This city is gorgeous.
It took some time for us to finally go to Porto for some reason. Everyone that we knew who have been there recommended the port city of Portugal and even asked if they could come along again. It didn’t work out for our friends this time, but we managed to snag a good deal from our trip to Bari, so off we went from Bari directly to Porto.
드디어 올리는 포르투, 포르토? 주변 친구들이 그렇게 좋다고 칭찬을 해서 우리도 드디어 다녀왔는데 딱 생각했던것만큼 좋았다!
The journey itself was not the best. Long story short: our plane to Milan, which was where we were taking a connecting flight to Porto, landed in Verona due to bad weather, so we had to spend the night in Verona, wait for the plane hoping for space, made it to Lisbon, waited a couple hours for a train to Porto and after a three-hour train ride, finally made it to our airbnb. Thanks, Ryanair. We lucked out with the airbnb because it was in a great location, clean, included breakfast and had a very nice view. Long journey but we made it.
이태리 바리에서 밀라노, 밀라노에서 포르투에 가는 비행이 있어서 예매했는데 연착을 하는 바람에 비행기를 놓치고 그날 밤은 베로나에서 보내고 아침 일찍 (세시에 일어났음) 공항으로 출발, 겨우 리스본행 비행기를 타고 리스본에 도착, 포르투로 향하는 기차를 또 놓쳐서 세시간을 기다리고 기차안에서 또 세시간. 겨우 에어비앤비에 도착, 엄마야. 일년에 한두번은 이런 일이 생기는데 아오. 교훈은 Ryanair는 그냥 안타는 걸로.
Because the city is located along the Douro River, you can most certainly enjoy the perks. The cuisine includes various seafood dishes, fresh vegetables, cheese, special bread, the famous Port wine, and the architecture around the city is amazing and so different from fellow Portuguese city Lisbon. (The city is also known as “Oporto,” but that was a misinterpretation of the actual Portuguese word “o Porto,” which just means Porto but with the definite article.)
It’s the second largest city in Portugal and is compared to Lisbon a lot, but as I mentioned, the two cities feel completely different; Lisbon a bit more modern and more organized, while Porto is a bit rough at the edges, if that makes sense. For example, there are so many buildings that are old and abandoned and scary to even look at because they are in fact at risk of collapsing.
포르투는 도우루 강에 위치하고 있고 바다도 가까워 그 혜택을 고스란히 느낄 수 있었다. 신선한 해산물도 많고 디저트 와인으로 마시는 아주 달고 쓴 포르투 와인도 있고 한 여름에도 그다지 덥지 않고. 포르투칼의 수도인 리스본과 많이 비교되는데 개인적으로 리스본이 여행하기는 더 쉽고 볼 것도 많은 느낌이었다. 포르투는 뭔가 거칠고 정리되지 않은 느낌. 지저분하고 더럽다는 느낌은 아닌데 뭔가 더 특색있고 길들여지지 않는 느낌. 포르투칼에서 두번째로 큰 관광도시인데도 중심가엔 무너질 듯한 건물들도 너무 많고 도시 자체가 관리받지 않는 듯한 느낌.
The city is not the biggest in Portugal and even with a toddler, I would say four to five days should do it. I’m talking about covering the basics though, with no excursions or road trips to neighboring cities. We walked a lot, went to porto winery tours (which will be in a separate post), ate yummy food, visited famous tourist spots (which I don’t really mind) and I think we did quite a lot.
도시는 꽤 큰 편이지만 꼬맹이 아이와 함께 하는 여행으로는 어렵지 않았다. 4-5일만에 중요한 볼거리도 거의 다 보고 경험할 수 있는 정도의 도시. 우버가 있어서 특히 아이가 있는 우리에게는 훨씬 수월했다. 특히 포르투 와이너리들이 다 언덕에 있어서 저걸 어떻게 올라가지 했는데 우버 만세!
The best pastel de nata is here, don’t go anywhere else: Manteigaria.
에그 타르트는 그냥 여기만: Manteigaria.
Like many cities, the city hall is always an important point. And we were luckily staying quite close by, so it was easier to navigate and get a better sense of direction. The city hall is a beautiful building and quite majestic, but we didn’t go in. The Liberdade Square, where the city hall is located, is also a good place to start your journeys, and also is where you can find the fanciest McDonald’s in the world.
