While I mourn the fact that Spring Break is over, at least I’ll always have the amazing memories, picture-perfect moments and perfect pictures. I’m blessed that my first stop for Spring Break was Porto, Portugal— the main port of Portugal. Porto was such an unexpected gem. The weather was super pleasant, the people were so nice and helpful, the sights were mesmerizing and the views were breathtaking. Porto is a very small city but had a huge impact and beautiful culture. In this post, I’ll tell you some things to do, things to eat and share some of my favorite shots from the two days and two nights I spent in Porto.
Since I’m running on a college student budget, I stayed in a hostel like a true traveler who needed to save money. The Hostel was surprising really nice! It was called the Garden House Hostel and was just a 15-minute walk to the center of the city and close to the beautiful Douro River. Our first stop was to walk right to the Douro River overlook and the view was absolutely breathtaking as you can see above. I could’ve sat up there for hours. Porto is very hilly, and we were at the top of one overlooking the city. It was so mesmerizing. Porto had so much history in it and had such a loving town feeling to it. I felt like a free spirit the entire time.
Some of the things I did that I LOVED:
- Luis I Bridge: had the most beautiful view of Porto, I’ll never forget it. And if you walk on the hills nearby it is very freeing.
- Porto SĂŁo Bento: This is a train station that has 20,000 hand-painted tiles that date back to the Moorish influence in Portugal!
- Ribeira: Old neighborhood in Porto that has such tiny but cute houses.
- Cais da Ribeira: A street in Porto that has a lot of different stalls and great restaurants to check out.
- Liberdade Square: This square is right by the main train station and is very happening.
- Church of Saint Ildefonso: A beautiful church that had beautiful tiles lining the front.
- Funicular dos Guindais: Last but not least, this was my favorite part. It is a small price for the ticket to take the gondola up the town and get this amazing view. Total MUST DO.
I could not have imagined that the small town of Porto would leave such a mark on my heart. The people of the town are proud to be from there and showcase their culture with so much pride. Be wary of the many uphill climbs you will have to do, but each view was so worth it and now my legs look great. Before I forget, one thing you MUST eat is a nata!! A nata is the most delicious thing ever— it is a Portuguese pastry which can be described as a custard tart. You taste the flaky shell that has a sugary touch and then the custard filling follows while melting into your mouth. In the span of my 4 days in Portugal, I must have had like 3 to 4 a day (worth the calories because you end up walking it all off). I have so many pictures so I’m glad I got to share some of them with you guys.
Soon, I’ll share my stories and pictures from Lisbon and Sevilla! Traveling more and more just keeps fueling my wanderlust omg. I’m trying to build my Instagram feed now as well thus trying to take more photos. I can’t believe my time abroad is coming to an end in 5 weeks! I’m so grateful for this experience and ready to see what comes next. As always, much love to you all.
-TRR
The Real Rumiya 