Last month, a fellow Canadian (and Vancouverite!) currently living in the metropolis of London contacted me through this website, inquiring about evening things to do in Porto as a solo traveller. After a couple of decades of this situation, I decided to do what I would’ve welcomed someone local to do for me: I invited myself along as an unofficial tour guide.
Of course, feel free to say no, but after two years of taking visitors around the city, I consider myself a pretty decent guide who’s learning more about the city the longer I’m a resident. And, no two tours are the same! But I do guarantee walking and food/drinks.
We met up at São Bento Railway Station and she’d just done a port wine tasting, which prompted my first food suggestion of lanche (the Portuguese afternoon meal) — to try the bifanas at Conga Restaurante near City Hall. I love this spicy pork sandwich so much I wrote about it for Air Transat. I have yet to find a tastier bifana anywhere.
We also popped into quirky Galeria de Paris for meia de leite (milky coffee), where some guitarists were performing live. It’s more popular and known as a nightlife spot, but I prefer their daytime ambience, at breakfast or lunch.
From there more walking and sightseeing, then dinner at Célia Cafe off Rua Miguel Bombarda for traditional Portuguese food like alheira and bacalhau com natas.
It was a funny, rare — super rare — evening of Vancouver-centric conversation. I haven’t lived in Vancouver for almost 11 years, but even while living in Toronto I paid a visit at least once a year. I’m flying to Vancouver in a month, after the longest absence in 20 years. Add that to the fact I’ve met just one Canadian living in Porto, a Portuguese-Canadian woman from Montréal who’s been here for at least 20 years, and you’ll see why this meet-up was more about talking than sightseeing.
Besides, everyone has to return — showing Porto in one evening is impossible!
{ More photos in the Autumn 2015 album. }
São Bento Railway Station
roasted chestnuts vendor by São Bento Railway Station
São Bento Railway Station
São Bento Railway Station
São Bento Railway Station
The Porto Shirt, by The Board Custom Shirts
Galeria de Paris
Galeria de Paris
Galeria de Paris
window of Livraria Lello & Irmão
Igreja do Carmo
November 12, 2015
Album: Portugal [Autumn 2015]
Possibly related posts:
- Escadas Do Codeçal: Take The Stairs In Porto When it comes to the historic centre, Porto’s terrain by the Douro River is rather steep. Bring comfortable shoes and be prepared for an urban hike that includes lots of...
- A Morning At Porto’s Bolhão Market Photos of Mercado do Bolhão, Porto’s municipal market in the heart of the city, have been conspicuously absent from this blog for no good reason. But yesterday I compensated for...
- Escadas dos Guindais: Take The Stairs In Porto I’ve written about Porto’s Escadas Do Codeçal, the stairs directly beside the Luís I Bridge, and now here’s another set of stairs you can take between Batalha and Ribeira. The...
- Beach Day My friend from Poland arrived last night and the first order of the day was to reach the ocean since she hadn’t seen it in years. We spent most of the...
- Porto In Black and White, With Jessica Mezey After the colour blast that was yesterday’s post, it’s time to give the cones a break and switch to monochrome. Because I work so much with colour, I forget to...