어느 도시나 여행하기에 앞서 기준점을 찾는 것이 중요한데 우린 일반적으로 시청이나 가장 유명한 곳으로 정하곤 한다. 프로투에서는 에어비앤비에서도 가까웠던 시청 (들어가지는 않았어요). 시청이 있는 리버다데 광장에는 세계에서 가장 아름답다는 맥도날드도 있는데 여기도 들어가서 먹진 않았지만, 예쁜거 인정.
From there, we walked down to the São Bento to see the famous tiled walls. You can find tiled everything in Portugal, it’s not just Porto, but this station was quite special. There are paintings representing important historical moments in Portuguese history and it’s a sight to see.
These specific tiles that you find a lot in Portugal are called Azulejo and not only are they beautiful, they offer both historical and practical meaning, since they depict historical moments and also help cool down the structure’s temperature. Smart and beautiful. The ones here at the station were made from 1905 to 1916 by famed Azulejo artist Jorge Colaco.
시청에서 멀리 떨어지지 않은 상벤투역. 포르투칼에서 흔히 볼 수 있는 파란색 타일 벽으로 치장 (?)한 기차역인데 너무 아름다워서 한참 둘러볼 수 밖에 없다. 요즘은 인스타를 하는 사람들이 너무 많아서 사진을 찍으면 꼭 한쪽 어딘가에서 포즈 잡고 사진찍는 사람들이 꼭 걸리곤 한다. 이 타일벽은 “아줄레주”라는 기법인데 일반적으로 그 도시나 국가의 역사적인 순간을 표현하는 예술적인 측면과 여름의 높은 온도를 조금이나마 낮춰주기 위한 실용적인 측면도 있다는 사실.
There are a couple of famous streets, mostly for shopping, that we passed by a couple of times, including Rua Santa Catarina and Avenida dos Aliados. On these streets there are also famous and very popular cafes and restaurants such as the Cafe Majestic, where JK Rowling frequented and actually wrote the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s also known to be one of the most beautiful cafes in the world. There’s also Cafe Guarany, one of the oldest cafes in the city and also where many musicians, writers, businessmen and intellectuals gathered for a drink or two.
Such cafes are super popular and most of them don’t take reservations, so unless you go early, you’ll have to wait in line to actually go in and have a cup of coffee or dessert. We didn’t because waiting out for a longer period of time with a toddler can be a bit stressful, but would have loved to try it.
신기하게도 유명한 카페가 많은 포르투. 해리포터의 작가 JK 롤링이 해리포터를 처음 쓰기 시작했다는 마제스틱 카페부터 수많은 정치가, 사업가, 기자들이 드나들었다는 카페 구아라니까지. 들어가려면 줄을 서서 기다려야하거나 해서 우리는 들어가지 않았는데 뭔가 신기한 경험이었을 듯.
Like we do in many different cities and countries, we also checked out the (main) cathedral (or in some places, castle) grounds: Porto Cathedral. They are mostly high up where you can get a great view and if you go early, there (most likely) won’t be as much people. And it’s way nicer to enjoy these places with less people, which also means you can take photos of your silly three-year-old without having legs, arms and butts in the background.
포르투 성당. 성당이나 성은 기본적으로 가주는데 사람이 너무 많아서 이제는 아이와 함께일때는 아침 일찍 가는 편. 하루 일정 중 1번으로 시작하길 추천합니다.
As I mentioned before, there are a lot of abandoned buildings all around the city, and considering that Porto’s old town was listed as World Heritage site by UNESCO, it seems they are sitting on gold.
In 2011, while the world was reading news about Greece and its financial troubles, Portugal also received a bailout from the EU to prevent bankruptcy. Meanwhile, around 20 percent of the houses in Porto were abandoned due to such financial struggles and were eventually left alone. The government later tried to attract both foreigners and foreign investors by introducing the Golden Visa, which offers a permanent residency when an investor purchases property. According to statistics, 80 percent of these visas have been obtained by Chinese investors.
포르투에는 정말 오래되거나 무너지기 직전인 상태의 건물들이 특히나 많았다. 이런 건물들이 상주하고 있는 올드 타운은 특히 유네스코가 지정한 만큼 유명하고 역사가 깊은 곳인데 왜 이렇게 위험한 상황을 가만두는걸까.
