Day 33 Road Trip: A Day in Porto with Kids in Pictures

by free electrons family, posted in Road Trip with Kids
Looking down old town Porto from the Luis I bridge.

On day 32 of the return trip of our family camping road trip, we leave the way of the pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela, the Virgin Mary’s stone boat in Murxia the end of the then-known world in Fisterra, for Porto, Portugal in this roundabout-kind-of-way, closer to home; thanks to the spikes in coronavirus that seem to be. . . everywhere. Here’s our day in Porto in pictures the following day.

OK, this is not exactly Portuguese: Pulpo a la Gallega”–traditional Galician dish that we just had to have in a very local “pulperia” in Vigo, Spain. . . before leaving Galicia and entering Portugal.
Always finding time to swim in the Atlantic ocean: from the rocky and rugged coastline of Galicia to the milder and warmer coast near Porto.

And YES, it’s possible to see Porto in a day with kids! We ONLY wanted to get “a feel” for the city anyway. There’s a lot of walking, waiting, whining and wine-drinking involved to make it possible… but it’s well worth it. As long as we (parents) KEEP IN MIND that the children have little feet and short legs so we CAN NOT see it all. Always save some for later!

A playground with a view and cable cars (TelefƩrico de Gaia) smack dab in the heart of Vila Nova Nova de Gaia, across the river from the old town of Porto.
An impromptu picnic by the Douro River with the view of the old town of Porto across the river.
Couldn’t quite afford the boat ride (in time and money) but they were quite fun to look at.
Looking for Easter bunny eggs. . . at the end of summer.
Instead (of the Easter bunny eggs) we discovered. . . a bodega of port wine! Yay, Christmas in the summer!
The chemical process of turning grapevine water into wine… a fortified one, that is. It’s just a regular wine in the beginning. After 3 years, aguardiente is added, and it becomes a “Ruby” port. Then, the color changes as it ages (as shown in the middle tube to the left and right, depending on the cask)… or something like that.
Glad we chanced upon this proud-to-be-small, local, 100-percent Portuguese producer of Port with 40,000 bottles per year: Quinta dos Corvos.
It worked! šŸ˜Š
On the gondola lift/cable car to the bridge. Cost? 6 euros per adult, 3 for children 5-12 years old; Roundtrips = +50% less; Family Ticket = 22.50 euros for 2 adults, 2 children R/Trip.
View towards the Atlantic ocean.
Cable cars/gondola lifts/aerial tramways… have added benefits of seeing something unique while resting our short tired legs.
Old town Porto from the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the Luis I bridge. Notice the ships on the lower left side of the picture? They carry barrels of port from the upriver vineyards, at least they used to.
Old port of old town Porto. Some bravehearts were jumping from the lower part of this two-level bridge into the river.
Trains and pedestrians on the top layer of the Luis I bridge; other vehicles at the bottom. After the cable car, we crossed the bridge on foot into the old town of Porto.
A funicular (in the middle of the picture) is an alternate way to get up and down the hill in Porto. This one is located on the northeast of Luis I bridge.
Artsy shot. . . Hey, I tried!
Looking inwardly, upriver. Infante bridge (Ponte do Infante) in the background as well as the old ceramic factory above the cliff to the right.
A sign to follow (yet still) the path of Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
We had been to many churches/cathedrals that we missed this one: the 12th century Cathedral of Porto. You can visit the church, the cloister, the treasure, chapter house and the tower for 3 euros (2 for students), children until 10 years old are FREE! There’s also the bishop’s 12th century, supposedly remarkable, palace next door for a paid visit.
Karol on point to lead us through the twists and turns down the hill to the riverside of old town of Porto.
Looking at where we started the day from Vila Nova de Gaia.
Vila Nova de Gaia from old town Porto, Portugal.
A perfectly planned day (THANKS to the brilliant wife), almost. We did not that the Douro River Taxi–“The quickest way across the river” (back to where we came from) on the day of our visit.
They were only open from Saturday to Monday. from “12 AM” (though I think this actually means noon) to 19:45.
Riverside hubble on PraƧa Ribeira,Porto, Portugal.
Impromptu dancing in the streets of Porto.

Next stop: Why Sines?

A mandatory family selfie. Thanks for stopping by! BIG SMILE!

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