Porto

At one of many viewpoints above one of many historic churches

We loved the little restaurants that you’d discover hidden away on the winding streets of the old town

The dramatic Baroque Torre dos Clérigos is the tallest building in Porto

Charming ancient streets

A tiled cloister in the Sé do Porto, the medieval cathedral

We have spent very little time in Portugal. I passed through for a few days with my Dad decades ago, in winter. Jim once attended a work conference outside Lisbon. We have not done the place justice, and now we’re going to correct that.

This correction was conceived when our friends Hajir and Margaret announced last year that their wedding would take place in Portuguese wine country this April. Their wedding will no doubt be a memorable affair — and the perfect opportunity to plan a trip around the country in glorious spring weather. And glorious it has been. So far it’s sunny every day with temperatures in the 60s. And that is what is forecast for the foreseeable future.

So we planned a 17-day trip, which began with a direct flight from Newark to Porto. We only even had to endure a four-hour time difference, since Europe had not yet entered daylight savings time. (That was corrected a few days after our arrival, so now we’re five hours ahead of Eastern Time.)

Portugal’s second city anchors the north of the country, and it is truly loaded with personality. It sits at the mouth of the Douro river, where a city grew around the trade in port wine. The wines are produced in the Douro valley east of here, and then shipped down river to Porto, where a huge industry blossomed to market and export port to the rest of the world.

The medieval city sits on the hills north of the Douro, spilling down toward a promenade along the river packed with lively (but touristy) bars and restaurants. From there the dramatic steel Dom Luís I Bridge spans the river to the south bank and the separate city of Vila Nova de Gaia, where we actually stayed. This side of the river is lined with the export houses/tasting rooms/marketing centers for dozens of port makers. Both sides of the river, up and down the hills, are bustling, colorful, and beautiful. This is a stunning place, not to be missed.

Now I must say a word about Portuguese cuisine. It has not previously been one of my favorites. I think of it as very heavy. And totally dominated by cod. Whenever I’ve experienced Portuguese food, it seems I can’t escape from a big slab of cod topped with a gloppy sauce.

After checking into our hotel on arrival here, we inquired about where to get lunch. The guy at the hotel directed us to a row of restaurants along the river a few minutes away, and he wrote down which two he thought were best. So we picked one of those, where I ended up with a big slab of cod in a gloppy sauce. Whatever Jim had was also kind of heavy and unmemorable.

But once we invested a bit of time into restaurant research things ticked up wonderfully. We sniffed out places with amazing creative food and wonderful wines at very reasonable costs. So the culinary offerings have ended up rivaling the visual splendor of this captivating city.

Walking along the bank of Vila Nova de Gaia, across from the center of Porto

Our first lunch at a mediocre place. The food offerings improved dramatically after that.

Dinner at The Door. The flimsy table was very precariously tilted towards me on the sloped cobblestones. It was worth enduring the fear for the incredible food, service, and atmosphere.