portugal Do’s
- Walk! You‚ll get to know this pocket sized city in a day or so and burn some serious calories on the hills!
- Go to the port caves for a tour! A ‚tasting‚ seems to translate into full glass in Porto so make sure you bring a snack!
- Make sure that you walk across the top of the double-tiered bridge. You can take a trolley car up the mountain adjacent, so no climbing required. The views offered are unparalleled!
- Pack your schedule! No matter what, you‚ll be able to get around the city easily, so you may as well squeeze every ounce out of your time. Unlike a lot of cities where getting from one attraction to another can zap you of a bit of joy and a lot of energy, Porto is a dream for the ambitious traveler! Take advantage!
Portugal Don’ts
- Don‚t‚ Try to be a hero with your footwear. There are cobblestones and the aforementioned hills. If ever there was a time to put on your most sensible walking shoes, it‚s during a trip to Porto!
- Don‚t‚ Eat a Francesinha. The food is soooo good and so reasonable. Lining your arteries with the Portuguese answer to chicken fried steak with gravy just seems like a waste of a good appetite. For the love of God. Don‚t do it. I don‚t care what TripAdvisor says.
- Don‚t‚ Be put off if there‚s a bit of rain or weather. The highs and lows in Porto are what make the port produced in the region so good. You should expect to strap on your rain boots on a trip, but don‚t despair! Know that the rain clouds are contributing to the rich taste of the region.
- Don‚t‚ Rely on foreign bank cards. Porto is really a cash city. We couldn‚t even get the metro out of the airport (the airport!) with our foreign bank cards and there were no signs anywhere indicating this. After about a thousand goes at the machine, a kindly attendant finally filled us in. So! Change some cash before or do so in the airport.
- Don’t consume a Francesinha.