Porto


Porto and Lisbon have many things in common: a proud history as being important to the establishment of the country of Portugal; being large economic centers; being port cities at the mouths of major rivers; historic churches, castles and monasteries; old neighborhoods rising above their riverbanks and accessible through narrow streets and steep stairways. Also, a dependence on tourism for a portion of their economy.  They seem to differ most in the emphasis on each of those things.

Porto, Portugal's second largest city, and its neighbor across the Douro River, Vila Nova de Gaia, share a busy tourist trade along the waterfront. Port wine caves just uphill from the waterfront are a major attraction in Vila Nova de Gaia. The center of Porto offers well-preserved churches that go back to the Middle Ages (as Porto was not devastated by the 1755 earthquake), and azuela covered buildings (such as the São Bento Train Station) attract flocks of tourists. The Ribeira on both sides of the river is lined with restaurants, bars, tour boats and buskers.  

Outside the tourist area, however, Porto is more business than pleasure. Everywhere you look there are construction cranes rehabbing old buildings that they are not allowed to tear down - mostly for inserting tourist rentals (like Airbnb) rather than housing for the people of Porto.  Strict preservation laws make it costly to modify (and nearly impossible to tear down) buildings - so most building rehab is done for the lucrative tourist market. The result is that many structures are vacant facades on the verge of falling down, and there is a strong smell of mold in some neighborhoods from the crumbling old mansions waiting for an investor.

Porto just generally seems less playful than Lisbon. In Lisbon, with huge cruise ships dropping off thousands of tourists almost daily, there is a larger portion of the city that caters to the tourists' schedule. While you may not get a full menu at a restaurant at 5 p.m., you will undoubtedly find a "Happy Hour" special from 4 - 6 p.m. in Lisbon. In Lisbon you will be approached constantly be maître d's  offering to show you a menu if you'll just stop into their restaurant. You will be able to find a table even after 11 pm in some parts of the city.  In Porto, you had better have your foot in the door by 8:30 p.m. if you hope to get seated (outside the main tourist areas). Once inside a restaurant (or seated at a patio table) you are welcome to relax as late as you please, but if you are looking for a table (at someplace other than a bar) at 9 pm, you'll find yourself playing ocular hockey with a waiter while standing in the doorway for 15 minutes trying to find out if they are still seating people. The waiter who is avoiding you will eventually look in your direction and let you know that they are not. You will eventually find a tasca that stays open late and serves amazing homemade soup and espetada (grilled skewers) of veal or octopus. Get to dinner early, and you may find yourself treated to a seafood "salad" that is an amazing array of fresh seafood on top of 2-3 lettuce leafs - my kind of salad!

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