Things to Do in Porto That Aren't Obvious
It's easy to get Porto wrong. I learned that the hard way on my first morning when I tried to order a café com leite at a tiny café on Rua das Flores, only to be handed a tiny cup of coffee with a splash of milk—because, as the barista explained with a laugh, "This is Porto, not Lisbon. We don't do big cups." I'd been warned about the city's stubborn, charming quirks, but nothing prepared me for the way it insists on doing things its own way, even when it means making you feel a little lost at first. Porto is a city that rewards the curious. The best way to experience it isn't by rushing through the tourist spots, but by wandering the narrow streets of Ribeira, where the sound of the Douro River mixing with the clink of glasses at outdoor cafes is the soundtrack of your day. I spent a morning there, sipping a glass of port wine at the historic Casa da Vinha, where a small bottle of the city's famous wine costs just €4.50 and the view of the Dom Luís ...