A Long Weekend in Porto: Port Lodges, Tiles and the Douro

Porto is built for a long weekend: compact, vertiginous, and arranged photogenically on both banks of the Douro. Three days gives you the granite old town, the port lodges across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia, and a run up the Douro Valley itself — one of Europe's great train rides.

• Getting there: Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport is around 11 km from the centre; metro line E runs into town
• Best months: May–June and September–October — warm, without August's crowds
• Getting around: walk, but expect hills; the metro and the historic tram line 1 fill the gaps
• What it costs: Porto remains noticeably cheaper than Lisbon for food and wine

Day 1: the old town, tiles and one famous bookshop

Morning. Start at São Bento railway station, whose entrance hall is lined with around 20,000 azulejo tiles depicting Portuguese history — arrive before the day trippers for a clear view. Walk up to the Clérigos Tower, the baroque campanile that anchors the skyline; climbing its spiral staircase buys you the best orientation view in the city. Nearby, Livraria Lello, the neo-Gothic bookshop with the crimson staircase, requires a timed ticket bought online — book the first slot of the day or skip it without guilt.

Afternoon. Drop downhill through the Ribeira, the medieval riverside district of tall, tiled houses stacked above the quay. Lunch on a francesinha — Porto's outrageous meat-stuffed sandwich drowned in beer sauce — or something lighter at the Mercado do Bolhão, the restored early 20th-century market hall, built in the 1910s and reopened after a long restoration.

Evening. Walk the lower deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge, Gustave Eiffel's school of ironwork made monumental, then take a table on the Ribeira quay for grilled fish and a glass of crisp vinho verde as the Gaia lights come on opposite.

Day 2: across the river to the port lodges

Morning. Cross the bridge's upper deck on foot — vertiginous, worth it — to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port trade has warehoused its barrels for three centuries. The lodges of the great houses climb the hillside: Taylor's offers a self-guided museum visit ending in a terrace tasting with a view back over Porto; Graham's, a short ride uphill, is grander and quieter. Book tastings ahead in high season.

Afternoon. One lodge before lunch and one after is the right rhythm. In between, ride the Gaia cable car along the riverfront or simply watch the rabelo boats — the flat-bottomed craft that once carried barrels downriver — bobbing at their moorings.

Evening. Recross to Porto and eat in the Cedofeita or Bonfim districts, where the city's younger kitchens are; finish with a glass of white port and tonic, the local aperitif that never left.

Day 3: up the Douro Valley

Morning. Take the train from São Bento or Campanhã towards Pinhão — around two and a half hours, with the final hour running directly beside the river through terraced vineyards. The Douro wine region is UNESCO-listed and the stretch after Régua is the finest window seat in Portugal.

Afternoon. In Pinhão, admire the azulejo panels in the tiny station, take a one-hour rabelo cruise between the terraces, or book lunch and a tasting at one of the historic quintas on the surrounding slopes — Quinta do Bomfim, walkable from the station, is run by the Symington family of Graham's fame.

Evening. Ride the train back with the sunset on the water. If energy remains, finish with seafood out at Foz do Douro, where the river finally meets the Atlantic.

Tip: Board the Douro train on the right-hand side heading to Pinhão (left-hand side returning) — that is the river side, and the difference is the whole show. Check timetables on the CP railway site the day before; the valley service is not frequent.