Tour guide reveals the best way to see Porto, Portugal

It’s tipped to be one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2018 but this tour guide says there’s one thing travellers keep getting wrong about Portugal.

woman tourist on the street, summer fashion style, travel to Europe

“Seeing the city being completely transformed with people from all around the world arriving every single day, it’s just something I would never have imagined 10 years ago,” Daniel Macedo Pinto says.

A guide for Porto Walkers by day and theatre director and actor by night, Daniel brings a dramatic flair to his tours but says he also feels validated by just being a local, offering up tips like these:

DON’T ASK IF WE’RE PART OF SPAIN

I always ask at the start of my tours, “when did Portugal become a country?” I hear the 20th century sometimes, which is funny, I mean, just look around, it would not be possible! But the 19th century, the 18th century … all centuries appear. Lots of people still think we’re still a part of Spain! People seem to have a very specific idea about how young Portugal should be.

Porto, Portugal - April 24, 2016: Electric tram going past in Porto city centre, Portugal. Buildings and historic architecture in the old city centre. Many tourists in this city at the Ribeira district, near the Douro riverside. Photo: iStock

EAT LIKE A TRIPEIRO

Sorry to the vegetarians, but our speciality is a very specific dish you can try in Porto. If you like food, you should have a go even if the description makes you squirm — Trips à mode do Porto. I see the fear of people looking at me going like, “why are you asking me to eat tripe? Are you crazy, I’m not going to do that?”

In the 15th century when the city offered all the meat to the boats going to Africa, the Indian colonies, the residents were left with the poor parts of the animal. They had to use that protein to survive, so they added white beans, carrots, chorizo, parsley, cumin and chopped it all up into very, very small pieces and invented the dish.

If you’re willing to give it a try, head to Palmeira — it’s not a very beautiful restaurant but we know the trips are good and they have it daily.

UNCOVER THE ARTS

We now have a great visual arts dynamic in the city and lots of warehouses are being turned into art galleries. Miguel Bombarda — the ‘art gallery street’ — is completely packed with galleries but now lots of different studios are popping up, especially in the poorer side of the city, near Campanhã Railway Station.

I also recommend Kubik gallery and Sismógrafo, which is easily missed but it’s worth climbing the stairs to see exhibitions of a more experimental nature.

Porto, Portugal old town cityscape on the Douro River with traditional Rabelo boats.Picture: iStockPort report, Porto, Celeste Mitchell, Escape

FIND THE HIDDEN GARDENS

The city has a lot of hidden gardens, like the Crystal Palace gardens, laid out in 19th century by romantic architect Émile David. It’s really beautiful and has a great viewpoint over the Douro River. And peacocks! There’s also a very hidden small Romantic Museum and on the weekends they sometimes do poetry readings with classical music and opera singers, it’s really beautiful.

Another is the Virtudes Garden, an unusual set of gardens on a series of terraces overlooking the river. It’s a place to lounge, to stroll, it draws a lot of youngsters, especially at the weekend and a lot of parties and concerts are held there. It’s really easy to miss the entrance, you need to know what you’re looking for.

LAND THE CATCH OF THE DAY

In Matosinhos you can try all the seafood you can imagine in front of the docks at typical restaurants like Ugaveto — it’s been a classic for decades now. Try the clams with garlic and coriander, the goose barnacles, shrimp, hake fillets … those are top sellers.