USE-IT Map of Porto - Office For Urban Reporting

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open daily
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18
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PORTO OF BRIDGES
20 TO THE BEACH!
Coming to Portugal and not going to the beach
is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope.
Going to the beach doesn’t mean it has to be
a dead hot day and you don’t have to roast
until you look like a red lobster. The coast
can be nice even on some winter days when
we go there just to provide some company to
the Sunday fishermen or to simply enjoy the
power of the Atlantic. Keep in mind that Porto
is at the same latitude as New York, so if you
open your eyes maybe you can even spot the
Liberty Statue’s torch!
SOUTH
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TOURIST OFFICES
depósito legal:
XXXXXX/XX
The selection of the recomended spots was
done in a totaly independent way and all the
contents are of the exclusive responsability
of the publisher. © Calote Esférica.
de
o
5 MINUTES WALK
Sé - Terreiro da Sé
Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:30
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P
Porto is a grey city, but try
to see the less obvious side,
like the beauty of the wet
granite on a rainy day. It’s
fascinating to appreciate
the “shades of grey”, to
look at the stone of the
past and the present
and notice how the grey
changes with the fog,
the sun and the rain.
Ribeira
Rua do Infante D. Henrique, 63
open daily
9:00-19:00 (July–September)
9:00-17:30 (September–July)
5 02
12
LUCA, 40,
architect from Italy
in Porto for 17 years
Prices
Z2 Andante - 0.95¤ (for the city centre)
Andante Tour 1 day - 5¤ (no zone limitations)
Andante Tour 3 days - 11¤ (no zone limitations)
2 0 3/
ro
di
ru
d.
City Council
Rua Clube dos Fenianos, 25
open daily
9:00-19:00 (July–September)
9:00-17:30 (September–July)
201/
ar
de
mo
www.cp.pt,
For schedules and prices check
(also in English).
site
web
ays
Railw
se
ugue
the Port
6
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BUS 500
2008 - The ‘Downtown Euphoria’ starts.
For years a desert where nothing happened,
downtown suddenly springs to life, proving
that Porto is not dead and didn’t lose the
capacity to re-invent itself. New shops and
bars open every day and the underground
art and music scenes are more alive than ever.
publisher:
calote esférica - associação cultural
www.calote-esférica.pt
text, design and illustration:
Carlos Azeredo Mesquita
supported by:
BUS
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PANHÃ
Ever y train goes from PORTO- CAM
a from
(and to Braga, Guimarães and Régu
PORTO-SÃO BENTO also).
USE-IT also exists in other cities like Brussels,
Oslo, Warsaw, Dresden or Ljubljana. That’s not
enough. If you think your city needs a map like
this too: download the brochure “I WANT TO
START MY OWN USE-IT!” on www.use-it.info
os
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d
ua
av
HERE YOU GO 4 ONE-DAY TRIPS!
USE-IT - TOURIST MAPS
AND BUDGET GUIDES
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SIGHTSEEING
GOING OUT
casa música
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M
A popular sayin
g is “Lisbon ha
s
fun, Coimbra stu
dies, Braga pray
s
and Porto Wor
ks!” so...
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2004 - Portugal hosts the UEFA European
Football Championship. The opening game
is here, at the newly built Estádio do Dragão,
and although Portugal lost first place to
Greece, for one summer this city was all
football.
To the Airport!
The fastest and best way
getting to and from the
Airport is by Metro. It runs
every 20 min, takes half an
hour, and you need to have
an Andante Z4 ticket (1.45¤).
By bus: 601/602 takes
you to the city centre, to the
Universities area use 604.
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2001 - Porto is European Capital of Culture,
in partnership with Rotterdam. After decades
of decay some big investments are made. For
example, the first Metro lines are opened with
some more now being built; Casa da Música is
under construction, and the building is an icon
even before the foundations are finished.
Schedules
The Metro is open 6:00-1:00.
All of the Night Buses (1:00-5:30) depart
from and meet at Aliados once an hour,
exactly on the hour.
11
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1996 - UNESCO declares the Historic Centre
of Porto to be a World Heritage Site.
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The Capital.
da
da
nt
The city of the students (and stude
t
parties) and home to one of the oldes
dden
Universities in Europe; feel the forbi
n
loves of Pedro and Inês, crowned Quee
.
of Portugal seven years after her death
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1960’s - You can eat it on every corner; it’s
a calorie-bomb, but we just love it! It’s said
that Daniel da Silva, a Porto emigrant, and
returned from France created the Francesinha.
He adapted the French ‘croque monsieur ’
toast to the Portuguese taste and called
it ‘little French girl’. The Francesinha is a
sandwich made with bread, wet cured ham,
linguiça, fresh sausage and steak or roasted
meat, covered in molten cheese, served with
a thick sauce made from beer and tomatoes
plus some more secret ingredients!
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The Douro Valley. You
need only to take
the train, which runs alm
ost on top of
the river, and put your hea
d out of the
window. Those stepped
hills where the
Por t Wine grows are sim
ply incredible .
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pa
en
2 hours
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ad
as
LISBON
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COIMBRA
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The bir th-place
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2012.
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1958 - Porto and hearts again! During the
hardcore fascism period, a crowd of 200,000
gathers in Carlos Alberto Square to support
Humberto Delgado, the opposition candidate
who lost, obviously due to fraudulent
elections . ‘My heart will always be in
Porto,’ he stated. Seven years later he was
murdered by the PIDE, the Political Police.
The dictatorship only came to an end on
the 25th of April 1974, with the “Carnations
Revolution”.
The ‘Andante’ is the hyper-technological ticket
system shared by the metro, buses, trams, the
funicular and suburban trains until certain stations.
Buy yourself a rechargeable ‘Blue Andante’ card
(0.50¤) and then pay for trips according to the
distance you want to travel. For example, a Z2 is valid
for 2 rings of zones - on the maps count the zone of
boarding as the first and then all the contiguous as
the second ring. The adjacent zones form the third
ring and so on. You can purchase these in vending
machines at stations, most newsagents, and several
other central locations (do it in advance as single
tickets bought on board are way more expensive).
Once validated, your Andante lasts an hour and all
you have to do is to ‘touch’ it to the yellow machines,
a must also when switching transportations - for
instance, after ridding the Metro you can catch the bus
with the same Andante as in the gap of one hour no
additional trips are charged). Sounds easy? Well, when
you go to pay for a trip, it might not seem so obvious –
but don’t worry, we have problems with it too!
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2
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The Portuguese
Rome . Baroque
chur
ever ywhere and
huge sanctuaries ches
with
hundreds of ste
ps to climb.
B US
1 ho
ur
ad
WALK
5 02
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av
1809 - On the 29th of March, Napo
leonic
troops invade the city in what ’s know
as
the 2nd French Invasion. In panic ,
the city’s
population tries to escape to the othe
r side
of the river by crossing the fragile
Boats
Bridge. Under such weight it collapses
,
causing around 4,000 people to drow
n in the
Douro. This was such a massive trage
dy that
we still now light candles in memory
of the
deceased at the 79 ‘Alminhas da Ponte
’ (Souls
of the Bridge). But with the help of
the British,
we kicked the French out…
1820 - …and afterwards came under British
rule. The liberal Porto starts a revolution
driving the British oppressors away, resulting
in the country’s first liberal constitution being
approved.
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”I like Lisbon better”
”Why don’t you speak Spanish?”
”Alvaro Siza Vieira…um, who?” (the world-famous
architect, still alive and a Porto native)
“I don’t like Portuguese food”
”Wasn’t Port Wine invented by the Brits?”
”What bridges?”
1756 - By royal decree, Marquês de Pombal
declares the Douro Valley to be the exclusive
production region for Port Wine, thus
becoming the world’s first wine region with
a formal demarcation, and the second (after
Tokaj in Hungary) with appellation control.
(The historical and national pride of those
who first did what first is convoluted…)
5 MIN UTE S
201/
BU
de g
Be a fan of FC Porto, they’re real champions!
HOW TO PISS OFF THE LOCALS -OR,
HOW TO GET SMACKED
1498 - After a trip to the south of Spain where
the King falls in love with Arab azulejos (tiles),
the first ones are brought to Portugal. Since
then, as is visible, they became a hallmark
and any empty spot is filled with them.
BUS
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surprised
We like to go out, but we start late. So don’t be
yet filled
not
club
the
and
10:00
at
empty
to find the bar
table
at 2:00 or 3:00. We’re probably still at the dinner
Come back
or starting off with a drink at somebody’s flat.
people!
later and the whole city will be stuffed with party
when I
But what’s that card for – the one they gave me
a drink the
entered the club? Well, when you go to order
had.
you
what
write
will
and
it
for
you
barman will ask
at the
At the end of the night, you pay for everything
an when
same time and give the card back to the doorm
you want to leave – so, don’t destroy or lose it!
- most
Where’s everybody? On Sundays Porto is dead
shops,
restaurants and cafes are closed, and so are most
Museums
bars and clubs. What to do on a Sunday then?
ed if the
are open and the parks and beaches are crowd
window
weather’s nice. But what families really like is
ing malls
shopping at one of the multitude of huge shopp
spread on the outskirts.
1394 - On Ash Wednesday, considered to
be an unlucky birthday, Infante D. Henrique
is born in Ribeira. In 1415, he begins the
Descober tas – the ‘Discoveries’ – leaving
to conquer Ceuta in North Africa and thus
starting the longest lasting colonial Empire
in History. Because we support him so much,
we give him and his men all the meat,
and those left in the city eat tripe.
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eu
We all get crazy at São João, our city festival on the night
of June 23rd, when we celebrate the saint who guards
over Porto. The city centre and riverside are amazingly
full of people dancing to popular music, drinking and
eating grilled sardines and smashing each other on the
head with plastic hammers! No kidding. But we love it!
