Our First Portuguese Holiday… And We Loved It!
Our First Portuguese Holiday
I have to start by saying that although I work for Acklams, this particular holiday was found and booked for me by my lovely colleague Jayne, who found us an absolutely AMAZING deal! 🙌
We stayed for 4 nights over the August Bank Holiday at the beautiful 5⭐ Timbre Virtudes Hotel, right in the heart of Porto's Old Town, with flights from Manchester with easyJet included.
When I tell you this was a bargain… honestly, you wouldn’t believe me! 😂
We had actually booked it around 18 months ago, so by the time it came around, I’d almost forgotten about it! But I am SO glad we went because we absolutely loved Porto and managed to fit so much into our five days.
🛵 Exploring Porto
We hired a moped, which was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! My husband is an experienced motorcyclist — and honestly, you probably need to be if you're going to tackle some of the roads around Porto! 😂 They can be a little hairy at times!
Thankfully, he has previously negotiated his way through Paris and Rome on a motorbike, so I had every confidence we'd survive Porto! 😅
It gave us the freedom to see so much more than we could have managed on foot, and we headed down the Douro Valley, explored both sides of the river and made our way back towards the coast.
BUT… you absolutely do not need to hire a moped to get around Porto! The city has fantastic transport links, including the lovely old Porto trams, which are a great way to get around and explore different parts of the city. 🚋
🌉 The famous Dom Luís I Bridge
Of course, we had to walk across Porto's most famous bridge — the incredible Dom Luís I Bridge. The views over the Douro River and across Porto are absolutely stunning.
We then headed over to the south side of the river and wandered around Vila Nova de Gaia, exploring the famous Port Houses and enjoying lunch overlooking the river.
🍽️ And yes… I tried the Francesinha!
If you're visiting Porto, you simply HAVE to try one! 😂
For anyone who doesn't know, it's basically a huge sandwich layered with steak, ham and sausages, covered in melted cheese and then drowned in a rich sauce.
Sounds a bit much? Trust me… it IS a bit much! 🤣 But you absolutely need to try it at least once. It was rich, filling and a little sickly by the end, but very tasty!
🏟️ Home of FC Porto
We also visited the home of FC Porto and had a look around the impressive stadium — definitely one for football fans! ⚽
Even if football isn't normally your thing, it's an impressive place to visit and another great example of just how much there is to see outside the immediate Old Town area.
🏖️ A little beach time in Matosinhos
We also made it out to Matosinhos Beach, which was beautiful — masses of soft white sand and a lovely place to relax for a few hours.
Naturally, we enjoyed a Super Bock whilst we were there! 🍺🍻
The Atlantic was a little too lively for me — definitely great for surfers, but I was more than happy with a paddle and a toe dip! 😂🌊
🚂 São Bento Station
Anyone who knows me knows I love a fancy train station… so of course, São Bento Station was on the list! 😍
The incredible blue and white azulejo tiles covering the main hall are absolutely beautiful and definitely worth seeing, even if you're not catching a train!
🍟 The famous Imperial
Another place we had to visit was Imperial — Porto's rather unique version of McDonald's! 😂
It has its own name due to the historic building it occupies, and inside you'll find a really striking Art Deco design. Definitely one of the more unusual places we've ever stopped for a McDonald's coffee!😂
🍷 Port tasting with a view
One of my favourite experiences was visiting Graham's Port Lodge.
We enjoyed wandering around the grounds before settling down on the terrace to sample their gorgeous 20-year-old Tawny Port… with the most amazing views looking back across Porto. 🍷😍
🎶 A traditional Fado experience
We also fitted in a traditional Fado evening, experiencing Portugal's beautiful and emotional traditional music.
It was such a lovely experience and something I would definitely recommend adding to your Porto itinerary.
🏨 Our beautiful hotel
The Timbre Virtudes was absolutely amazing. The location was perfect for us, right in the old part of the city, and the rooftop terrace gave us the most incredible sunset views over Porto. 🌅
It isn't the most accessible location, as it's tucked away amongst narrow, cobbled back streets — but that was part of its charm for us!
The hotel sits at the bottom of the Virtudes steps, which lead up towards the park, and the surrounding area was full of lovely gardens, cocktail bars, brunch cafés and gorgeous little tapas restaurants. 🍸🌿🍴
☀️ All in all… we absolutely loved Porto!
From exploring on the moped and travelling on the trams, walking across the famous bridges, visiting FC Porto's stadium, Port tasting, beaches, amazing food, beautiful sunsets and traditional Fado music, we managed to squeeze SO much into five days.
It was our first holiday in Portugal, the weather was absolutely superb, and I am pretty sure it won't be our last! 🇵🇹❤️
I think we'll definitely be back…
And finally - thank you again, Jayne, for finding us such an amazing deal! 🥰🙌
Lou
