The Convo: Porto Hotel & Suites

Porto takes great pride in feeding people properly, and nowhere more so than in the traditional taverns of the city centre – family-run restaurants serving generous portions of local fare, where owners greet you less like a tourist and more like a long-lost cousin.

The vibrant Praça dos Poveiros square is a great place to start. Begin your morning in one of many cafés with a freshly baked pastel de nata and rich espresso.

When midday rolls around, join the locals for a francesinha. This legendary sandwich is like a supercharged croque-monsieur – layered with ham, sausage and steak, smothered in melted cheese, and topped with a rich beer-and-tomato sauce. Alternatively, venture to the Mercado do Bolhão, just a short walk from the accommodation. Here, you can sample artisanal cheese and fresh olives on the go from the bustling ground-floor stalls, or pull up a chair at one of the upper-gallery restaurants for a leisurely lunch overlooking the market action.

For dinner, you can stick around the old town and watch the streets light up. Or, if you fancy some seafood, hail a cab or hop on the metro and venture out to Matosinhos. A UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, this coastal hub is packed with restaurants serving fresh Atlantic sea bass, traditional cod, and garlic-drenched prawns. The bar is so high that it’s hard to stumble into one that isn’t sublime. 

If meat and fish aren’t your thing, our neighbourhood happens to be one of the finest places in all of Portugal for plant-based food, with an abundance of restaurants serving vegan takes on Portuguese favourites, including the quirky O Porto dos Gatos, where you can enjoy lunch while befriending their resident menagerie of cats.

Porto takes its coffee seriously. It does cocktails, cold beer and rooftop bars very well too, but wine and Port remain the real headliners. 

For centuries, grapes from the Douro Valley have been transported downriver to age in the vast stone lodges of Gaia, which rise above the southern riverbank. These historic cellars are open for daily tours, where you can learn about the making process, the history and of course indulge in plenty of tastings. Built into Gaia’s steep hillsides, their open-air terraces offer magnificent views back across the water to Porto, providing a wonderful spot to kick back with a refreshing Vinho Verde or White Port and Tonic on a warm afternoon. 

For the ultimate day trip, follow the grapes upriver by taking an excursion straight from the city centre into the dramatic Douro Valley. Board a traditional tour boat to cruise down the river, stopping off at the terraced vineyards that cascade down the valley sides for delicious local food, guided tours, and tastings right at the source.

Porto is an excellent base for exploration. You can follow the Douro upstream into wine country, or head west to the Atlantic coast, but there’s also so much to do in the city itself. 

Built across steep hillsides above the river, it’s full of beautiful parks, hidden gardens and dramatic viewpoints. Close to our accommodation, Parque de São Roque is a historic estate turned public space, brimming with old-world charm, where families will love getting lost in the manicured maze. Further afield, the clifftop Jardins do Palácio de Cristal offer some of the city’s finest views, while Parque da Cidade – Portugal’s largest urban park – stretches all the way to the Atlantic coast.

For a cultured day out, you can go grand at the Museum of Contemporary Art, or grassroots, exploring the independent galleries and street art of Rua de Miguel Bombarda. The city is also a haven for great bookshops. Visit the world-famous Livraria Lello, whose ornate interior is said to have inspired J.K. Rowling, or seek out the quieter charms of Gostar de Ler – unassuming from the outside, but packed with rare finds and forgotten classics.

Guided tours are one of the best ways to explore the city. Choose from a history-filled walking tour, a traditional river cruise, or an e-bike excursion that zips through the twisting backstreets. 

For active travellers, there are even running tours. Founded by a passionate local history and street art buff, these early-morning jogs offer a fun way to exercise and discover Porto’s best spots entirely crowd-free.

When it comes to nightlife, Porto’s offering is wonderfully eclectic. You can sip cocktails overlooking the city at the Terraço do Jardim rooftop bar, sample organic wines inside a converted 19th-century chapel at Capela Incomum, or dance until dawn beneath stone railway arches at Gare nightclub. 

Most nights unfold in two distinct corners of the city. In the evening, crowds drift down to the riverfront in the Ribeira district, hopping between lively bars and terraces overlooking the Douro. As the sun sets, the famous Port wine cellars on the opposite bank glow in the fading light, while street musicians gather in the shadow of the Dom Luís I Bridge.

As the evening progresses, the focus moves to the district around Galeria de Paris and Rua de Cândido dos Reis, where every other door seems to lead to a bar. Takeaway drinks are carried out into the warm evening air, and before long the whole area takes on the feel of a street festival that rolls on long after dark.

For something a little different, head to Maus Hábitos. Part bar, part cultural venue, it hosts everything from film screenings and art exhibitions to live music and tango nights, attracting a creative crowd. Or for late-night revelry, find your way to Plano B, one of Porto’s best-known clubs, where multiple rooms play different genres until the small hours.