If you’re a student, wear a black cape. Being a student
comes with a lot of old-fashioned traditions . These
are bizarre, infantile habits like humiliating first year
students on the street, carrying a gigantic wood spoon
as a hierarchical status symbol, and blocking the whole
downtown for a day with the “Cortejo da Queima das
Fitas” parade which even involves trucks with noisy
music to “celebrate being a student”.
1139 - ‘From here, the name Portu
gal is born.’
Portucale, now Portugal, becomes
officially
independent and proceeds to take
Lisbon from
the Muslims – for some reason ‘Lisb
ongal’ is
not the name of this country!
1834 - A Heart in a Jar. Because we supported
King Pedro IV, fighting for liberal ideals
during the one year Porto Siege (1832-33), he
decides his heart must remain here after his
death – it’s at the Lapa Church, and the rest of
his body is in Brazil.
1896 - In Porto, Aurélio da Paz dos
Reis
shoots the first moving pictures in
Portugal
and shows them at Teatro do Prínc
ipe Real
(now known as Teatro Sá da Bandeira,
in
downtown), just less than a year after
the first
public presentation by the Lumière
brothers.
cha
e vid
“A galinha da vizinha é sempre melhor do que a minha’
is
a typical Portuguese saying that means ‘my neighb
our’s
chicken is always better than mine”. Yep, we like
to
complain. And we’re never satisfied with what
we have.
Complaining is the national sport in Portugal.
It’s like
the Fado thing: we know Portugal was great, but
that’s
the past…
Eat a lot! Eating is not about feeding yourself, it’s
pleasure and culture. In the morning we start with strong
coffee and a sweet pastel de nata, then we go to a tasca
to get Arroz de Cabidela (rice with chicken cooked in
blood). Around 16:00-17:00 you need another coffee
and a croissant. A good dinner could be Iscas de
Bacalhau... and later, when going out, we get a Bifana.
A lot of calories, but still, we’re not fat. Yeah, it’s all
about metabolism... Keep in mind eating schedules
are quite strict in Portugal. It’s possible to find a place
serving dinner until late – for example at 22:00 or 23:00,
but don’t even think of showing up before 20:00. It’s
uncommon to get lunch outside of typical lunch hours
(12:00 to 15:00 at the latest) as most restaurants are
not even open. Apart from that, cafés and bakeries are all
over the city and you can have breakfast or an afternoon
bite anytime from very early morning until 19:00-20:00.
1095 - Count D. Henrique, from Burgundy
in France, helps King Alfonso VI of León
y Castilla to drive away the Arabs who had
invaded Iberia. As a gift for his braveness,
he’s given the county of Portucale, which
back then covered more or less from the
south of Galicia to Coimbra.
ont
It’s not
You almost never see people on bicycle in Porto.
steeper
because we don’t like it, but look: this place has
s are
hills than SanFrancisco! But feel free to try. Driver
Metro
the
onto
bikes
take
to
free
it’s
and
polite
quite
riverside
and suburban trains... and it’s quite flat by the
and at the seaside!
em
imes,
Kissing protocol: once might be acceptable somet
more
on;
situati
every
in
two
is
r
numbe
rd
but the standa
as
than two kisses – never! Boys kiss girls as soon
boys,
they’re introduced and shake hands with other
of their
but it’s normal for boys to kiss a male member
means
own family. Apart from this, to kiss other boys
kisses
two
just
–
simple
more
it’s
girls
For
gay.
are
you
for everyone.
We’re quite genuine and say whatever is on our minds.
Thus, even if we’re not angry, we use a lot of insults like
‘murcão’ (which means ‘asshole’) or ‘carago’ (which is
‘fucking’). These are two very typical ones from Porto.
We use these words as part of normal conversation,
like Americans do, and it has nothing to do with being
impolite, rude or rough.
2nd century BC - Portus Cale (nowadays just
Porto) is a peaceful Roman city, serving as
a trade centre and meeting point for Roman
routes. Eventually the name spreads to the
whole region, and later to the land of Portugal.
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We rarely drink Port wine - that’s for tourists. But
of course we all have one very good expensive bottle
at home, which we only use for special occasions
with family or friends.
Don’t drink Sagres (brewed in Lisbon), drink Superbock!
This is the beer brewed here, in Porto. We also drink
a lot of wine – well, we are a wine country. Try a glass
of good cold Vinho Verde (white dry wine) to refresh
your hot summer afternoons!
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oavis
14 COMICS AT THE MALL
Inside Brasilia, the first shopping mall to open in
Portugal back in 1976, is MUNDO FANTASMA
(“Ghost World”, Mon-Sat, 10:00-20:00,
Sun&holidays 15:00-19:00, 1st floor, shop
509/510). Every comic aficionado makes his
way through the dark labyrinth of now mostly
closed shops to get to the biggest bookshop
dedicated to comics in the country, where you
can find everything from the very underground
manga to collectors’ stuff. There’s also a gallery
with regular exhibitions dedicated to the 9th art.
5 07
av da
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If you’re in an architecture mood, then a stop
at the ARCHITECTURE FACULTY is highly
recommended (and it’s always open since
the students are slaves here). Porto is world
famous for it’s architecture school where
names like Fernado Távora, Souto Moura
and Siza Vieira studied (the latter built this
remarkable building) and where young talents
are being brewed. Ironically, the next door
Faculdade de Letras (Humanities Faculty) is
one of the most awful post-modern buildings
we have – it’s commonly referred to as the
‘Bullring‘ and it’s so ugly you can’t miss.
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ac
Built right by the river, almost under Arábida
Bridge and covered with glass all around,
CASA D’ORO (Sun-Wed lunch&dinner, ThuSat 12:00-24:00) feels more like a boat than a
building – not to mention the beautiful view of
the old city and the Gaia side, very impressive
also at night. As the name indicates, it’s an
Italian restaurant with a pizzeria on the top
floor and terrace (around 10¤) and a more
sophisticated (and expensive, around 20¤)
restaurant on the lower level.
12 MUSICAL METEOR
ad
od
ARCHITECTURY
10 ARCHITECTURE FACULTY
One of the modernist icons of the city,
surrounded by awful mirror glass post modern
buildings, MERCADO DO BOM SUCESSO
(Mon-Tue 8:00-17:00, Sat 8:00-13:00) is an
interesting hyperbolic structure built in the
50’s using the least possible iron due to the
high price of it at the time. To be redeveloped
soon, so hurry!
CASA DA MÚSICA replaced the weather
as the most popular topic for bus-stop
discussions some years ago. Designed by
the world renowned Dutch architect Rem
Koolhaas, immediately hated by some and
unconditionally loved by others, it was
planned as the highlight of 2001 when
Porto was European Capital of Culture
(although it actually opened in 2005 with a
classic Portuguese delay). Now the polemic
arguments over its weird shape are gone
and everyone recognizes ‘the meteor’ as a
symbol and the building that put Porto on the
architecture world map for good, attracting lots
of architect-tourists from all over. For a bite, try
the Artists’ Cafeteria (everyday, 10:00-20:00,
or 23:00 if there’s a performance, located
at street level under the main access stairs)
and if you’re lucky one of them might even
play something on the piano!Visiting most of
the inside is free, but if you want to see every
corner of the building guided tours (3¤) are
also in English, and not boring.
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pêr
5 02
lh ã
ov i
RESTAURANT
ON THE RIVER
13 MODERNIST FOOD MARKET
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0
5000
USS5
BBU
BUS
BOTANICAL
NOT BORING GARDEN
NUNO, 30, sports teacher
I'm an outdoor kind of guy. I like to
take my dogs for a walk in Parque da
Cidade where you can run to meet
the sea or spend an afternoon in
Palácio de Cristal and enjoy the charms
of a beautiful romantic garden.
BUS
ta
8
01
oavis
CONTEMPORARY ART
MUSEUM WITH A PARK
6
Porto is a “beautiful bordello”!
It’s some sort of beautiful
chaos, disorganized but in a
good way. Unlike Bordeaux
where I come from, which
is too clean and controlled,
Porto suggests freedom.
As in every botanical garden, JARDIM
BOTÂNICO (everyday, Winter 9:00-17:00;
Summer 9:00-19:00, free) displays exotic
plants from basically everywhere in the world
- don’t forget to stop by the greenhouses. The
good thing is you don’t have to be a botanist
to like this one since it’s a very nice park that
used to be the private garden for the house
where Sophia de Mello Breyner grew up - she
is a recently deceased, very famous poet who
wrote passionately about the sea as well as
creating some of the most popular tales that
everyone read as a child.
In Portugal, Serralves equals exhibitions,
concerts and performances. The main
building, designed by the world famous
Portuguese Alvaro Siza Vieira, houses the
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM (Tue-Fri,
10:00-17:00, Sat&Sun 10:00-20:00). There’s
also a concert hall, an art library, a bookshop
and a restaurant (the perfect place to get
diabetes since for 3.80¤ you can eat as many
delicious deserts as you wish if you choose
the just ‘desserts buffet’, lunch time only).
But Serralves is also a magnificent Park filled
up with contemporary sculptures (ask for a
map at the entrance!) which used to be the
private garden for the family that lived in the
beautiful art deco pink mansion (exhibitions
inside sometimes) which faces one of only
two art deco gardens in the world. And if
you happen to be here on the first weekend
in June don’t miss ‘Serralves em Festa’, a
40-hour non-stop free festival with live music,
performances, theatre, dance and exhibitions.
ade
parque da cid
av da
b
refer
Oporto vs. Porto - just to make it clear, both names
Oporto
to the same city. Porto is the portuguese name,
only 1 letter
in English. Yes, it’s silly that they’re so close understand
difference. But, as it happens, the Brits didn’t
ly the
actual
is
”
“Porto
before
placed
they
“O”
that the
the name
masculine article in Portuguese, placed before
the name.
of the city. They assumed this “O” was part of
Even if you don’t feel like peeing, go to CASA
DE BANHO for the ultimate toilet experience!
