After EuRuKo in Viana do Castelo, I spent some time in Porto. In Viana do Costelo, some locals said that Porto is not as tourism-oriented as Lisbon. If that’s true, I can’t imagine how tourist-friendly Lisbon must be. I stayed near the historic centre of Porto, and it was quite touristic. The Wikipedia article about Porto has a little tourism section with links to articles and studies that indiciate that Porto has been fundamentally changed by an increase to tourism over the last twenty years. As a tourist-foreigner there, I can’t complain: it was an easy place to be a tourist.

Even on the outside of mainstream tourism destinations, Porto caters well to foreigners. For example, all of Cinema Trindade’s promotional and advertising materials were crystal clear about which films were being shown in English or had English subtitles available. Across the street from Cinema Trindade was a wine bar (FUNQ) operated by and filled with Porto expatriates. Batalha Centro de Cinema, a slightly more tourist-oriented cinema and cultural centre, seemed to have one Anglo-friendly showing every night of the week.

So Porto was a hospitable, pretty unique, and a very laid back place to take a vacation. If you’re going to Porto, I have a few recommendations:

  • I already mentioned The Batalha Centro de Cinema, which is not only a two-screen cinema but a cinema bookstore, bar, and gallery. There were posters all over the city for their David Bowie film series which was happening over the course of three or four months. Only having visited here twice, I don’t know the true health of this organization, but it gives me hope that the cinema isn’t actually dying. The book shop was special, as I don’t usually see so much literature dedicated to film in a single place.
  • The Guindalense Futebol Clube is a mostly outdoor pub on the edge of a cliff that looks out over the historic Dom Luís I Bridge and Vila Nova de Gaia and serves traditional Portuguese hotdogs and sandwiches. It’s a great view and a nice, cool place to sit.
  • Serralves is a great contemporary art museum. The programming that was on during my visit featured artists from all over the world, but to me the most interesting features were both Portuguese filmmakers. First, the permanant Casa do Cinema Manoel de Oliveira room and theatre, which celebrates the late Porto director and writer. In addition to bits of the filmmaker’s personal art collection and a synchronized projection of selected works, there is a video-library wall where visitors can watch entire films and browse information about Oliveira’s filmography. Second, Uma Coisa do Outro Mundo [A Thing From Another World], a video installation by Jorge Jácome featuring faux-documentary loops featuring disturbing (but funny) military personnel encounters with aliens.
  • Torto is an excellent cocktail bar. If you only go to one, make it this one.
  • If you’re looking for some gentle breakfast or lunch near Cedofeita, go to Hakko, a tiny lunch place with exceptional specialty coffee, a great plate of Turkish eggs, and a great record collection, or Bicho, a bright bakery and cafḗ just a block away.
  • If you’re still in Cedofeita, go to the Catraio beer garden for a huge selection of craft beer or Genuíno for an effortless family-style dinner paired with natural wines.
  • Also in the Cedofeita neighbourhood, Materia Prima is my favourite type of book and record shop. From their website: “Our interests are broadband, and not focused on any particular aesthetics. We operate with the most expansive and inclusive definition of culture, and work to make accessible to a widest public, the most adventurous, experimental, innovative and sometimes exotic artists, musicians, independent labels and publishers.”
  • Pastel de nata is a pastry that is literally everywhere in Portugal, it seems. Manteigaria is a chain of bakeries that made the best ones I tried. But honestly, each and every one I had was pretty good.