My Kind of Place: Porto, Portugal

Porto revels in its history, terraced gardens and atmospheric neighbourhoods.

Tram crossing the Dom Luis I Bridge over the Douro River, with the historic city centre of Porto visible in the background. Getty Images

Why Porto?

There’s a stubborn, no-nonsense streak to Portugal’s second city that serves to underplay just how gorgeous it is. Long a strategic trading port where the Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean, the city clambers up steep hillsides, terraced gardens slotting into the view among an endearingly shambolic mess of colourfully painted houses, spires and imposing granite public buildings. A series of show-stopping bridges span the Douro, and on dry land, the city becomes a mesmerising tangle of sloping lanes.

It’s a city with a heritage – Portugal’s explorations around the world in the Age of Discovery arguably kicked off here – but it’s quite happy to embrace the modern, too. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s startlingly asymmetrical Casa da Música is a great example of this.

A comfortable bed

A new addition, the Porto River apartment hotel (www.portoriver.pt) is in a prime riverside position, and offers slick apartments with lightwood floors and full kitchens. But original features – wooden ceilings and stone walls – have been kept intact. Studios cost from €125 (Dh511).

The Eurostars das Artes (www.eurostarsdasartes.com) is a four-star with design pretensions, and the rotating art displays in the lobby are a nice touch. But the quality is extraordinarily high for the rates – which can dip as low as €56 (Dh229) per night.

For something with a little more personality, the Teatro (www.hotelteatro.pt) fully plays up a theatre backstage theme. Spotlights, shimmery gold curtains and a lobby that feels like a plush green room add to considerable design flair. Rooms cost from €117 (Dh478).

Find your feet

In a city this hilly, it’s wise to start high and work your way down. So start at the Dom Luís I Bridge, a gorgeous piece of ironwork created by a student of Gustave Eiffel’s, for tremendous views 44.6 metres above the river.

From there, head past the stoutly austere cathedral exterior, down a maze of curving streets towards the historic, gorgeously atmospheric Ribeira neighbourhood.

Standing aloof from Ribeira's nooks and crannies is the Palácio da Bolsa (www.palaciodabolsa.com), a 19th century showcase for the wealth of the local chamber of commerce. Several rooms have a wow factor. The general assembly room looks like it's all intricately carved wood, but it's actually cleverly painted plaster, while the Arabian Hall is an eye-popping, no-holds-barred blizzard of dazzlingly ornate detail.

Nearby is the Casa do Infante at Rua da Alfândega. It’s the city’s former customs house where Portuguese exploration pioneer Henry the Navigator was supposedly born. Inside are displays on how Portugal pioneered global exploration in the 15th century, eventually staking out highly lucrative claims in Asia, Africa and South America.

Meet the locals

The Jardins do Palácio de Cristal is not so much one garden as several that interlink on top of a terraced clifftop. The layout is crisply maintained and formal, with locals all having their own favourite part to pull up in for a breather. Explore properly to see several different viewpoints showing different aspects of the river and its bridges.

Book a table

Book (www.restaurantebook.pt),opposite the happening, occasionally boisterous Galerias area, has a loose literary theme – bookshelves along the back wall, menu divided into "chapters". Mains are in the €15 to €20 (Dh61 to Dh82) bracket, and include the likes of beef tournedos or codfish with rosemary bread.

Portugal's biggest-name chef, José Avillez, has recently opened the Cantinho do Avillez (www.cantinhodoavillez.pt), which goes for a little pastiche rusticism and puts international twists on Portuguese favourites – hence the likes of veal with curry sauce (€19 [Dh478]).

Shopper’s paradise

Prometeu Artesanato at Rua João das Regras in Ribeira plumps for the classier end of the souvenirs/giftware market, with lots of clay figurines and model ships. But the tile art is the strong point – the back wall is full of beautiful painted tiles, some with the traditional blue-and-white picture look, others opting for more colourful, geometric designs.

A strong contender for the title of the world’s most beautiful bookshop is the Livraria Lello at Rua das Carmelitas. It’s worth a peek even if you’re not buying books. The sumptuous butterfly-esque wooden staircase and clambering shelves are supremely dreamy.

What to avoid

Porto on the wrong day feels like half the Atlantic Ocean is being dumped on it. Bring a raincoat and umbrella, especially in winter – there’s a strong possibility you will need them.

Don’t miss

The Centro Português de Fotografia (www.cpf.pt) hosts changing temporary exhibitions of variable quality, and has plenty to keep the interest in the permanent collection. But the real star is the building, which is a hulking great former prison. Echoes of the past – the intimidating stone walls, the central courtyard that the wings spring from and the portcullis-style metal doors – have been maintained to tremendous effect.

Getting there

There are no direct flights from the UAE to Porto, but KLM (www.klm.com) flies from Dubai via Amsterdam from Dh2,160 return. Alternatively, try Emirates (www.emirates.com), which flies from Dubai to Lisbon from Dh3,630 return, then take the train from Lisbon to Porto (www.cp.pt), which takes about two hours and 45 minutes.