Built in the early 20th century as one of
the first public toilets in the city, it features
amazing hand painted toilet seats (now just
for display since post-refurbishment you can’t
pee on them anymore) and a weird hexagonal
set of six urinals with a water tank on top –
exclusively for boys but girls can see if
they sneak in!
Some love it and shout ‘it’s the best party!’
while some hate it, insisting you should ‘forget
it, downtown is the scene’. But it’s easy to
conclude that discos at ZONA INDUSTRIAL
are very popular and huge (in former big
warehouses and factories). If you’re into
house music or dance-floor charts, and your
body starts moving when you just hear the
name Bob Sinclair or David Guetta (both
were here recently), don’t even hesitate. Pick
the least smelly of your shirts, put on your
highest heels and tiniest miniskirt, and start
the quest to decide if it’s at VOGUE, CHIC,
ACT, VIA RÁPIDA, LA MOVIDA BEACH,
SOUNDPLANET or any of the others where
you’re going to dance till sunrise…
To get there: Metro Ramalde or Viso and
night buses 2M and 13M.
LAETITIA, 23,
philosophy student
from France
9
S2
1
When you come to this area, whatever the
reason is, it’s almost mandatory to stop at
AUGUSTO (Mon-Fri 9:00-20:30, Sat&Sun
10:30-13:30/15:30-20), the grocery store
where you can buy a piece of home made
cake, yogurt or some bread and a few slices of
good presunto (smoked pork ham). They put
everything into a small bag you carry happily
in your hand until you decide whether to eat
in the park or looking at the sea. (You will see
more bags like yours around).
BU
Despite 20 years of existence, INDUSTRIA
(Fri-Sat) is still a known on the nightlife scene
as a club where widely recognized DJ’s and
musicians perform (Miss Kittin or Chicks
on Speed were here) and where music is the
main concern. And if you happen to stay late,
don’t miss the sea in the morning light, just
across the street!
D.I.Y. PICNIC
5
PEE, BUT IN STYLE
4
av da liberdade
USE-IT-PORTO.PT
Low lights and packed to the top with
antiques: beer advertisements on the walls,
a gramophone from another era, little boats
and leather sofas. BONAPARTE (everyday,
19:00-2:00) is a very nice place and good
to try some foreign beers - the most popular
here is Erdinger – and in the summer you
can even sit outside facing the sea.
CLASSIC GOOD CLUB
On PORTO-RIO (Fri&Sat) you can be sure the
party will be hard, start late and last until even
later (or early since everything is relative…)
The gigs start at around midnight and if
you’re into something like Punk/Hardcore,
Drum’n’bass or Dub this boat floating on the
Douro might be a good option - and if you
have to puke, the water is just there…
BONAPARTE
3
500
MADE BY LOCALS / NO-NONSE NSE / NOT COMMERCIAL
Port Wine comes in different varieties:
Branco – White Port – is the only one that
should be served cold. The rest are red and
don’t even think of chilling them: Ruby, Tawny,
Colheita and some other special categories
like Single Quinta, Reserva and Vintage. For
example, Vintage is the highest classification
a Port can get and is made with grapes from
a particularly good year – 2 or 3 out of every
10 years are considered good enough to be
declared Vintage. It ages in a barrel for about
two years and then in a bottle for as long as
you resist from opening it. (There are bottles
from 1870 still available, and you can imagine
the price!) …but once open, you must drink
it within several hours.
At the beginning of the 18th century Britain’s
main wine supplier was France – for obvious
geographic reasons – but they became again
involved in some new war and suddenly didn’t
want to buy French wine anymore. This was
our chance! In 1703, the ‘Methuen Treaty’ was
signed, stipulating no taxes could be charged
for Portuguese wines exported to Britain or
British textiles exported to Portugal. The Port
Wine industry boomed and thus began its
worldwide reputation. This also shaped the
city, and a heavy British presence is still felt
with the English Factory House, the Oporto
British School (the oldest in Europe), the
Oporto Cricket and Law Tennis Club and the
British Club. This shows just how big the wine
business is and why a good portion of brands
are actually English.
2
02 /
There is no big mystery behind Port wine.
Basically, when the wine is made the
fermentation process is stopped at an early
stage (2 or 3 days from the start) by adding
aguardente (a neutral grape spirit), which
means not all the sugar gets turned into
alcohol which makes the wine sweeter
and stronger.
So, who invented this nectar of the Gods?
Some think the British invented Port wine.
For sure the British would like to have
invented it… but they didn’t. References
to this way of making wine date back as far
as the 17th century, and most likely the idea
of adding aguardente to the wine came
about as a way of preventing it from rotting
and becoming vinegar.
S5
E!
Finished on time for Porto European Capital
of Culture 2001, just after its completion
someone realised the building had absolutely
no purpose or function and couldn’t be
used for anything due its structure. When
questioned, both the Catalan architect and
the commissioner replied they didn’t have
to answer that sort of question! It gained the
nickname of TRANSPARENT BUILDING and
for years newspapers and websites made
‘ideas contests’ trying to figure out a solution.
In the end it became a mixture of restaurants,
shops and exhibitions, all with an amazing
view to the sea.
11 PARTY DISTRICT
PARTY ON A BOAT
7
TRANSPARENT BUILDING
BU
FRE
‘Women are like Port Wine, both get better with
age’ goes the saying, which is precisely why
Gaia’s Ribeira (across the river from Porto)
is full of cellars showing off their company
names. Wine is stored there, either in bottles
or in wooden barrels, to mature – a process
that will change it’s colour and flavour and can
last for 10, 20, 40 or even a 100 years. This
drink that the city gave it’s name to is sacred,
which is why we don’t like tourists boldly
asking for a glass of port wine at a restaurant
while eating their steak – this is not just a
wine, but a unique digestive drink or starter!
1
If you want to go to the beach and walk
around in a small suburb, then Granja is a good
idea. Our Royal Family had its summer house
here, in the 19th century, which means all the
bourgeois wanted to have impressive villas
here as well. Granja is now kind of stuck in the
time, nice to feel former glories, but still very
nice for a walk. From the train station, walk 3
min and you’re at the beach. From there, head
north and you will pass Aguda, a fisherman’s
village, where you can visit the 19 LITORAL
STATION OF AGUDA (Mon-Fri, 10:0012:30/14:00-18:00, Sat&Sun 10:00-18:00), a
building that combines a Fishery Museum and
an Aquarium that displays local marine fauna
and flora. Walk about 20 minutes from Aguda
to Miramar, to the 20 CAPELA DO SENHOR
DA PEDRA (‘Chapel of the Lord of the Rock’).
At the water’s edge, the rock that the chapel
is built on used to be a pagan altar which was
properly Christianized by the chapel in the
17th century, but where strange ‘ceremonies’
still happen when the moon is full… so don’t
get too scared if you happen to see huge
amounts of wax from burned candles or
‘magical’ remains of any other sort.
Either in Miramar or Aguda you can get the
train back to the centre, or you can keep
walking and take the train back from any of
the upcoming stations… or just lay down and
roast on the sand!
To get there: take a train from S.Bento or
Campanhã in the direction of Espinho, Ovar
or Aveiro. (Andante Z4)
NORTH – MATOSINHOS DISTRIC
Porto-based world renowned architect Álvaro
Siza Vieira grew up in Matosinhos and his first
works are here (don’t think of them as ‘minor’
just because he was young!) It might seem
silly to build a saltwater tidal swimming pool
among the rocks, but wow! 16 PISCINAS DE
LEÇA (Leça Swimming Pools, 1966; open
May to September, everyday 9:00-20:00),
is quite a building and it’s like swimming in a
sea without waves! Don’t feel like swimming?
Walk 15 min towards Siza’s first big job and
another amazing building situated on the
rocks: 15 CASA DE CHÁ DA BOA NOVA
(Boa Nova Tea House, 1956). Now it’s both
a restaurant and a tea house, but if you don’t
feel like having even a coffee don’t worry, the
staff won’t stop you from just having a look
inside to get a feel for the architecture. Feeling
hungry? Lobster? Shrimp? Octopus? Grilled
fish? Don’t know what to pick?
Matosinhos is the seafood district and by
default is full of very good restaurants. The
famous 17 COZINHA DA MARIA (‘Mary’s
Kitchen’, Mon-Sat, lunch and dinner) where
Maria will cook for you with the greatest
pleasure filetes de polvo (fried octopus fillet,
13¤), lulas grelhadas (grilled squid, 10¤) or
any other fresh fish your stomach might be
crying out for. Nearby 18 A MARISQUEIRA
DOS POBRES (‘Marisqueira’ which means
‘specialized seafood restaurant’ ‘of the poor’
Tue-Sun, 11:00-00:00) is, unlike most of the
other marisqueiras, a non-fancy family-run
restaurant where you can taste delicious
arroz de marisco (rice cooked with seafood,
10¤ for 2 people) and sopa de marisco
(seafood soup) or if you’re a true lover, a
heavenly sapateira recheada (stuffed edible
crab, 20¤/kilo) will force you to literally lick
your fingers at the end.
To get there: Metro A – blue line – get out
at Mercado de Matosinhos then cross the
movable bridge over to Leixões Sea Port and
walk about 15/20 min more. The beach
towels are too heavy? Take bus 507 (direction
Leça da Palmeira) from Metro Casa da Música
or Mercado Matosinhos. (Andante Z3)
Q: Which is the only other city in Portugal
with 6 bridges?
