Portugal – Day 1 – Arrive in Lisbon – Train to Porto
Day 1 Itinerary
From Lisbon Airport:
Today was all about flight arrival, train to Porto, walking day around the Porto waterfront and checking into our hotel. We purposely rented a hotel room in the Ribeira district of downtown Porto so that we were within walking or biking distance of the sites we wanted to see. Our daughter and son-in-law honeymooned in southern Portugal and Spain which inspired us to investigate for an adventurous vacation in the same region. We quickly realized that the walking, hiking and biking in Portugal alone could fill up two weeks.
Woke up on the flight from business class lay down flat seats just before landing. Today was an experience of trains, planes, and metro rail from Lisbon to Porto. Living like the locals.
Definitely a 1,000 people in front of us in line
I must start out by saying, “We are having a great time”. So I share today’s passport experience with a smile. But…Portuguese passport control was a burdensome, disorganized mess. We arrived to passport control at Lisbon airport and there were over 1,000 people in front of us to go through customs. The process was very confusing with multiple passport entry points : one for electronic passport line, another for EU passports, and a catch all category: “all passport line”, all with long lines. There were no airport employees anywhere to answer a question. Welcome to international travel!
Lisbon Airport to Train at Lisbon Orient Train Station
From the Lisbon Airport, we took the Metro Red Line to the Lisbon Oriente train station.
Unfortunately, the next train to Porto was sold out so we had to wait two hours for a 3:30 PM train. Because of the unknowns like the delay at Passport Inspection, there was no way to buy a specific train ticket ahead of time. We ate at a little restaurant called “Jeronymo” with a beautiful view of Lisbon at an outdoor café in the train station.
The best way to get from the Campanhã train station in Porto to São Bento Station which is downtown and close to our hotel is the local train, takes 4 min including transfers and departs every 15 minutes. This transfer is free of charge if you have a mainline ticket to Porto Campanhã.
Our hotel location is in the Ribeira District. It is the oldest and most historic neighborhood of Porto-on the bank of the Douro River and known for its colorful buildings, narrow streets, and lively atmosphere. Definitely a place to explore on foot because of its extremely narrow streets with all of the local cafes and restaurants. Watching cars try to navigate the streets reminded me that we made a good decision to not rent a car and drive while in town. We passed two drivers having a heated discussion about one car scraping the other. The entire neighborhood is cobblestone streets and old buildings made from large stones-very active night life with lots of people strolling around into the evening.
Our hotel, the Icon Duplo Ribera is located in Porto, in the central and traditional neighborhood of Ribeira, next to the Maria Pia bridge built by Eiffel. Located on Calle San Joao, it is part of endless steep streets. Our hotel had two sections: the original building and newer modern addition. The hotel is beautiful European modern style. Our room is quiet because it is the only room on the third floor and located on a cobblestone street.
ICON Rebiera Hotel
Finished the day down by the river front at the Postigo do Carvão Restaurante. It was charming and rustically elegant with delicious cuisine! We had a local red wine and their nicest seafood offering: a grilled sea bass for two with potatoes and many vegetables. The seafood was excellent. We found the restaurant through our hotel concierge: Cesar. He guided us away from the tourist restaurants and gave us his three favorite hangouts. He didn’t disappoint! The price for the dinner was ridiculously inexpensive compared to US restaurant prices. About $40 for two, 17 ounce wine carafe at under $7.
Final Thoughts on our first day in Portugal:
Mark: This day was all about Planes, Trains and Metro rails. We landed late morning and spent most of the day getting through Passport to Porto. An interesting opportunity to see how Portuguese people commute.
Positives: Definitely dinner in the old Ribeira district at a traditional Portuguese restaurant on a narrow cobblestone street. I find the ICON Ribeira hotel to be a cool little boutique hotel in an old city.
Challenges: Definitely passport control at Lisbon airport. Navigating the rail system is very doable but requires some patience. There is not always the signage to guide you.
Lauri: I am so excited to be on this trip with Mark to explore more of Europe together! Portugal makes my heart melt – the people seem so helpful, kind and real. I cannot wait to enjoy more cuisine, port wine and see more of the city to learn about the culture and witness its charm.