2011년 그리스가 국가부도로 허덕이고 있을때, 포르투도 함께 허덕이고 있었다. 이런 어려움을 겪으며 포르투의 시민들은 도시를 하나둘씩 떠나기 시작했고 결국 이런 건물들은 그 상태로 버려진 것. 포르투칼 정부는 이후에 자국의 경기 부양을 위해 일정액을 투자하면 본인과 가족에게 비교적 쉽게 영주권을 주는 황금비자를 소개하기 시작했는데 현재 포르투칼 80%의 황금비자 소지자는 중국인인 것으로 알려져 있다고. 그럼에도 불구하고 이런 오래된 건물들이 많은건 너무 중심가라 비싸거나 시끄럽고 정신없어서 생활하기 불편하기 때문. 군데 군데 공사하고 재건축하는 모습을 볼 수도 있는데 그래도 심할 정도로 위험해 보이는 건물들이 많은 편.
The Dom Luís I Bridge is hard to miss, not only because it’s one of the main attractions but also because it is indeed a lovely bridge. And the history! It was built by none other than Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the Eiffel Tower. You can either walk up to cross the bridge on the upper level, or just walk through the lower level. Both are great for the views, the upper one is better for obvious reasons. The lower one is trickier (and windier) to cross because there’s a road for cars, but still manageable.
동 루이스 1세 다리는 에펠탑을 지은 구스타프 에펠이 지은 다리로 하부층은 자동차 도로로, 상부층은 전차용으로 이용되고 있다. 1층, 2층 모두 따라서 건널 수 있는데 2층은 계단을 이용하거나 짧은 케이블카를 타고 올라갈 수 있다. 개인적으로는 2층으로 올라가 건넌 후 다 시 돌아올때는 1층으로 돌아올 것을 추천합니다. 1층으로 돌아올때는 바람이 심하게 부니 모자는 벗어주세요.
If there is one thing I can recommend to do when you are in Porto, it would be to take the cable car! Such a good idea and the best way to enjoy the view. Not only is it a fun way to move from one place to the other, it’s also one of the most sustainable transportation means in the city. The Gaia Cable Car construction started in 2009, so it’s been around 10 years and it’s so fun. It takes about 5 minutes from the Dom Luis I Bridge to the Porto wine cellars and when it’s not so busy, you can get one cable car all on your own.
각자의 여행 스타일이 다르기 때문에 특별히 추천을 하려고 안하는 편인데 가이아 케이블카는 꼭 추천! 동 루이스 1세 다리에서 포르투 와인 공장이 즐비한 동네에 내릴 수 있는데 짧고 가격도 저렴해서 강력 추천 고고.
Now for the cuisine. When it comes to the food, it’s hard to try absolutely everything that city offers, for various reasons. Some you just don’t like, you don’t have the time, you sometimes want something quick and easy to eat, etc. But there are some important dishes that stand out and I have to say we tried our best.
개인적으로 포르투칼에서 유명한 바칼라우 (대구 요리) 는 좋아하지 않지만 먹어보지 않았다면 꼭 한번은 먹어보길 권유합니다. 좋아하지 않는 이유는 우리나라의 대구 요리가 너무 맛있어서인것 같은데 그래서 그런지 그냥 짭쪼름한 생선 튀김이랄까.
The first place we went was a small local place called O Rápido. It was recommended by a local friend and it was amazing. If you’re in a local Portuguese restaurant, do order any type of Bacalhau, or dried and salted cod fish, anything octopus related such as rice or even fried octopus and the traditional sausage called Alheira. This particular restaurant also had some amazing desserts, including pumpkin pie (this was a recurring thing, especially the pumpkin. I bought pumpkin jam for the first time and it’s so good.) and Oreo pie. Delicious.
포르투에 사는 친구가 추천하고 같이 가준 O Rápido. 전형적인 집밥 느낌의 식당. 바칼라우, 해물밥, 전통식 소세지까지. 그리고 마지막으로 호박 파이를 주문했는데 너무 맛있어서 하나 더 주문할뻔. 포르투에는 호박과 관련된 디저트가 특히 많았는데 무조건 많이 드시길 추천. 호박 잼도 사보았는데 꿀맛.
I read about this sushi place Subenshi on instagram and we just happened to be in that area so it happened. The interior of the place was super nice, chic, super friendly staff, a bit on the pricier side but very good food. We took the fusion sushi plate and fusion it indeed was. Delicious quality and great if you want something non-Portuguese.