A: Gaia (which is on the other side of the
river).
Of course this is a joke, but it shows how
proud we are of our bridges. D. MARIA was
built for trains in 1877, a project of Gustav
Eiffel and Seyring, and was at the time
referred to by a French traveller as ‘Porto’s
Eiffel Tower laying down’. Nine years later its
double-deck sister D. LUIS I (for traffic and
people and nowadays Metro as well) started
bringing Porto’s and Gaia’s Ribeiras even
closer.
In the 1960’s ARRÁBIDA was built, a global
engineering wonder of its time thanks to its
single concrete vault. The completion of the
main arch was broadcasted live on Swedish
television, expecting a fabulous disaster…
that didn’t happen.
Other bridges crossing the river: S.JOÃO
arrived in 1991 as the new train bridge, with
the old D. Maria now being converted into
something although nobody knows exactly
what will be; FREIXO is for the new highway
and INFANTE (2003) is the newest of them
all and based on Swiss Alps bridge designs,
replacing the upper deck of D. Luis I since
it was taken over by the Metro.
But the issue of connecting the banks of
the river is older than it might seem. For
centuries the crossing was accomplished by
boat, but the need for a more
permanent crossing lead to the opening,
in 1806, of Ponte das Barcas (Boats Bridge). It
consisted of 20 boats attached to one other
by steel cables and it could be divided in two
to allow river traffic to pass. After the Boats
Bridge Tragedy in 1809
(see History section), it was rebuilt but
replaced as soon as possible in 1843 with
a suspension bridge - Ponte Pensil- which
was in use until Ponte D. Luis I was opened.
Now all that remains are the two pillars
on the Porto side.
rua de santa catarina
rua do bonjardim
ães
g a lh
ma
do
re
CONCERTS AND DRINKS
96 AT A CINEMA
In the same building as the biggest concert
hall in town (“Coliseu”, the pink neon
can be seen from far away) you will find
PASSOS MANUEL (Tue-Thu from 22:00 but
changeable; concert days, Fri&Sat for sure),
a former cinema where many of us saw a
film for the first time. The former decoration
is intact - the lobby became a bar where an
arty crowd goes and the screening room now
also doubles as a concert and theatre venue.
Parties just on Fridays and Saturdays.
da a
ães
a lh
m ag
o de
97 TOP TOURISTY CAFÉ
To see what tourists can do to a place, go
to CAFÉ MAJESTIC (everyday 9:30-00:00).
Yes, it’s beautiful art noveau. Yes, a coffee
costs 2¤ (three times more than the average
price). And yes, waiters sometimes speak
English even to the increasingly scarce
Portuguese customers coming here to get
their afternoon tea and croissant. This place
used to be a pearl, now it is what it is.
on
et
o
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rua san
av f
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ru
ac
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78 “SOULS OF THE BRIDGE”
Bring a candle and check
“IMPRESS THE LOCALS”.
103 PRIDE BAR check n.72 - Gay Scene
PERFORMANCES AT
104 SOMETHING LIKE A SQUAT
CASA VIVA (‘Living House’, door number
167) hosts a variety of performances and
concerts of pretty much everything from
more punk/rock to deeply experimental and
alternative. It’s quite difficult to say what’s
happening and when, in this otherwise totally
normal looking house, so you really have
to check it out before going.
105 FLEA MARKET
r ua d
o
o lh ã
do b
r ua
e
od
cim
s to
gu
au
de
106
ad
SIGHTSEEING
H
HOSTEL
SHOP
M
METRO
FOOD
M
F
FUNICULAR
BAR
T
TRAIN
ru
r ua
to
al
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r ua
g en
jardim do
87
102 LITTLE FRENCH GIRL
e san
r ua
ta c atarin
a
a ba
sá d
r ua
m
n ja r d i
do bo
r
go
hu
d.
es
rr
jardim do morro
ic a
p i n to
fo n
tai
n
ha
ru
s
a
de
sã
o
vi
ct
or
GOING OUT
86 ‘CAVES’
epúb l
d os r ei s
a serpa
da s
PONTE DO INFANTE
r
av da
andes
ndido
s fer n
de c â
e g ome
leite
r ua
r
ilh er m
ua d e g u
iogo
105
da
fel
O MEU MERCEDES É MAIOR DO QUE O
TEU (Wed-Sat 22:00-4:00, Rua da Lada, 30;
the name means ‘My Mercedes is Bigger than
Yours’) is a small café and concert venue in
the basement of a medieval building which
hosts regular concerts of mostly rock and
indie bands. It’s a bid dead now, but used
to be a big thing.
Go out to eat with your
friends and you can rely
on the typical – francesinha,
in quantities you might
regret. The next day,
come back to life with
Bolhão and the freshest
fruits – choose them by
their ripe scent – until you
feel healthy again!
Arguing about where to eat the best
‘Francesinha’ (something like ‘little French
girl’) with the best sauce is a polemic and
hot topic! Inspired by the French ‘croque
monsieur’ toast, our adaptation is served in
a beer and tomato sauce (plus other secret
ingredients!) With or without fries or egg or
even both, it’s an amazingly popular meal or
snack – this calorie bomb rivals with tripe as
the city’s dish! BUFETE FASE (Mon-Sat 12:0016:00/18:00-21:30) is an excellent place to
try it, where you’ll have to fight for one of the
5 tables and where your “little French girl” is
prepared right in front of you!
rua d. joão iv
l eg r
nde
ia
ir a
rua do almada
r ua
rua do bonjardim
r
rua da picaria
avi
z
r ua
rua do almada
par
i
de
dos reis
s
de
f
ave ei
av de gust
ribeira
ELIZABETE, 25,
nutricionist
FUA, 27,
concerts promoter
Experimental? Rock? Electronic?
As an alternative to the downtown
night scene euphoria, you can enjoy
a circuit of concerts happening
at Passos Manuel, Casa Viva,
Mercedes, Maus Hábitos, Porto
Rio, Plano B, Armazem do Chá,
Cafe au Lait... Every week there’s
a bunch of them! Porto’s circuit is
actually becoming an international
reference in this “peripherical”
kinds of music!
Have you noticed Sandman, the Zorro-like
character who is the logo for one of the Port
brands? Well, visiting some Caves (‘Cellars’)
can be a bit like going to a performance,
where your guide is dressed like Zorro – yes,
wearing a cape and hat and pretending they
are Sandman. Naturally not every cellar is like
this – there are dozens of them in this area.
But, unless you’re really interested in Port
Wine or really curious to see just how big
the barrels are where the wine ages, think of
coming to the Gaia side of the river to enjoy
the f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s view over Porto’s Ribeira.
95% of us have never been to a Cave and Port
Wine doesn’t taste any worse because we buy
our bottles at the supermarket.
BUS
TILES AT THE
90 TRAIN STATION
20,000 is quite a big number, especially
if we’re talking about our typically Portuguese
hand painted tiles, but that’s how many are
decorating the atrium of SÃO BENTO train
station. The painter took 10 years to finish
them all, so it’s no wonder why this is a tourist
favourite. Opened in 1916, it was built on
the site of a former convent with the same
name, which had been abandoned during
the expulsion of all the religious orders from
Portugal in 1834. For very cheap, genuinely
old Porto’s postcards visit the green kiosk
just outside the station!
91 CLUB IN A BASEMENT
If you feel like spinning to the sound of heavy
and aggressive late night electro, you have
GARE CLUB (Fri-Sat), a big old basement
right next to the São Bento train station.
Around Bolhão there are some top quality
decades-old Mercearias Finas (delicatessens),
where you can buy good quality traditional
Portuguese food. PÉROLA DO BOLHÃO
prides itself on selling more smoked pig
ears than any other place in town. But since
cooking them requires some practice, buy
some Alheira (bread and chicken sausage
of a Jewish origin), Morcela (blood sausage
with spices) or any other kind of smoked
sausage at MERCEARIA DO BOLHÃO or
COMER E CHORAR POR MAIS. Then boil, fry
or grill them and your dinner is ready! Other
delicacies for sale include bacalhau (it’s that
yellowish kite-shape thing hanging from its
tail, which as children we don’t believe can
possibly be a fish), dried octopus or smoked
pig noses or ears. And don’t make funny
faces… it’s tradition, we Portuguese eat
the whole animal.
99 THE MARKET EXPERIENCE
This is more than simply a market, this is
a living piece of Porto’s soul. And to prove
we love BOLHÃO (Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat
8:00-13:00), the city took to the streets last
year when it was announced it would be
converted into a shopping mall! Fortunately,
the decision-makers stepped back and the
market will just be renovated, keeping its
100-year-old genuine charm. With noisy lively
vendors calling out what they have to sell,
it’s one of the few places you can still touch
and ask where the food you’re about
to buy comes from.
Looking for the perfect bargain requires
commitment! So you must wake up early
(or go there directly from the party) and
be prepared to fight for the best price if you
want to get something decent amongst all
those clothes, screws, tiles, rare records,
sold out magazines...! VANDOMA
(Sat 6:00-13:00) is the place everybody goes
to sell their grandma’s porcelain cups, the junk
they gathered after cleaning their bedroom
or the cell phone they stole the previous night.
A good place for souvenirs!
