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Portugal : Porto - January 2008

Country Code: Dial 1 for Portugal

It is said that Porto works while Lisbon plays, but there’s plenty to enjoy here. Its varied indoor attractions come into their own in January and you can warm up with a tipple of port in the place that gave the drink its name. Matthew Hancock raises a glass to Portugal’s second city

Getting around

Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport

Bus: The 601 bus runs to the city centre every half hour, the 602 runs every 15 minutes. The journey takes about an hour and tickets cost €1.30.
Train: The metro runs into the airport terminal and takes 25 minutes to reach the city centre. Tickets cost €1.35. Trains run from 6.00am to 1.00am.
Taxi: A taxi to the town centre costs about €20 and will take approximately 20 minutes.
Tourist information: 25 Rua Clube dos Fenianos (tel.//, www.visitportugal.com).

RIBEIRA

The highly atmospheric riverside, with its dense buildings tumbling down to the gently flowing Douro river, has been rightly granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

Sleep soundly – The Pestana Porto (1 Praça da Ribeira, tel. , www.pestana.com, rooms from €193) has modern comforts neatly hidden behind the façade of historic waterfront buildings, and most rooms have river views.

Culture vultures – The 14th-century Igreja de São Francisco (Rua do Infante D. Henrique) is one of Porto’s most elaborately decorated churches, with lavish Baroque adornments.

Must eat – Reserve in advance to bag a table at Dom Tonho (13-15 Cais de Ribeira, tel. ), a fashionable riverside conversion specialising in superb fresh fish.

Must drink – Vinologia (46 Rua de São João) is the connoisseur’s choice for trying and buying the city’s best wines and ports.

Shop til you drop – O Galo (68 Rua Mouzinho da Silveira) stocks a wide range of Portugal’s beautifully distinctive painted ceramics.

ALIADOS

This is the commercial heart of the city and the colourful quarter positively bustles.

Sleep soundly – The very central Grande Hotel de Paris (27–29 Rua da Fábrica, tel. , www.ghparis.pt, rooms from €55) oozes character, with its comfy rooms and pretty period touches. And it has a garden, too.

Culture vultures – The entrance to Estação de São Bento, the city’s early 19th-century station, is decked out in fantastic glazed tile panels depicting scenes from Portugal’s history.

Must eat – Known for only using wood-fired ovens, Antunes (525 Rua do Bonjardin, tel. ) serves superb roasts and warming baked apples.

Shop til you drop – The picture-book Art Nouveau façade of A Pérola do Bolhão (279 Rua Formosa) hides a veritable treasure trove of pungent cheeses and hams.

BOAVISTA

The suburb of Boavista is great for shopping and is also home to Porto’s second football team, Boavista FC, who play at the modern Estádio do Bessa.

Sleep soundly – The Sheraton Porto Hotel And Spa (146 Rua Tenente Valadim, tel. , www.sheratonporto.com, rooms from €150) exudes five-star class. It has its own sumptuous spa facilities and a healthy juice bar.

Culture vultures – Don’t miss Rem Koolhaus’s fabulously modern Casa da Música (604 Avenida da Boavista). The venue, which stages varied concerts and events, is every bit as popular with visiting architects as it is with tourists.

Must drink – Situated squarely between Boavista and the centre lies one of the city’s most genteel bars -Solar do Vinho do Porto (Rua de Quintas). It offers a huge variety of ports sold by the glass, with beautiful views of the city on the side.

FOZ DO DOURO

JK Rowling is said to have haunted Porto’s smart Atlantic suburb while thinking up Harry Potter, and it certainly makes a great blowy day out by the sea with lots of ocean-front bars, cafes and restaurants.

Sleep soundly – The Hotel BoaVista (58 Esplanada do Castelo, tel. , hotelboavista.com, rooms from €92) is a tasteful villa which has fantastic ocean views. Set a couple of blocks from the seafront, the Residencial Portofoz (155 Rua do Farol, tel. , www.portofoz.com, rooms from €67) offers simple comforts, with old fireplaces and ocean glimpses.

Culture vultures – Take Porto’s tram number 1 up the river to get to Foz, guarded to the south by the Forte São João Baptista and to the north by the Castelo do Queijo (otherwise known as ‘Cheese Castle’).

Dance the night away – Head straight to the Trintaeum bar and club (564 Rua Passeio Alegre). The club frequently plays host to big name DJs.

Compiled by Matthew Hancock