Three Perfect Days In PORTO

Portugal’s second city has it all: architectural marvels, the gorgeous Douro Valley, and Michelin stars galore

- Chris Wright

I’m eating eggs on a hotel deck in Porto, looking down on the Douro River and beyond to the tumbling orange rooftops of Vila Nova de Gaia, when a seagull plonks itself two inches from my face. I toss a bit of bread over the rail, narrowly missing a nun picking cabbages in the garden next door, and the gull follows.

This won’t be the only time I find myself occupying a scenic lookout. Porto and Gaia, Porto’s sister city, rise sharply on either side of the Douro, creating a kind of amphitheatre with each opposing district the star of the show. You can’t go ten minutes without encountering a commanding view of bell towers, palaces, and blue-tiled row houses—all tilting toward the shimmering River of Gold.

Snaking east into the Douro Valley wine region, the river is the source of Porto’s main contribution to humankind: port. It also played a role in the Voyages of Discovery in the 15th century and the acquisition of wealth that followed.

In recent years, travellers have begun to discover Porto. Named the top city in Europe by the European Best Destinations organisation three times since 2012, it now draws 1.6 million visitors each year. Sure, there’s the exquisite architecture, the stunning views, the winding alleys, the Michelin-starred meals. More than that, though, there’s the communal feeling that befits a city of just over 235,000. In the Unesco designated neighbourhood of Ribeira, you can still go into a mum and-pop café and help yourself to a cheap beer from the fridge—proving that, here at least, you can be the best while still being yourself.