106 PIECE OF HEAVEN
For our dead, only the best! PRADO DO
RESPOUSO (everyday 8:00-17:00) is a 19th
century cemetery – ‘Prairie of Rest’, how
poetic – with view of the river where famous
sculptors (like Soares dos Reis) built tombs
for bourgeois families and where old ladies
still go to clean and change the flowers on
their relatives’ graves. Left of the entrance is
what’s now the MILITARY MUSEUM (Mon-Fri
10:00-13:00/14:00-17:00, Sat&Sun 14:0017:00, free) which until the 1974 revolution
was the headquarters for PIDE, the political
police that during the dictatorship was
responsible for censorship and ‘taking care’
of political opponents – funny guys picking
locations next to cemeteries, weren’t they?
rua padre antónio vieira
rua de mir aflor
ru
ad
a estaç ão
107
rua justino
M
teixeira
campanhã
e
ca sta
m çã
pa o
nh
ã
dim
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do
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es
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Every Tuesday, at around 23:00, for 2¤, at
ESMAE (the Music Academy), the students
from the school play free jazz jam sessions.
rua de pinto bessa
86
From outside, you would never guess that on
top of this garage is MAUS HÁBITOS (‘Bad
Habits’, Wed-Sun from 22:00), a former
penthouse flat with a view of the whole city
and enough room (and rooms) for a café and
bar, concerts by mostly independent bands,
parties, exhibitions by emerging artists,
occasional small art fairs… all good reasons to
take the lift up to the 4th floor!
101 JAZZ JAM SESSIONS
do freixo
fo n
is i
M
A dance floor on the entrance level, a nice bar
on the first floor, this is PITCH (Fri-Sat, from
23:00), a soberly decorated club where a mix
of Portuguese and International DJs come
to play mostly electronic and rock for a mostly
young and trendy crowd.
Don’t miss CUNHA (12:00-2:00, lunch or
dinner for about 12¤), as it’s probably the
most charming and old school snack bar in the
city. The whole atmosphere is very calm and
relaxed, so don’t think of coming here
in a hurry whether you sit at one of the drivein style tables or at the counter. Beautifully
designed in a very 60’s now-quite-retro style,
it’s also perfect for just a coffee and a desert
- they serve Portuguese classics like Pudim
Abade de Priscos or Toucinho do Céu, both
egg-based calorie-bombastic cakes. A tip:
come in the evening, this place feels much
nicer after dark.
r ua
io
77 SMALL CAFÉ -CONCERT
d
av de
a
se
pa s
me
78
ponte d. lu
o
av r amos pint
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83
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94 PITCH CLUB
98 GOOD OLD SCHOOL FOOD
88
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79
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77
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96
95
93
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97
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jo
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da
100
ru
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ru
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riques
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67 SAFE ART
Have you ever been in a bank vault, like
the ones you see in movies? Going for an
exhibition at CULTURGEST (Mon-Sat, 10:0018:00, free), housed in a former bank, might
be the chance you never had! The safe
where the money used to be kept is
downstairs, and nowadays is used to exhibit
works of art. Useless to think about taking
the money & running…
e az
rua 31 janeiro
76
ue
RIBEIRA (literally ‘next to the river’) was the
The whole area was deeply affected by the
epicentre of Porto centuries ago, but now it’s
construction of the 85 ALFÂNDEGA NOVA
mainly where tourists come. The Ribeira is a
(‘New Customs House’ Tue-Fri 10:00-18:00,
World Heritage site and surely deserves the
Sat&Sun 15:00-19:00), the huge building
title: it is amazingly beautiful and, something
now standing next to the river that totally
rare in places like this, it’s genuine. Of course
cut off access to it, ruining the entire boat
the main square, that one with the 83 FONTE
construction business and destroying the
H andarilho
DO CUBO (‘Cube Fountain’) and the strip
beach. As a customs house, they had to
next to the river are for tourists. But if you
control everything arriving to the city by
rua firmeza
move back a street and explore all those alleys sea, and now you can learn how to smuggle
where you can’t even open your arms fully,
olive oil inside a guitar at the MUSEU DAS
and go up those stairs which are actually
ALFÂNDEGAS (‘Customs Houses’ Museum’).
streets, you will find an area that hasn’t
The building is so massive it features a
change much since the 15th century, with
small railway system inside, and houses
the same people living here since time began.
another museum showing a big collection
These people are tough but somehow the
of cars - MUSEU DOS TRANSPORTES
essence of Porto: simple and strong. Come
E COMUNICAÇÕES (‘Transport and
m
fi
H youth hostel
to Ribeira to stroll
around during the day, buto bon Communications Museum’) - and there’s still
r ua
fer n
d
anddon’t go to the touristy restaurants at night.
a
plenty of room left for temporary exhibitions,
e s to
ru
má s
Rua da
Reboleira is one of the oldest in the
a conference centre, fairs… On the hill next to
city, and so narrow you can practically shake ilo Alfândega, at the top, sits the 85 MERMAIDS
m
e ca
hands with the neighbour on the balcony
PALACE (it’s that white building with two
av d
across from yours. Take
this and you’re on
mermaids, one on either side of the main
o
s
on
the way to Miragaia
entrance). Well, go up there and look at
def(literally ‘looking at Gaia’),
ru
o il
t
n
a
sa
r ua
another labyrinth
of tiny
narrow streets
them! The mermaids are ugly as hell when
de
ua
M 24 agosto
fo r
r
mos
r ua
with tall houses above
and stairs leadingferto
seen up close, but the view you get over
a
re
co n
ir
de d
unpredictable spots – another
the city and the river is definitely worth
e fe great area to a ca
rre
get lost in, but by far less touristy
ir a than Ribeira. rdo the effort.
má s
92
lo u r e i r o
nso hen
har
.
çd
mos
r ua d
o
fo
av d. a
75
a
e s to
estação
são bento
s
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fo n t
da r e
ir
a
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n
da
es
ve
sil
fo r
pr
91
n
ta
BU S 500
82
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ed
iq
en r
r
an
1
t
fan
a in
zi
da b a n
a
ru
o
80
81
ou
ho
or
es
to
m
s fl
and
94
o da b
sá
ua
são bento
ore
Nº
ru
a
ru
j oã
AM
a
a
ad
es d
99
io brun
90
c ad
ia
TR
Those who say every Portuguese man has
a moustache have never been to SALÃO
VENEZA (Mon-Sat 9:00-13:00/15:00-19:00,
Sat 8:00-13:00). As you will notice, Porto
still has some barbershops left and they have
a lot in common: they didn’t change much
in the last 50 years and they all have the same
popular Rádio Festival playing. Go and offer
your face to an 80-year-old guy!
Not for girls… sorry!
M
s ão
én
66 BEAUTY KING
ru
g u ed
s
r ua
igos
a dos clér
ad
m
r
po
sampa
65
mer
a
do
rivoli cinema
H
64
z
ru
nte
ia
aliados
s
eiro
r ua
ar
ag
s
74
73
elmo
a de b
63
poets
ru
al
fer n
66
ru
nz
dos
M
s
do
67
ra
go
ita
r ua
ás
H
av
50
fer
s
om
r ua
43
47
r ua
iro
r ua
49
62
do
ude
at
el
he
e
46
61
eir
c a ld
z
71
rua são miguel
ru
rm
rá
virt
84
ca
al
ta
51
58
as
69
70
a dr
er
a da
r ua
r m a zé n s
dos a
e c eu
o
nç ã
rua da a ssu á s
r
de t
a
u
r
vf
c a lç
steps house
72
ad
u
j o rg
do
ric ar
44
52
68
ia
85
H
wine
tr
BU S 500
ru
sm
trindade
. co
ha
a
Go inside the shop at 20 Rua Galerias de
Paris and then up to the 1st floor, and you
will be amazed by what you find. A VIDA
PORTUGUESA (Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00)
is a shop selling absolutely every classic
traditional Portuguese product: from ‘Viarco’
pencils – the factory is 40 min away and
didn’t change a single thing in 50 years – to
‘Couto’ medicinal toothpaste – a true classic –
or ‘Tenorio’ tuna fish in olive oil. The nice thing
is that these products are genuine and not
vintage editions of brands that modernised
themselves – although they look like it. In
Portugal there is still a kind of industry totally
stuck in time which handcrafts, for example,
soaps that come packed in papers and other
stuff that might now be considered to be top
retro but that have actually been the same
since, at least, our great-grandmothers’ time.
irin
ru
58 THE PORTUGUESE LIFE
nde
57
59
da pátr
TR AM Nº 1
ba
60
re
93 ZOOM check n.72 - Gay Scene
THE QUINTESSENCE
100 OF SNACK-BARS
85 RIBEIRA AND MIRAGAIA
83
ão s
o
101
spot
bar
o
ur
la normal
r ua
o
eod
rampa esco
H
48
45
downtown
56
55
H
38
r ua d
ártires
çã
sobr
s
c
rua do armo
campo m
r aç ão
a
54
rvalho
eia
restau
ru
H
nte de ca
alberto gouv
r ua d a
102
the yellow house
H
In northern Portugal, Baroque means gold
since we had tons of it coming in from Brazil,
a colony at the time. SANTA CLARA CHURCH
is a hidden and rather small church - cross
the gate and enter that door after the
courtyard - best described as a Golden Cave,
covered from top to bottom with glittering
gilded woodcarvings (a very Portuguese
specialty) and the result is impressive, to say
the least (Some would say it’s almost kitsch,
but you simply can’t miss it!)
rua antó
prof vice
el ii
lo
ar
ç c to
pr lb er
a
53
as
tu n el
ra
PRAÇA FILIPA DE LENCASTRE is the newest
spot on the ‘Downtown Euphoria’ map.
