Beyond Lisbon: Porto, the City That Named Both a Country and a Wine

Lisbon has become one of Europe's trendiest capitals, and with the trend have come the prices, the queues, and the problems of overtourism. Porto — Portugal's second city, the one that gave its name to both the country and the wine — offers the same Portuguese magic with a rougher, more authentic, more accessible character.

The Ribeira — the riverside quarter and UNESCO World Heritage site — is the heart of Porto: narrow, colourful houses descending toward the Douro, traditional rabelo boats moored along the bank, restaurants where you eat bacalhau à Gomes de Sá while watching the river. The Ponte Dom Luís I — the iron bridge connecting Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia — offers a panoramic walk from which the entire city can be taken in at a glance.

Azulejos — painted ceramic tiles — are everywhere: the São Bento station has a hall covered in twenty thousand blue-and-white tiles depicting the history of Portugal; the Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, the Igreja do Carmo, and the Cappella das Almas are sheathed in ceramics that gleam in the Atlantic sun. Porto is an open-air museum, and admission is free.

Libraria Lello — one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world, with its double-helix staircase in red wood — became famous after Harry Potter, but deserves a visit for its neo-Gothic architecture entirely on its own terms. The entry fee (a few euros) is deducted from the price of a book.

The port wine cellars are in Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank of the Douro: Taylor's, Graham's, Sandeman, Cockburn's — all offer tastings and tours of the historic lodges where wine ages in centenarian oak barrels. A tasting of three wines costs five to ten euros, less than a coffee in Lisbon.

Eating in Porto is an act of faith in cholesterol: the francesinha — the local sandwich with three types of meat, melted cheese, a fried egg, and a spicy beer-based sauce — is a culinary experience to be had at least once. Tripas à moda do Porto (tripe with white beans) is the dish that earned Portuenses the nickname 'tripeiros'.

Porto is reachable from Lisbon by Alfa Pendular train in two hours forty, from Madrid by overnight bus. Francisco Sá Carneiro airport has direct flights from across Europe, including low-cost carriers. Accommodation costs less than Lisbon: guesthouses in the historic centre, design hostels, small hotels with Douro views.