.
Although Portugal is among as one of the poorest countries in Europe, Portuguese music is melancholic, people I saw were happy and optimistic. Most service staff can speak very good English.
Comments
Kind regards,
César