This square is small but gathers surprising
amounts of people on Friday and Saturday
nights, when everyone is just outside
drinking with friends. 51 AVIZ (Mon-Sat
7:00-2:00): a big café plenty of students go
to during the day, also very popular in the
evenings – and if you’re hungry, they have
some snacks like rissóis (meat dumplings)
and good francesinhas. 50 DIVAN (everyday
12:00-2:00 or 3:00) is probably the oldest
kebab restaurant in the city and one of the
most popular ones; if you feel like Kurdish
music, eat your kebab upstairs at one of the
‘arabic’ rooms and smoke a water pipe. Get
drinks at PRAÇA (Tue-Sun, 15:00-3:00), a
bar specializing in cocktails with a bunch of
different ones. If you’re looking for a more
cosy and calm indoor café, 49 ROSA ESCURA
(‘Dark Rose’ Tue-Sun, 21:00-00:00 or 2:00)
is just around the corner.
r ua
36
35
lfe
It’s obvious that we love to display our food in
shop windows and REI DOS QUEIJOS (MonSat, 8:00-20:00) is no exception – cheap and
absolutely top quality traditional pastry stares
at you, so don’t resist a Queijada do Porto
(eggs based cake) or a Pérola (a variation on
the classic Pastel de Nata).
And notice the amazing wig-maker’s shop
just across the street! Totally unchanged since
1906, it’s the only left in the country. 100%
handmade by only two guys, it takes up to a
week to produce a wig and most of them end
up on the head of an actor or a wooden saint
carried in a procession (or on yours, since for
25¤ you can rent one for the weekend!)
89 GOLDEN CAVE Nº2
For almost 100 years, trams made Porto
move. Now we just have 3 lines left and those
are for tourists. Nevertheless, it’s a nice
experience, so take ELÉCTRICO 1 (9:3018:30) from Ribeira to Passeio Alegre: it’s a
great trip through the city and by the riverside,
and you’ll love the sound of the old wood
cranking as the tram turns.
f
M
92 THE KING OF PASTRY
82 TRAM Nº1
H 444 guesthouse
rua da conceição
a
ofeit
34
au
st
51 THE CROWD
ur aç ão
e ced
rua ferreira borges
ta s
u in
33
30
22
rua da resta
t rv d
ria
va
no
oa
ab
ad
v
ro
ed
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a
feit
ad
ed o
ru
de c
anu
barda
37
aa
42
los
candido
r ua
d. m
uel bom
sário
istal
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21
26
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eq
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rua do ro
ácio
24
ca sais mont
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23
27
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49
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41
ire
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28
rua adolfo
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25
TOP BEAUTIFUL
57 BOOKSHOP
‘Divine’ and ‘Staircase to Heaven’ were just
two of the expressions the British newspaper
‘The Guardian’ used in 2008, when it ranked
LELLO & IRMÃO (Mon-Fri 10:00-19:30,
Sat 10:00-19:00) as the third most beautiful
bookshop in the world. Built in 1881 in Neogothic style, it could be the set for a Harry
Potter movie and coincidence or not, J.K.
Rowling wrote the first book of the series
in Porto, where she lived for several years.
Well, you’ll be amazed by the curving
staircase and fake carved wood ceiling
(it’s actually painted plaster!)
40
31
r ua
GUINDALENSE (mutable schedule) is the
neighbourhood Football Club (think of it as the
total opposite of the giant FC Porto) and has a
small café and open-air terrace overlooking the
river that’s just perfect for a coffee after lunch
on a warm day, with the best view you can find
with the Luis I Bridge in the background. Don’t
get scared by the dodgy look of the whole place,
including the stairs where it’s located, since it’s
perfectly safe.
rua de gonçalo cristóvão
ir
de
lic a
r da d e
pa z
ho
i da
épu b
al
b oa
rn
da
Do you know how to count in Portuguese?
If not, learn at BINGO DOS SALGUEIROS
(Mon-Thu until 2:00, Fri-Sun until 3:00,
best after 22:00 or 23:00 when it gets full).
The rules are simple: for 1¤ you get a bingo
card and if you’re the first one to fill in all
the numbers in a row, you shout ‘linha!’ and
‘bingo!’ if you’re the first to fill the whole card.
But the best is when you’re playing, a beer
costs around 0.25¤ or 0.50¤! This is not a
fancy-looking casino-style bingo, it’s in fact
something closer to a retirement home where
you sit around a big table, sharing it with an
entire family that came to play after dinner.
al
rua dos brag as
r ua
a
da
te
ma
da r
rrinha
29
a
48 BINGO!
c abr
39
32
r
rua de ent
prç
e álv
ares
a
rua da to
r ua d
88 COFFEE AND A VIEW
Another golden cave: IGREJA DE SÃO
FRANCISCO (Winter 9:00-17:00, Summer
9:00-18:00 or 19.00, 3¤) is a National
Heritage site and glitters from top to bottom
with tons of golden wood and it comes with
an added bonus: Catacombs! Yes, there is
a cemetery under the church you can visit,
look at the dates on the tombs and try
to find someone who was born or died
on your birthday…just a bit of morbid fun!
faria guimarães
rua fonseca cardoso
r ua d
r ua r
o
pa
i
m
sa
o
al
a
go
nç
rua da
is
r ua d
It was the 19th century French-made iron
fountain, featuring some weird winged lions,
that gave its popular name to the square:
PRAÇA DOS LEÕES (‘Lions Square’). But
please, don’t point your camera at them when
you’re next to the world’s most precious palm
trees! 10 years ago, in order to solve tragic
parking issues in the city, it was decided to
build an underground car park beneath this
square, and half the city went crazy over
the thought that these palm trees might be
removed. So, the car park was dug around the
palm trees, which for years were protected
by a metal structure. The whole procedure
increased the cost of the car park several
times, but the palms are still there and in
good health. The big building
c aibehind
s da s p is the
edr
headquarters of the University of Porto,
a s and
you can visit the GALERIA DOS LEÕS (enter
the main entrance and turn right, go through
the Shop and it’s at the back; Mon-Fri, 10:0019:00), an art gallery where the Fine Arts
Faculty students show their fresh work.
K
ade
ru
56 EXPENSIVE PALM TREES
rua de joão das regra s
ita
lio din
5 MIN UTES WAL
For 9 years housed on the other side of the
river, HARD CLUB established itself as “the”
independent alternative venue for concerts.
Now they just reopened on the historical 19th
century Ferreira Borges fruit market, with
even bigger ambitions: keeping music as the
main field you can also find performances of
other kind as well as exhibitions, films and, of
course, some parties. The place is gigant, so
there is really room for everything. Anyway,
better check the program in advance because
you don’t want to miss a good gig!
81 GOLDEN CAVE Nº1
uês
atum guesthouse
sky
H
cedofe
ru
rua de
rua jú
da p
a b oa
vista
rua conde de vizel
s
r ua
ra
ini
ic ard
od
r ua
ied
da p
iz a
de
ieda
a rq
lapa
rua de camões
u s to
e au g
ero
o sev
ú li
PIOLHO (closed on Sun) (‘Louse’, the
parasitic bug that lives in hair) is one of those
references you can’t avoid making. It’s a
100-year-old students’ café that also serves,
on weekend evenings, as a meeting point for
hundreds of people (the crowd can be seen
far away). If you have no clue what to do,
go there and for sure something will come up.
For a good ice cream (or a faster beer)
CREMOSI is just next-door.
al
ester
aj
o aleg re
ag
do m
103
ra
lu s o
r ua d
de forr
ru
rua do bom sucesso
55 A CROWD
çd
z
ru
If what you’re looking for is a good vegetarian
restaurant PALADAR DA ALMA (‘Taste
of the Soul’;Mon-Sat Lunch from 5¤, Thu-Sat
Dinner from 8.5¤) might be the place. Have
your Mushrooms’ Vol-au-Vent in a minimalist
but comfortable setting or, for the warmer
days, on the terrace out back.
pr
rua do camp
r ua d
87 POSTCARD VIEW
Save money on postcards and take the picture
yourself! Just cross the upper deck of the
bridge (do it on foot, it’s more impressive than
by Metro) and prepare yourself for the view!
Add some romantic touches:
go there on the sunset and make a picnic
at JARDIM DO MORRO.
80 HARD CLUB
marquês
prç
There are four floors of used books, mixed
in with old records and music boxes and
used cameras or hats that survived wars at
CHAMINÉ DA MOTA (Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00;
Sat until 13:00), a 25-year-old bookshop that
caters for every taste and wallet. Just ask
Mr. Pedro, the owner and a true book lover
since childhood, to help you find that bizarre
one you won’t find anywhere else! You’ll also
notice that their shop windows are always
displaying something: posters from the 20’s
advertising Port Wine, the program for São
João festivities during 1950…
bar ão
r c al
br an
rua do
dã o
b ro
STYLISH AND
38 CHEAP VEGGIE
te
Can I say something bad
about Porto? The old town
is not well cared for and a
lot of buildings could benefit
from a good restoration
programme. Just look at
the beautiful tiles you find
in the facades!
on
FRANCISCO, 29,
tourist from Spain
am
37 BIG LITTLE STREET
Pão-de-ló, our traditional Easter cake, has
several versions in different parts of the
country, but at 36 CASA-DO-LÓ (Mon-Sat
around 12:00 or 14:00-2:00) you have the
chance to try one of the most famous ones.
Since time began this shop has sold this cake,
plus jams and marmalades and it’s now a
very nice café as well. Pão-de-ló is amazingly
dry here, so you’d better include a cup of
tea in your order. Not into sweet homemade
stuff? Go for a beer and a game of snooker at
ESPAÇO 77 – so popular there’s even a crowd
drinking outside in the evening! For Portuguese
old-school postcards, matches boxes, stamps
and similar things, check 35 COLLECTUS
(Mon-Fri 9:30-12:30/14:00-18:30, Sat 10:0013:00) – it’s a collector’s shop, but nevertheless
you might find that perfect gift you’re looking
for! But the tiny Travessa de Cedofeita is also
home to a variety of other shops, like the
alternative 37 BLOW UP where you have a
bunch of hand made clothes and you can even
order your custom-made shoes!
