Porto & Northern Portugal
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A Day Exploring Espinho, Portugal: Top Attractions and Experiences
Our original plan had been to set a day aside to visit the Douro valley but as organised trips were not operating, this proved problematic. It’s possible to take a train from Porto to Pinhāo from where one can connect to boat trips up the Douro valley. However, with a journey of more than two…
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How to Spend a Day in Vila do Conde from Porto
We decided to spend a day along the coast in the town of Vila do Conde, a seaside resort 25km north of Porto. It’s a town favoured by locals though perhaps not on the day of our visit as it was cool and overcast. Lying at the mouth of the Ave river, it was historically…
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How to Spend a Day in Coimbra from Porto
We were interested to visit Coimbra as it was the medieval capital of Portugal for just over 100 years from 1145-1255 when King Afonso moved his court to Lisbon. The city is also home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. Trains from Porto to Coimbra depart from Campanhã station which is on the main north-south…
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How to Spend a Day in Aveiro from Porto
There’s little need to hire a car whilst staying in Porto as there are numerous interesting places to visit which are easily accessible by train. So, for the third morning in succession we took the now familiar route to the São Bento station, this time for a train to Aveiro. Return fares are priced at…
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How to Spend a Day in Braga from Porto
After breakfast in our hotel, it was back to Saō Bento station again with its beautiful blue tiled concourse. Our destination was to be Portugal’s third largest city, Braga, return day tickets €7 each. The train was reasonably quiet and we enjoyed looking at the passing scenery from the carriage windows during the 75 minute…
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How to spend a day in Guimaraes from Porto
After spending the first two days of our holiday exploring Porto we were ready to travel further afield so after a hearty breakfast we headed off to Saō Bento station where we marvelled once again at its exquisite blue and white tiled concourse. From the ticket office we requested return tickets to Guimaraes with discounted…
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Exploring the Gaia and Foz districts of Porto
After enjoying breakfast in the aparthotel’s cafe we went along to the nearby Trindade metro station to take a train across the Douro to the Jardim do Morro station. Staying in the Bolhāo district appealed to us with its close proximity to Trindade as all lines can be accessed from this interchange station. As we…
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Discover Porto City Centre and the World’s Most Beautiful McDonald’s: A Unique Travel Experience
Porto is an historic mercantile city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s famous for its port wine, medieval walls and steep sided waterfront on the banks of the Douro river. We had originally planned a visit to this wonderful city for April but eventually managed to get there several months later. I hope you…
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