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Walks on the seafront
To fully discover Porto and its history you must go to Foz do Douro. Facing the Atlantic you'll be struck by an incredible quality of life, the utmost romantic walks where every evening sun and sea merge into one spectacular climax.
These beaches proudly display the blue flag eco-label, a sign of high quality unpolluted seawater. Take a stroll under the "Pergola da Foz" built in the 1930s. As the story goes, the Mayor of Porto’s wife at the time, had been so enchanted by the pergola of the "Promenade des Anglais » in the French town of Nice that she simply had to have the same in Porto. Here it is called the "Praia dos Ingleses" a reminder that the English (and other British citizens!) have always enjoyed a close relationship with Portugal.
Enjoy the beaches, walk, stroll with your lover, run, jog, sprint, race, or… pedal gently…as you like. Most of all, have fun.
View point' Fort São Francisco Xavier (Cheese Castle): Praça de Gonçalves Zarco, 4100-274 Porto
• Panoramic view
• Opening hours: Tue-Sun 13:00-18:00
This castle is also known as the Castelo do Queijo or Cheese Castle and gets its name from the shape of the rocky hill on which it stands. From this rocky beach you have a wide panoramic view.
Matosinhos :
Porto boasts some of the finest restaurants in Portugal. Whether you are a foodie or just like to eat well, you have come to the right place both for quality and quantity (even Lisbon’s citizens have to concede that the best food in Portugal is in Porto). The best restaurants of the city are mainly located in Matosinhos near the beach and the seaport called "Porto de Leixões".
If you are in town in July, do not miss the fish festival. Take a bus or the subway to Matosinhos and taste the best fish you have ever known. Freshly caught fish is served the same day at barbecues lining up the streets just a few blocks from the main beach. Choose your own fish (you have to take a whole one!) and see it being prepared in the street in front of you. This may not be a fancy fish restaurant but together with the locals, you are eating the best tasting fish you ever had! Try a dourada. It means «golden» . Have you ever tasted such mmmm…delicious bream before ? We doubt it.
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