If you’re fat obsessed, watch out! There’s
a Portuguese saying that ‘a disgrace never
comes alone’ and you won’t be able to
resist these two delicious places next to one
another. LEITARIA DA QUINTA DO PAÇO
(Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00, and Sun after 14:00)
bakes the best éclairs in the city (with perfect
whipped cream filling and dark chocolate
topping) and the neighbouring tiny-butalways-crowded PADARIA RIBEIRO (MonSat, 7:00-20:00) seems to turn basically
everything they touch into gold. Their cookies
- like almendrados (almond cookies), pastel
de nata, and passion-fruit pies are all highly
recommended.
M
M
When you live in
Porto, you can choose
how cosmopolitan or
village-like you want your
life to be! The many familyrun groceries and old cafés
make the city truly cozy,
but without the suffocating
nature of villages where a
new tattoo would be the
gossip for a week .
104
BOOKS, BOOKS
aíso
DANIEL, 24,
future journalist
95 BAD HABITS
74 AND MORE USED BOOKS
H
Our grandparents still remember the shouts
and screams coming from this building as
they took their Sunday walks in the garden
out front. That’s because it was a jail until
1974 and the city still refers to it as ‘Cadeia
da Relação’ (Relação Jail). Nowadays it’s the
PORTUGUESE CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
(Tue-Fri 10:00-12:30/15:00-18:00, Sat&Sun
15:00-19:00) and regularly hosts several
temporary photography exhibitions and
a permanent collection of hundreds of
historically relevant cameras. It’s free, so
at least you can go inside and imagine how
it would have been to live among famous
prisoners, such as Camilo Castelo Branco, a
notable 19th century novelist kept imprisoned
there for having sex with a married woman.
Long gone are the days when high society
ladies used to come to ATENEIA (Mon-Sat
8:00-20:00) at five o’clock to have their
scones and tea. Nothing unusual if
“white tea” wasn’t the code
for the waiter
ade
au d
to bring a beautiful
da steapot filled up with…
r ua
white wine! These respectable ladies in
their fur coats in this way could get drunk
peacefully and unnoticed, at a time when
women were not supposed to touch a drip
of alcohol… Nowadays there is no codified
‘tea’ but you still can feel some of the old
charm if you come here for ryour
scones at
ua
pa Hungaros
breakfast or afternoon tea with
dr
ec
(buter cookies covered with chocolate).
ru
gr
35
(Mon-Sat 12:00-20:00) is a special one:
vintage hats, inner-tube hand bags, retro
furniture, handmade urban jewels…. Getting
hungry with all of these shopping? This mall
has no McDonalds, but PIMENTA ROSA
serves much better snacks all day long! Not
good enough? Try 32 ITAMAE (Mon-Sat,
lunch and dinner, lunch menu from 7.5¤)
which is the first and still one of the top
Sushi restaurants; have your unagi in the
nice garden at the back! If you’re looking for
the alternative/indie/underground/artist
publishing house, visit 25 INC. (Wed-Fri
16:00-20:00, Sat 15:00-20:00), a small
bookshop selling only author-published or
limited editions. Then go green at 27 QUINTAL
(Mon-Fri 10:30-20:00, Sat 15:00-20:00)
an organic specialised café and shop, or feel
intellectual with a coffee and a poem at the
relaxed 28 GATO VADIO (Tue-Sun 21:0000:00 & Thu-Sun 15:00-19:30) a poetry
bookshop that also serves coffee.
For those who really like tea 26 ROTA DO
CHÁ (Mon-Thu 12:00-20:00, Fri&Sat 12:0000:00, Sun 13:00-20:00) is a cosy tea house
in the once mythical Artes em Partes building
(which provided a start for this and several
other shops and projects that eventually
moved out; the new, and more modest,
29 ARTES EM PARTES is just a street away).
So, sit in the garden and ask for a piece of cake
while you read the phonebook-size list trying
to pick one out of 300 teas. You’ll be amazed
by the beautiful house at 31 BREYNER 85
(Mon-Thu 14:00-02:00, Fri-Sun until later),
an art academy “in process” which is a gallery
by day with mostly concerts in the evening.
Ah, and when everything else is closed,
24 LOBBY (every day, 21:00-2:00) is the café
that is open for sure!
aa
For many years Miguel Bombarda Street
was simply home to most of Porto’s art
galleries and suddenly… puff! It became the
‘Arts Block’, with a variety of everything in
alternative version: clothes and accessories,
decoration, restaurants, cafés… Bombarda is
more than just a street; it’s where the young,
arty and alternative Porto mingles.
Well, don’t stick to this map too much, just
go and explore for yourself but keep in mind
artists don’t wake up early (¬in other words
nothing is open before noon).
The 23 ART GALLERIES (Tue-Sat 15.0019.00 or 19.30) are too numerous to be listed
up – just dedicate 2 hours of your day and
see them all. If you happen to be in Porto
on one of those Saturdays when galleries
simultaneously open new exhibitions (16:0020:00 or 21:00), try not to miss the event…
Just follow the info on the big ‘Bombarda’
posters everywhere in town, and pop in and
out of any gallery as you like.
If ‘second-hand clothes’ sounds to you like
‘t-shirt-with-a-stain-for-50-cents’, you must
see 33 RE USE (Tue-Fri 15:00-19:00, Sat
10:00-13:00). The three ladies who run this
place carefully select every single YSL pair
of shoes and D&G purse they sell. Don’t get
put off by all the brands (as they’re not that
cheap) since they have stuff for 1¤ as well.
And Saturday mornings are guaranteed
shopping fun, at least for girls because they
have nothing for guys. From there, check
out 34 PORTO BELO (Sat 13:00-18:00), the
open-air market everyone goes to sell their
self-produced clothes and ‘designer’ items.
What? A Shopping mall in this area? No way!
Well, forget about Zara and H&M,
30 CENTRO COMERCIAL BOMBARDA
M
70 JAIL TURNED MUSEUM
65 CODE NAME: WHITE TEA
54 CAKES, CAKES AND CAKES
ORIENTE NO PORTO (Mon-Sat, lunch), also
referred to as ‘The Hare Krishna’, is a vegan
canteen-style-restaurant that cooks just one
really tasty dish everyday. But the view over
the city, the open-air terrace, and the overall
atmosphere make you forget that you can’t
choose what you eat.
(6¤ normal price, 4.5¤ with a student card).
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34 DOWNTOWN EUPHORIA I – READY, SET… GO A-R-T-Y-!
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23
Far from it’s former glory, SÉ CATEDRAL
(Mon-Sat 9:00-12:15/14:30-18:00, Sun
14:30-18:00), is now quite medieval looking
compared to the golden baroque pearl it was
70 years ago (the dictator Salazar, who ran
the country from the 30’s until 1968 didn’t
like it and burnt all the gilded wood inside).
Left of the main altar is the smaller Silver
Altar, an offer from the city’s goldsmiths.
Most people still believe the reason it wasn’t
stolen during the French Invasions is because
we had the genius idea of painting it on white
and the stupid French thought it was wood!
Unfortunately that’s not true and documents
prove we just paid the invaders not to take
it. Still, it’s a beautiful legend you will hear
everywhere and even though Porto is known
as the “Invicta” - the Unbeatable City.
73 VEGGIE CENTER
There are others, but 53 LUSITANO is a
popular warm-up place to prepare for the
night. Get there around midnight or 1:00,
have a drink, dance a bit, talk to people and
then follow the crowd to 72 BOYS’R’US
(Wed,Fri&Sat, 5¤)and shake your butt to the
sound of the ‘queens’: Madonna, Kyle and
crew. The drag queen show starts around
4:00 and these divas really act up when they
put on their shiny dresses to perform hits
like ‘I will survive!’. Then everybody goes
to 93 ZOOM (Fri&Sat, 5¤) since taking people
out of the closet and driving them into the
back alley could be the motto of the biggest
and newest of the gay clubs. It’s housed in
a former warehouse on a dead-end street
and you won’t so much get dance floor chart
music but rather go-go dancers and an
enormous crowd – the party goes until late!
Still asking for more? 103 PRIDE BAR (Fri-Sun,
5¤) is very popular and packed and also well
known for it’s drag queens, strip tease and
theme parties (‘Roman Gladiator’ or ‘Thieves
and Cops’ sound good enough?) and if on
Sunday you still feel like partying this is the
right place.
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76 CATHEDRAL
22 103
93
22 GAY SCENE
72
Do you know those ‘1001 ways’ cookbooks?
There is one (or several) on how to cook
bacalhau, the dried and salted fish that’s
a Portuguese national dish (we eat it for
Christmas) even though it comes from
Norway, Iceland or Canada. A typical way
of serving it is dipped in egg and flour and
then fried – it’s called Isca de Bacalhau (4¤)
and ESCONDIDINHO DO BARREDO (at the
bottom of ‘Escadas do Barredo’ but no name
on the door; Tue-Sun 13:00-21:30), a typical
Ribeira restaurant with an open kitchen where
Dona Cremilde cooks in front of your eyes
and fries dozens of them a day. Don’t forget to
order something like salada de feijão fradinho
as a side (cold black eyed peas salad).
For genuine religious kitsch (which is not
cheap) CASA DO CORAÇÃO DE JESUS
(‘House of the Heart of Jesus’) is here to
serve you! The shop is small but beautiful with
neo-gothic style wood carvings that give you
an impression how things used to look in the
once-very-posh, 19th century Rua Mouzinho
da Silveira.
Portos people’s nickname is ‘tripeiros’
(meaning something like ‘tripe eaters’ – and
by tripe we really mean cow intestines). The
origin of the dish is uncertain and may date
back to the 15th century. Legend has it that
the city gave all its meat to the sailors that
went to conquer the future colony of Ceuta,
with only tripe remaining for the people to eat.
