5 reasons why charming Porto might win you over Lisbon

‘Best second cities’ around the world are sometimes neglected for the ever so popular grand capitals of the world when visiting a new country, but even though I know that most of the travel addicts out there might want to start their Portuguese experience in Lisbon rather than in ‘the second gem’ of Portugal, I have thought about writing how sometimes it’s (very much) worth exploring the horizon before choosing your next destination.

After living in Porto for already one month and spending a weekend away in Lisbon as well, I am not biased at all, but somehow the idea of comparing the two objectively came to my mind because of all the Portuguese people who are usually asking me which one I liked the most (given that I’m not a local). I still don’t have that much knowledge about them but I sure do have some answers to why the majority of locals themselves would promote Porto for a little bit more accurate experience (at least the ones that I talked to up until now) and here’s why.

1. You’ll be taken by surprise by the warmth of the northern locals

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Yes, generally Portuguese people are naturals when it comes to welcoming people in their country and I have learned to honestly appreciate that since we all know there are some countries that can and will make you feel foreign no matter what (not trying to be politically correct here, just being honest), but speaking about the Northern part of Portugal now, Porto has for sure a different kind of people in comparison to Lisbon. Everyone speaks English everywhere so that’s a plus for both cities, but there’s something about the friendliness of the Norths. They are simply humble and can easily make you feel at home with the way they treat you - as if they have already known you for a lot of time. That’s something you won’t get everywhere for sure.

2. You’ll fall in love with the narrow paths and colorful buildings

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And there’s no doubt about that since Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so it can easily transport its guests in a colorful medieval atmosphere sprinkled with yellow and blue ‘azulejos’ – Portuguese tiles painted with hundreds of beautiful models that are so specific to this country.

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After you get lost in the city center, you’ll most probably find yourself on the defining Luís I Bridge that Teófilo Seyrig, the disciple of Gustave Eiffel himself built.

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Then, what other way of completing a Portuguese afternoon than enjoying a coffee in one of the lovely Art Nouveau cafes, followed by at least two pasteis de nata from Fabrica de Nata on Rua de Santa Catarina, since ‘certainly, one is never enough’ – as the local say. If I haven’t convinced you yet, maybe Café Majestic will - a classic of this city because of its chic ambiance and mouthwatering pastries…

3. You’ll fall into a reflective late afternoon walk on the Ribeira

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Porto has a special place in my heart because of the super Ribeira area that has some of the most splendid urban landscapes I have ever seen. The restaurants and terraces are of course a little bit too crowded with tourists all the time – this is what made Porto’s economy sky rocket after all, but there is something in the air, that tranquility of a late afternoon walk, waiting for the sunset by the water, watching the witty seagulls flying circles over the fishing ships, listening to the street guitar singers and simply an odd combination of ‘melancholy and relief’ – the sprinkle of saudade of course. You recharge and refresh because there not as many disturbing tourists as you might find in the capital for sure.

4. You won’t look at wine the same way after you get educated in a fine wine cellar

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For sure Porto doesn’t have as many sights as Lisbon, but I think this is where the magic actually happens. I am for sure more into enjoying the atmosphere and not standing in queues visiting touristic objectives, but of course there are plenty of things to do here too depending on your traveling style. One of the best experiences I had so far was definitely trying one of the wine cellars of Gaia (the city area that is just across the Dom Luis I Bridge).

Even though the making of Port Wine starts in the Douro Valley, the city of Porto is the one that ages and ships it around the world. Caves Ferreira, Espaço Porto Cruz, Cálem or Sandeman are some examples of wine cellars that do a pretty good job with offering great insight into the industry while also building that vintage magic around the wine tasting. What is the best thing about it is that you can only buy their wines from there and not from a normal supermarket, so the quality of the wine is guaranteed.

5. The city comes alive at night but not very much as it’s already alive during the day

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I’ve heard Lisbon might cast a shadow over Porto for this one since it is, of course, the capital so it attracts a whole lot more people to make a great ‘paint the town red’ night, but the northern capital is such a student city that it might actually be just what you need for a rather ‘cozy’ night out with your squad at the Erasmus Bar or Espaço 77. I am sure you won’t trust this argument even if I mention the 1 euro beer you can buy from these two, but what you can be sure of is how well you’ll be treated there.

A great example is how one night we had a birthday boy, Ondra, with us when we went out at Erasmus Bar for pre-drinks once to celebrate him and after they realized it’s his birthday, the barman told us to come back to the bar just when we want to head home after our night out because he will give us a ‘Coco Loco’ for free. Well, Sir, you can be sure we did come back because that was a 12 euro fish bowl you can only get for free in this amazing city!

(here's our whole Erasmus-house squad heading out to party! )

These having been said, I think I made my point here and there’s no wonder that Porto is by far a great city for your holiday, let alone for your Erasmus. Still, as you might have noticed, I haven’t been that harsh on Lisbon either since I am looking forward to discovering this place in its raw form maybe even more than I have already had the chance to.

In the hope that I didn’t let down some of you Lisbon sympathizers out there, you can be sure that I am well aware of the wonders you can discover in the capital too and probably 3 days were not enough to judge it for good, but for now that’s my impression and if some of you might disagree I warmly invite you in the comments to tell me if you prefer one or another and I’ll look forward to discover/ experience/ try it for myself too.

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