서양식이 지겨워서 간 스시집 Subenshi. 깨끗하고 친절하고 음식도 괜찮았던 곳. 생각보다 좀 비싸서 아까운 감이 없지 않아 있었는데 포르투칼 음식이 지겹다면 추천!
Churrasqueira kinay was a lucky find; it was very close to our airbnb and I just quickly read about it online so we thought, why not. A Churrasqueira basically means barbeque (literally means a place where the meat is cooked in churrasco style).
Churrasqueira kinay라는 구이집은 사실 에어비앤비와 가까워서 찾은 곳이었다. 다양한 구이와 바베큐를 파는 곳인데 큰 기대는 안했는데 내가 먹어본 치킨 구이 중에서는 거의 1, 2등. 이렇게 부드럽고 육즙이 좔좔이라니. 들어가서 앉았는데 나가는 한 팀이 지난 몇일동안 몇번 방문했던 모양인데 우리도… 첫날 갔는데 너무 맛있어서 다음날도 다시 갔다는 흐뭇한 이야기.
And it could have been the best barbequed chicken of my life. Very local so not much tourists, but I heard a couple of people saying that they came two days in a row because the food was so good and guess what. We did the same. They do have the traditional menus but I would suggest go for the ones that come from the grill; chicken, ribs, sausages, fish. The chicken seemed like a very popular choice because they were selling out quite quickly. I asked the owner what he did to the chicken and he smiled and pointed to his sauces. He said garlic, but that was all he wanted to tell me. (I also took the pumpkin pie, again.)
But then how bad can anything be when it’s grilled to death on an open fire?
The last restaurant Zé Bota was a rather touristy place, but very good nonetheless. It was hard to find because it was hidden in an alleyway where you wouldn’t think would be the greatest place for a restaurant, but it was excellent. Definitely on the more touristy side, but for good reason. The walls are decorated with wooden Porto wine boxes and the guests have written little notes and scribbles everywhere. It was our last night in Porto, so we went for the traditional dishes: Alheira, rice and beans, fried anchovies (tell me, do you eat the entire fish or do you eat only the flesh?) and a beautiful dish of meat.(We took the dishes of the day, which is why I don’t have the exact names of these dishes…blogger fail.)
Zé Bota도 우연히 찾은 곳, 이곳은 한국 여행객들도 자주 가는 곳이라고. 찾기가 약간 힘들었는데 일단 들어가고 보니 전형적인 관광지스러운 분위기와 음식들. 하지만 다 맛있고 친절하고, 가장 포르투다운 음식을 먹은 곳이 아닌가 싶다.
Would I go again to Porto? Probably not in the next few years. But I’m so glad we finally did. I have a soft spot for Spain and Portugal, it’s like Italy with the good food, kid friendly but touristy enough that it doesn’t get too annoying. I think it would be great to go with friends to have some nice food, tour around the port wineries and maybe rent a car to visit neighboring cities.
- Luís I Bridge
- Liberdade Square
- Livraria Lello
- Bolsa Palace: We went on a tour but I left my phone with A, so a lot of photos of strangers and her feet. But I would recommend if you want to learn more about the history, economy and architecture of Porto.
- Porto Cathedral
- Monument Church Of St Francis
- Jardins do Palácio de Cristal: A lovely park with a beautiful and quite different view of the city. There are fountains, mazes and beautiful gardens. Oh and a lot of instagrammers.
- Church of Saint Ildefonso
- Ribeira Square
- Mercado do Bolhão: The market is temporarily in another location for reconstruction, but I have to say I prefer the cleaner, fresher and newer environment.
- Chapel of Souls
Restaurants and cafes
- Churrasqueira kinay: R. de Dom João IV 8, 4000-434 Porto, Portugal
- O Rápido
- Zé Bota: Tv. do Carmo 16, 4050-064 Porto, Portugal
Other restaurants that were recommended by a local friend
- Traça: We tried to book a table but was full. It looked good, but mostly meat, so if you’re a veggie eater, then… Also on the pricier side, just fyi.
- Casa Aleixo: Rua da Estação 216, 4300-208 Porto, Portugal
- Cantinho do Avillez
All photos by rachelsanghee. April, 2019.