True or not ‘Tripas à Moda do Porto’ (Porto
Style Tripe) is the city’s dish, which consists
of a thick stew with cow tripe and beans.
Honors should be paid to Mrs. Filomena, from
CASA CORREIA (Mon-Sun; lunch), who every
Thursday cooks for us the best tripe we could
possibly ask for, and in such huge portions we
can share them between four and still feel full.
If you happen to see a bunch of junk hanging
in a window, that’s 47 ROSA CHOCK
(everyday 13:00-21:00) so go upstairs and
dig to find something vintage you’re really
looking for. But for the real, genuine, totallynon-trendy everything-mixed second-hand,
go to CASH&GO (Mon-Fri 9:00-12:30/15:0019:00, Sat 9:00-12:30) where you can sell
whatever you’ve realised you don’t need
anymore and make room in your suitcase! Are
you an Eastern European missing your sour
cucumbers or smoked hearings? Then rest
assured that you’re not the only one, since
former Soviet Union immigrants are one of
the biggest groups living here and 43 TROIKA
(everyday 9:00-14:00/15:00-19:00) supplies
68 BARROQUE TOWER
them all!Just one street away is another
63 HUMAN FURNITURE
two-in-one: 44 MATÉRIA PRIMA (Mon-Sat,
Towers are symbols of power and Porto,
If they’re not there, it’s only because
14:00-20:00) and DAMA AFLITA (Mon-Sat,
as an important city at the time, had its own
something terrible is happening elsewhere
15:00-19:00); the first is a record shop with
TORRE DOS CLÉRIGOS in the 18th century
in the country! The TWO POLICEMEN
more electronic music and a bookshop with
(Winter 10:00-12:00/14:00-17:00, Summer
standing on this corner are as much of
alternative publishing (if you ask kindly, João
9:30-13:00/14:30-19:00, last admission 30
a landmark as the building they’re guarding
might tell you what concerts are going on); the
min before closing, 2¤). Built as the bell tower
on the opposite side of the street. It’s the Bank
second is a gallery specialised in illustrations
for the church it’s next to, it is still the highest
of Portugal’s doors they watch the all day long
showing work by Portuguese and foreigners
building around and from the top – only 225
(and no, it’s not the same two guys everyday!)
which is run by Rui and Júlio, two young
steps – there’s a breathtaking view over the city.
ru
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illustrators and
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CANDELABRO (Mon-Sat
13:00-2:00) a former
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64 SUGAR BABIES
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69 WAX ORGANS
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light, good music and nice theatre chairs!
For decades a synonym for top quality
H black & white
Portugal is 99% Catholic but, as elsewhere,
chocolates and almonds, ARCÁDIA (Mon-Fri
the Church was always quite efficient
9:30-19:00, Sat until 13:00)
is where we go
53 CAFÉ LUSITANO
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Don’t feel intimidated by the huge chandelier;
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Everyone in Porto knows Rua do Almada
because if you need screws, taps, metal wires
or anything D.I.Y. construction-related you
don’t bother looking anywhere else.
But a few years ago, a parallel market began
to emerge next door to the decades-old
(sometimes centuries-old) shops: it’s water
pipes and screws vs. records and vintage!
Of this ‘wave’, the first to open was 40 RETRO
PARADISE (Tue-Sat 14:00-19:00) with music
at the front, and great second-hand vintage
clothes at the back (but Elisa got a bit bored
of selling garments, so now you must make an
appointment to see them). For more records,
you have 42 ZONA 6 (Mon-Sat, 14:00-20:00)
where you can burn your own vinyl record the songs must be copyright-free, so forget
about Michael Jackson.
41 LOUIE LOUIE (Mon-Sat 10:30-13:30/
14:30-19:00), sells all kinds of music – new or
used, from the latest releases to the classics –
and shares a space with the LOMOGRAPHIC
EMBASSY (Tue-Sat 15:00-19:00), but for
more rock/punk/progressive stuff we go
to 43 LOST UNDERGROUND (Mon-Fri
13:00-20:00, Sat 14:30-20:00).
Take a break at 41 MARIA VAI COM AS
OUTRAS (everyday 16:30-20:30/22:3000:00), a literary café and shop where you
can also ask for a game to play.
especially booming: going from one end to the
other of 60 Galerias de Paris (the street was
named this because the original plan included
a glass roof cover as was fashionable in 19th
century Paris) can easily take 10 minutes
because it’s so dense with people drinking and
chatting. But it’s also a nice area to visit during
the day, when everything is quiet.
CAFÉ AU LAIT (Mon-Sat, 12:00-2:00) is a
relaxed spot for a salad or a piece of cake, with
some DJ in the evening. Next door GALERIAS
DE PARIS (Mon-Sat, 9:00-2:00 or 3:00) is a
restaurant with lovely brique-à-braque décor
to enjoy while having a nice breakfast for
1.5¤ (!!) (only until 11:00), a buffet lunch (5¤)
or dinner (8¤). Across the street, the more
exquisite CASA DO LIVRO (Tue-Sun, 20:002:00, 5¤ to get in on Fri&Sat) is perfect for a
‘long’ coffee and next to it ITAIPU (until 2:00)
is a bakery that will supply you with cheap
snacks like empadas or lanches and beer
for the night; 59 ERA UMA VEZ NO PORTO
(Mon-Sat, from 16:00, entrance nº 162, then
up the stairs) has a nice balcony and it’s good
for either coffee or drinks until late.
ão b e
47 DOWNTOWN EUPHORIA II - SCREWS VS. RECORDS
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Named after the famous 19th century
Porto-born and based sculptor NATIONAL
MUSEUM SOARES DOS REIS (Tue 14:0018:00, Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00) hosts a fine
collection of mainly Portuguese 19th and
20th century painting and sculpture. The big
masterpieces and names are represented
– Soares dos Reis’ sculpture ‘O Desterrado’
(The Exiled), and Aurelia de Sousa’s powerful
self-portrait – as well as some of the couldhave-been-big names if the artists hadn’t died
of tuberculosis in their 20’s. They also have
a nice collection of furniture, metalworks,
jewellery and ceramics from the 16th century
onwards, and one piece you can’t miss: the
‘Nambam Screens’ is a set of two Japanese
hand painted screens depicting the arrival of
those strange men with long noses, pale faces
and weird clothes - the Portuguese, the first
Europeans to get to Japan.
Imagine this street just a few years ago:
there were empty buildings everywhere,
like everywhere in Porto. Filipe and his twin
brother João decided not to go to Lisbon to
make a living, as so many young Porto people
were doing at that time, but instead started
their own business, which suddenly changed
and brought to life an entire block. That’s
how 61 PLANO B , the first club to open in the
area, came to life. At first a small venue with
the occasional party, it’s now an impressive
club with mutant décor (now it has fake
Greek statues and fountains), parties with
everything from heavy electro to rockabilly
and a café that’s open during the day where
you also find some small exhibitions. For a
smaller and more decadent late night rock
club 62 TENDINHA DOS CLÉRIGOS (Tue-Sat)
is a possibility.
After so many years when everyone just
complained about the near-death state of
the city, it seems something changed and
the downtown came to life again. Now every
young guy and girl comes here to mingle, to
shop, to have drinks, to meet friends or to
dance. On Friday and Saturday nights it is
79 HIDDEN RESTAURANT
75 A HEART OF JESUS, PLEASE
71 INTESTINES
ça
22 NATIONAL MUSEUM
40
The décor is so outdated it became pure
vintage but don’t try to pronounce the name
in a fancy trying-to-sound Italian way.
SINCELO (Tue-Sat 12:30-00:00, Sun
14.00-00:00) is just the name for a soft kind
of snow. Ironically, it’s better to have the ice
cream with pancakes or in a milkshake,
rather than eat it on it’s own!
GOURMET COW
62 DOWNTOWN EUPHORIA III – THE ODYSSEY BEGINS
59
fr a n
Of the long gone 1865 PALÁCIO DE CRISTAL
(8:00-19:00 October to March; April to
September 8:00-21:00) just the name
remains. But before it was replaced by an
atomic mushroom-shaped sports palace,
(built in 1951 when Portugal hosted the hockey
championships and we believed we were
going to win it all), there really was a Crystal
Palace. A smaller version of the London
one, it was built for the 1865 Oporto World
Exposition. (Nowadays this event is called
EXPO, something that came to Lisbon only in
1998, more than 100 years later). The gardens
are still quite unchanged and keep their
Romantic feeling, complete with peacocks
walking around trying to steal your food!
52 RETRO ICE CREAM
av de
21 CRYSTAL PALACE
CONTAGIARTE (Tue-Sat, evenings) is a
big house and garden where several things
happen at the same time, from a belly
dancing workshop to a jazz concert or a
poetry session. You never know if you will get
jazz/fusion/latin or rock and reggae, but on
‘Baileburdia’ (last Thu of the month) you have
guaranteed fun – it’s the folk night when just
listening is not enough because you must
join the group and dance!
r ua s
39 CONTAGIOUS?
rua do pinheiro de c ampanhã
107 ART WAREHOUSE
No old masters and no very big names (yet),
every artist exhibiting at the non-commercial
ESPAÇO CAMPANHÃ (Mon-Sat 15:00-19:00)
art gallery is pretty young and irreverent.
So, for an insight into what’s happening now
on the lively Portuguese art scene, make your
way to this not-so-easy-to-find warehouse
in the otherwise uninteresting Campanhã
district. Make sure you also check out
TABACARIA, another gallery that’s part of
the same project, which is dedicated to
drawing and printed material, and the
ARMAZÉM DE VIDEO (‘Video Warehouse’)
- the name is self-explanatory.
DID WE MISS SOMETHING?
ARE WE TOTALLY WRONG?
LET US KNOW!
info@use-it-porto.com