Portugal – Day 3 – Walking Around Porto and Villa Nova de Gaia
Day 3 Itinerary
From Icon Duplo Hotel:
20 minute walk uphill from hotel to Mercado do Bolhão was a must-see during our trip. This recently-renovated traditional market, originally built in 1850, is home to stalls, shops, and restaurants, all managed by local traders, some of whom have been operating for decades and selling everything from fresh produce and cheese, fish, and flowers. We felt like It’s not just a place to shop; it’s where you soak up the essence of Porto.
Fresh fish caught today- How about Eel?
- Picking up some octopus for my friend Jimmy
- Raw mussels and sea urchin ready for eating
- Sardines in every imaginable sauce
- Cheeses of impeccable quality and exquisite taste
- Lauri at the front of the Balhoa market
- Our hike from the hotel to the Port Lodges
- The view from our lunch spot
- A light lunch before port wine touring
- Pastel de Nata – famous Portuguese pastries
- Pastel de Nata come filled with anything from seafood and meats to fruits and chocolates
We hiked across the river to Vila Da Gaia for lunch on the Douro River at Natas D’Ouro. We tried a couple flavors of Natas. Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry that is ubiquitous across just about every restaurant and coffee shop and come with dozens of different fillings. We tried them with savory fillings of meat and seafood to sweet fillings of fruit and custard. They were all excellent.
One can visit a variety of port-wine lodges across the river. Narrow streets with medieval architecture provide interesting sites and experiences into old Portugal.
Across the Duoro river from Porto is the the city of Vila Nova de Gaia, a hub of the port wine industry. There cellars all over the area offer tours and tastings. There is a scenic riverside road Cais de Gaia, with cafe terraces that have expansive views across the Douro River.
Unique to Porto, these lodges that line the Douro River are full of history and heritage. There is a huge choice from well-known British brands like Sandeman to Portuguese brands like Ferreira. Some have museums in the cellars, others offer premium tastings so you can really get an idea of their top ports.
We chose Bom Dia, a boutique port wine producer. They produce only 50,000 bottles a year verses a massive producer like Sandeman or Taylor that produce over 20 million bottles a year and ship all over the world. Bom Dia only produces high end port from a couple of specific varieties of grapes. The only place you can buy their port is right here at their cellar. So of course we had to get a bottle – chose their white grape port – a delicious variety that it is hard to find in the US.
- Bom Dia – a boutique port maker
- Did a port tasting and tour that was fun and educational
- Rabbit sculpture next to Bom Dia
- Port wine tasting
- Waiting to start our port wine tour
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We had dinner at a local Portuguese restaurant called Adega S. Nicolau. We were careful to ask locals where to eat and we got some great recommendations.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
If you want to save energy all you need to do is start living like Europeans. You have to put your room key in a slot to turn on electricity. When you remove your room key every light and socket quits working. Every toilet in Portugal has a two button flush – one for short flush and one for a long flush. Energy and utilities are expensive in Europe.
Out with Old and In with the New
Lauri in front of the ICON Duplo Hotel – our boutique hang out for three days in Porto
Final Thoughts for Our Third and Final Day in Porto
Lauri: I can’t get enough of strolling around the riverfronts on both Duoro River sides. The street musicians, endless cafes, beautiful boats and architecture are enchanting, and so charming. After the port tour and tasting, Mark exclaimed his famous mantra, “That was much better than I thought!”
Mark: The port wine tour was a lot more interesting and fun than I anticipated. I didn’t plan ahead and reserve a wine tasting because I thought there would be no problem getting in with so many port cellars and it being October after the busy season. But I was wrong! A beautiful day and the city of Vila de Gaia was packed and several of the port wine cellars we first visited were sold out for the day. That turned out to be to our advantage. Luckily Lauri had written down a couple of notes and we found the boutique port maker called Bom Dia which turned out to be the tastiest port I have ever tried. I never new white port existed.
