Located in northwest Portugal, Porto is famous for its beautiful scenery and port wine production. I had heard wonderful things about the city for many years now and knew that I had to include it in my Portuguese itinerary. While it isn’t as famous as Lisbon, the country’s capital, Porto is well worth visiting. I could have spent several days here, but 36 hours was enough to get a small glimpse of all that the city has to offer.

Day 1 – A Laundry Mishap & A Lovely Dinner

My mom and I arrived in the city in the late afternoon and headed to our Airbnb, which was right across the street from a metro station and a park. It was in a very peaceful part of the city, and it was nice to have some space to spread out after spending the last week in hotels.

We decided to take advantage of the washing machine which quickly turned out to be a big mistake! The washer was set to the synthetics cycle, where it ran for over two hours and rinsed the clothes four times before we forced the machine off. Then, the clothes got stuck because the door wouldn’t open. We ran a 20 minute cycle this time and finally got our clothes out after two and a half hours of waiting. If you do laundry in Portugal, I highly suggest using the rapid cycle!

After that debacle, it was time for a “late” dinner (by American standards). We headed to Zé Bota, a Portuguese restaurant that was recommended by our Airbnb host. I got the veal and my mom got the risotto, and both were amazing! We went to bed with a great first impression of the city.

A cute square near the Historic Centre

My veal from Zé Bota

Day 2 – A Full Day of Sightseeing

We had a fairly early start to the morning, starting with 9:30 AM tickets for Livraria Lello, a famous bookstore that is reminiscent of Harry Potter. The store was crowded but beautiful. Afterwards, we found a nearby bakery and I had my first pastel de nata (a famous Portuguese pastry). We then went to Clérigos Church and decided to climb the 200 steps to the top. The views were worth it!

The famous Livraria Lello bookstore

The very tall Clérigos bell tower

View from the top of Clérigos Tower

From there we walked by several landmarks, including the Carmo Church, the Chapel of Souls, and the Church of Saint Ildefonso. We marveled at all of the beautiful, unique architecture as we wandered around the city. Then, we visited the Porto Cathedral, which is a Roman Catholic church that overlooks the city center. We both had tears in our eyes from the beautiful scenery and the accompanying violin players.

Beautiful Porto architecture

Carmo Church

Chapel of Souls

Church of Saint Ildefonso

After visiting the Cathedral, we crossed the Luís I Bridge and had lunch across the river. My sandwich had a “Portuguese mountain cheese” on it. This cheese is made from sheep’s milk, and its strong flavor is not for the faint of heart! After that interesting lunch, it was time for our pre-booked tour of the Poças Port Cellars. This included a guided tour of the cellars and a tasting of three different port wines. I loved them all (especially the vintage), but some people find them too sweet.

Next we rode the Gaia Cable Car, which takes riders up and down between the Luís I Bridge at the top and the riverside at the bottom.We boarded the cable car at the riverside, which is the way to go if you want to avoid walking up a steep hill! We enjoyed beautiful views of the Douro River and Porto’s city center along the way.

Riding the Gaia Cable Car

The Douro River

After a busy day of sightseeing, we were definitely ready for dinner. We had reservations at Cantinho do Avillez, which is included in Michelin’s restaurant guide of the city. We both had the risotto which was incredible. The only issue was we ate too much delicious bread for our appetizer and couldn’t finish our main courses. Lesson learned! Overall, we had a fantastic second day in the city and were both sad to leave.

Risotto from Cantinho do Avillez