The Soul of Northern Portugal: Discovering Porto

Primavera Sound Festival and so much more

Late spring, early summer, I visited Porto in north Portugal for the Primavera Sound festival. As you know, primavera means spring and it’s the season of hope, life, and good vibes. Which is exactly what the festival and Porto meant to me. I’ve visited Primavera in Barcelona a few years back, it’s a great well organised festival with interesting artist. On one of the festival days in Barcelona a couple of years ago, all of the headlining artist where women. Of course I loved it, especially seeing and hearing such an iconic woman as Jane Birkin. Anyhow, this time I went to the festival in Porto since it’s a city I have wanted to visit for a very long time.

The meaning of primavera was especially important to me this year as I had been spending all winter rehabilitating my fractured foot and living with constant nerve pain in my back. I did not even know if I even would be able to attend the festival, but I did. Furthermore I enjoyed the festival, music, food and people. Primavera was set in the Parque da Cidade do Porto, a beautiful park in Matosinhos which is by the sea. I could even take a couple of surf photos with my iPhone on my way to the festival. A couple of days later I came back with my proper camera to Matosinhos and took some surf photos, my favorite way to start a day, photographing by the sea.

Porto is a very beautiful city. A man once told me “you can’t compare countries“, but if I were to compare Portuguese cities I’ve visited Porto wins by far. It’s beautiful, easy to get around, good restaurants and shopping. Of course there’s water too. All of the things I enjoy while travelling. Another advantage with visiting Portugal is that the Portuguese speak English, most all of the people I’ve met are very good at English so it’s easy to communicate. And good communication is key to everything.

Fun & Interesting Facts about Porto:

1. Port Wine was born here
   Porto is the birthplace of the world-famous Port wine. Surprisingly, most of the wine cellars are actually located across the Douro River in Vila Nova de Gaia — not in Porto itself. And, Port wine is a great tasting wine in my opinion, it’s the perfect ending to a good dinner, or to accompany a pastel de nata at a local cafe in Porto.
2. One of the world’s most beautiful book stores
   The Livraria Lello is often listed among the most stunning bookstores in the world. It’s said to have inspired J.K. Rowling when she lived in Porto and worked as an English teacher.
3. The Francesinha — a legendary sandwich
   Porto is famous for its monstrous sandwich called Francesinha (“little Frenchie”), which is layered with various meats, cheese, and covered in a spicy beer-based sauce. It’s a must-try local dish. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to try it but I’m hoping for next time. In general, Porto has very good restaurants and cafes where you can spend a lot of time enjoying the food and the scenery.

4. The city gave its name to the whole country
   The name “Portugal” comes from Portus Cale, the ancient Roman settlement located where Porto stands today.
5. Tiles, tiles everywhere
   Porto is known for its azulejos—beautiful blue and white ceramic tiles that decorate churches, train stations, and ordinary houses. São Bento Railway Station is one of the best examples. But you’ll get a chance to see the beautiful tiles everywhere in the city, I had to stop myself from taking photos of every beautiful tile I saw otherwise my camera roll would have been filled with photos of Portuguese tiles.
6. Home to the world’s oldest wine company
   Kopke, founded in 1638, is the oldest port wine company in the world and still operates from Porto. Amazing isn’t it?

7. The six bridges city
   Porto is famously spanned by six impressive bridges over The Douro River. The Dom Luís I Bridge, designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel, is the most iconic. I took a boat cruise along the river and enjoyed the beautiful sights, it’s a very good way to orientate yourself in a new place.

8. A city of staircases and steep streets
   Porto is nicknamed the “City of Bridges and Stairs” because of its hilly geography and endless stone steps—perfect for those who want a scenic workout. Surprisingly, I was not difficult for me to move around, considering my back problems and newly fractured foot, I could walk down all those steps from the city centre to the river. Maybe it was my curiosity that drove me, I wanted to see what was behind the next flight of stairs and see the amazing views of the city. Here you’ll find a guide to Portos top photo locations, I have to agree that they are great since my curiosity took me to most of them during my walks.

9. Harry Potter connections
   Besides the Livraria Lello bookstore, the black capes worn by Porto university students are believed to have inspired Hogwarts uniforms.
10. UNESCO World Heritage Site
    Porto’s historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, thanks to its rich history, unique architecture, and cultural importance. This is very apparent when you visit the city and I hope I’ve managed to capture the uniqueness of the city in my photos. The buildings are a mix of grand houses and smaller wooden houses, some are renovated and some are beginning to get renovated, the old beautiful buildings are being restored to their former glory. It was a very stimulating environment for a photographer like myself.

Getting around

The public transport is very easily accessible, I took a lot of bus rides since it’s an easy and cheap way to get an overview of the city. Just remember, if you don’t have a travel card you need cash for the bus. Most times Google Maps gave me accurate timetables too. There’s an convenient train running between the airport and the city. When I got to Porto I took an Uber from the airport, but I was so happy being able to walk again that I forgot my yoga mat, so I had to go to the airport the next day and then I took the train to the airport. It was very easy and also an enjoyable ride since I got to see the surroundings of Porto. Public transport is generally how I do my sightseeing in a new place, affordable and enjoyable. Both Bolt and Uber are also available in Porto, and they are fast and very affordable.

I stayed in the city centre but next time I’ll probably stay in Matosinhos. It was very nice to stay in the city centre of Porto, but I very much enjoyed being close to the sea in Matosinhos which I visited even if the festival had passed. It seemed like a fun and happening neighbourhood.

There’s an aquarium in Porto too. Since I’m so fascinated by the sea and its inhabitants I just had to visit. I had a lovely time there watching the fishes at Sea Life Aquarium in Matosinhos, Porto.

In short – because this could be the longest blog post ever – Porto is a fun beautiful city and you should visit. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves since, “A picture is worth a thousand words” as the saying goes.