MEDIA CENTRE - Off The Wall

Phil’s Travels – Porto, Portugal (06.26)

Phil’s Travels – Porto, Portugal (06.26)

For this trip I decided to experiment and save our client some money. Instead of a taxi, I took the A2 bus from Paddington to Luton Airport, door-to-door. The risk with this experiment was always going to be timing. The A2 was seven minutes late arriving and it took over 90 minutes from Paddington to the airport via multiple stops across north London. Money saving? Yes. Time saving? No. Stressful? Somewhat. On the plus side, our pretty driver drove beautifully, smoothly, safely and elegantly.

Luton was not particularly busy, with many seats available and floor tiles to be seen – the calm before the ‘school holidays’ storm. My ‘squeezyJet’ flight was full and I sat between 88s (ref Bingo).

At Porto Airport, luggage was worryingly slow, but all good in the end. Query though, why use my speedy EU passport if one has to wait for luggage anyway. It was so slow, a huge crowd of passengers was jostling in rugby scrums as soon as any bag appeared, and our client and his driver kept calling to check on me. I have history with my luggage in and through Portugal. Many lost items and late luggage deliveries. This time, fortunately, was simply slow.

Our hotel was situated in the business district, far from the historic centre. Good enough hotel of a forgotten brand, but in need of some TLC and improved maintenance. The engineers had to visit me three times to finally fix my safe and the shower would not rain. The breakfast buffet, though, was a cracker.

For our first evening in Porto, we were invited to dinner at a historic fish restaurant near the deepwater port. We were regaled with stunning local Port and wines, a tower of fab fruit-de-mers, Portuguese risotto, fish and steak, and the most incredible platter of mixed local desserts. A genuine feast for the eyes and stomach.

Next day was the factory visit and swatch approvals. Good session and many things agreed and clarified. After the factory, we were treated to a couple of hours in old Porto. We saw the narrowest house in Portugal (connecting twin churches) and the World’s Most Beautiful Bookshop (so beautiful it was an inspiration for JK Rowling and returned the favour by stocking all her books in half the store). After a Port-tonic in the park, we paid a visit to a friend of the factory to assess possible wine situations. Thank you so much to Carla and Yvonne for a lovely afternoon.

Next day, after conference calls and a working brunch and before a business dinner, I spent a few hours solo and probably covered some 30,000 steps fully exploring Porto and its sibling over the river, Vila Nova de Gaia. In Porto, I visited Igreja dos Clerigos (the landmark church with the landmark tower), Estacio de Sao Bento (one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world) and traversed the up-and-down streets. I crossed the Ponte Luis I a couple of times, each time without joining the kids jumping off. In Gaia, I walked up to the Jardim do Morro to enjoy the alternative view, along the south bank to Castello and back among the Port warehouses (where I discovered a small restaurant, a solo operator, with seven tables and ate my first francesinha).

Francesinha = ‘little french one’; essentially a suped-up croque-monsieur, Porto style. Comprising two slices of white bread, two types of sausage, ham, covered in cheese slices and smothered in brown gravy. As Nick 22 put it, ‘heart attack on a plate’. What a way to go though.

The river of gold (aka River Douro) was resplendent in its early summer sun and especially so at sunset. For dinner, I again did not make it to one of my super son’s recommendations (all of which were on the water in Ribeira). I was once more led astray by a local and dined on an old watchtower (part of the old city walls). The view was amazing, the sunset gorgeous and the venue super hospitable. Well done that place. The company was great too. Thanks Gil.

My final day was spent walking some more and visiting the €105m WOW, aka World of Wine, a 55,000sqm wine experience and cultural district in the heart of the Port warehouse district. I only had time to rush through three of the five museums and to grab a quick bite in one of the 12 F&B outlets (with the awesome Blackie). After my bite, it was off to the airport and an efficient return home.

I am pleased to announce that during this trip I lost my Uber cherry. Thanks to my super son, I had had the app on my phone for many weeks but never used it. This trip, without my wonderful wife to handle such matters, I had to use it. It was great and made the whole visit so efficient and stress free. If you don’t have it, get it.

Overall impressions of Porto? Initially, I found the outskirts and much of the city very non-descript. My initial thoughts of the historic centre were of many old, decrepit buildings and a sense of great poverty. However, having explored more deeply, it ticks all the boxes for someone like me – full of history, amazing architecture, interesting topography, gorgeous interiors, a fascinating river and wonderful people. Definitely to be visited again, and soon, before the terrible ‘tourism donut effect’ comes to pass.

Tourism donut effect = when a city becomes so popular that local people can no longer afford to live in its centre and the centre loses all its authenticity (sadly, Barcelona and Venice are classic examples). In Porto, in 2026, the locals still shopped in the centre and old ladies still hung their laundry above Ribeira. Long may such authenticity survive.