Porto, worth knowing.

Fun facts about Porto

1. 1Porto's São Bento train station is covered in about 20,000 hand-painted azulejo tiles by Jorge Colaço, showing scenes from Portugal's history and everyday rural life. Come for a train, stay for the walls.Source: Lonely Planet; Lonely Planet
2. 2Porto's francesinha was born when a local who had lived in France looked at a croque monsieur and went bigger: bread stacked with meats, smothered in melted cheese and a hot, spiced sauce. Bring a knife and fork.Source: Time Out Porto; Lonely Planet
3. 3People from Porto are nicknamed tripeiros, the tripe-eaters, and tripe stew Porto-style is still on the city's traditional menus.Source: Lonely Planet; Time Out Porto
4. 4On the night of 23 June, Porto celebrates São João by bopping passers-by on the head with squeaky plastic hammers, for luck. Paper lanterns drift up over the Douro all night.Source: Lonely Planet; Wikipedia
5. 5Port wine is named after Porto, but it has been aged for centuries across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, where the old cellars line the waterfront. Stop by one for a tour and a taste.Source: Lonely Planet; Wikipedia

Things to do in Porto

• ◦Livraria Lello, a neo-Gothic bookshop open since 1906, has a forked wooden staircase under a huge stained-glass window. Your entry ticket doubles as a voucher toward a book.Source: Livraria Lello; Wikipedia
• ◦Inside Porto's old stock exchange, the Palácio da Bolsa, the Arab Room glows with gold leaf in a Moorish-revival design. Traders once met under the iron and glass dome of its Hall of Nations.Source: Lonely Planet; Wikipedia
• ◦Climb the Clérigos Tower, the Baroque landmark by architect Nicolau Nasoni that has watched over Porto's skyline since 1763, and see the city from the top.Source: Torre dos Clérigos; Wikipedia
• ◦Ride vintage tram 1 along the Douro to Passeio Alegre, a short walk from the Foz beaches. The old wood-panelled cars have big windows you can open for the breeze.Source: Lonely Planet; Wikipedia
• ◦Skip the climb: the Funicular dos Guindais lifts you from the riverside at the foot of the Dom Luís I bridge up to Batalha in about three minutes, with bridge views on the way.Source: Lonely Planet; Wikipedia
• ◦Walk the top deck of the double-decker Dom Luís I bridge, which you share with metro trains, over to Jardim do Morro in Gaia and watch the sun set over Porto.Source: Lonely Planet; Lonely Planet

Questions to bring to Porto

From Sojourn's journeys. Ask one over a long dinner or on a slow walk, and let the place do some of the work.

Going together

• When do you feel most like yourself?
• What does rest actually look like for you?
• What is one thing you wish we did more of?

Going solo

• What is the first thing this place is showing you that you didn't expect?
• What does this version of you know that the home version tends to forget?

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