EXPLORING the city PARK aND THE WATERFRONT OF PORTO As a tourist I visited many cities in Europe and in some I opted for a bicycle tour on the first day of my stay. This is such a wonderful way to have a solid overview of more than just the historic centre and escape the busy tourist attractions during the day. It is also a way to share an active day or half-day with your partner, family or friends, especially those who are not into running - or not willing to take you up on that 7AM sunrise running tour you had in mind...! In the next lines I will pinpoint a few reasons why a bicycle tour + (maybe) a running tour + the city of Porto are actually the perfect combination!
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WALKING up the arch of the Arrábida bridge ✔️ That item was on the list for a long, long time...! It took me 3 years, many excited reports of visiting runners who had done it and one kind invitation to make up my mind and do it. All I can say I am really glad I did it! Read on for some (fun) facts about the construction of this bridge and its project's designer, Edgar Cardoso, an inventive engineer way ahead of his time...! Bonus: a short video of the experience, the highest point of my week :) LOOKING FOR A CHALLENGE?
The running scene in Porto is tremendously active, with many well-established and organized races throughout the year. Here's a short list with 8 of the most interesting ones and a selection of short introductory videos of their previous editions.
We've even included an orienteering event and a 'one-of-a-kind-mad-two-stages-uphill-race' named Porto a Subir...!! 2019's SUMMIT
For the second consecutive year, the Climate Change Leadership Summit's keynote speaker was an American politician and Nobel Peace prize laureate. After Barack Obama's presence in 2018, this year Porto welcomed Al Gore, the most prominent and inspirational opinion maker of this century, regarding the topic of global warming awareness (...) 
Why was there never a royal palacE in PORTO? This blog post provides you a virtual guided tour to the interiors of Palácio da Bolsa, which was never royal, despite its majestic appearance. In fact, this is somewhat odd for a second largest city of a country that was a monarchy for almost 8 centuries: there was never a royal palace built in Porto, by any of the Portuguese kings of any dynasty (...) 
"LONG LIVE THE KING! LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE! DEATH TO THE COMPANY!!" Leading the crowd were many tavern keepers followed by some coopers, wine merchants but mostly were... tavern regulars! This blog post contains a short overview on one of the most humiliating episodes of the city's History, where 26 of the involved people were hung, beheaded and quartered and their bodies displayed in several locations within the city...! (...) Though this was a rather gloomy introduction, take it as an invitation to learn more about about the oldest Portuguese wine company and its recently opened interactive museum, '1756 - Museu da 1ª Demarcação'. We already visited it! Includes photos & a short video :) 
EVERYbody LOVES A GOOD FRIDGE MAGNET From a few visits to souvenir shops in the city I realized that dragon-shaped fridge magnets and souvenirs are much harder to find than the sardine or rooster-shaped ones... so, let me tell you: that's deeply upsetting...! :) It reminds me of the over-abundant Russian matryoshka dolls sold in every souvenir shop I've entered while visiting Czech Republic's capital, Praga... Dragons are indeed the symbol of the city of Porto and this blog post is meant to set things straight, once and for all :) 
UNLIKELY OLD stories Despite the explicit clickbait up on that title, these may not be entirely fake news : read on to recall Santa Claus' origins and learn more about Porto's relationship with the friendliest and most generous of white-bearded-red-suited old chaps! 
A RIVER AND ITS BOAT The Douro river has always been part of the soul of the city of Porto and worked as a transport conduit for an entire region, upstream. Instrumental in moving goods and people up and down the river were the rabelo boats, a type of cargo boat unique to this river.(...) 
Port, ONE of Europe's great classic wines Produced on the steep hillside vineyards of the upper Douro valley, this wine originates from one of worlds oldest and most beautiful wine regions where vines have been grown for over 2000 years...! (...) 
photo ©Gonçalo Villaverde
Some people led extraordinary livesOur 'King-soldier', Pedro IV, the 'Liberator', was born in Portugal 220 years ago, in 1798. When he turned 24 he was proclaimed the first emperor of Brazil, 'Pedro I', to which he had recently given independence from Portugal. That day was also 12th October, of 1822. Over the course of Pedro's short life (34years) he abdicated the throne twice, was father to 19 children and fought many battles for freedom, in two different continents. Pedro's heart is nowadays the most amazing treasure the city of Porto has in its care. In this post I share a couple more of utterly unbelievable -real- stories about him...! 
TAKING IT INto YOUR OWN HANDS? Self-planning a honeymoon can seem like a daunting task...! In this piece by Samantha Lefave, you'll find a few suggested destinations that will surely end up being great fun, if you're in to street art! Here's what she has to say about Portugal and Porto, in particular: "Lisbon is getting a lot of tourist attention right now, but those looking for a more local experience should book a ticket to Porto instead. The second-largest city is on the rise, becoming well-known for its street art (...)" 
WE KEPT IT SHORT The following list is not about gourmet experiences. It is not about a search for the best food or the most authentic, nor about the cheapest prices or the most expensive meals. It's really not. There's also no partnership with us or commissions from their side. This is simply a list of places I enjoy having a meal in the company of friends or family. And these are the places I return to because, for some reason, I happen to like them :) 
2018's MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANTS IN PORTOIf you are looking for a stylish dinner or if you're in the need to impress your running partner, than you may want to skip Porto's traditional 'francesinha in a beer-house' and make a reservation at a more exclusive place, like the ones on this list. We run right past the front entrance of most of them in Porto on our running tours and that may help you decide which one fits you the best, based on its location and some of the information we provide! Read on for our 2018's short list of restaurants for a Michelin-starred meal in Porto:  JUST DO IT! Global Running Day is the day for people around the globe to celebrate the joys of running. Participation is simple —just take part in some kind of running activity during June 6th. It can be a solo run around the house, a long run with friends or even a pushing your child's stroller along your favorite ocean front section. The key is to share your passion for the sport and inspire others to get moving. Here at PORTO RUNNING TOURS we're offering a 20% discount on all tours in June if booked during Global Running Day (Just insert the code GRT2018_20OFF in the booking form!) Happy celebrations! Keep running strong! |
AuthorSérgio is the founder of PRT, a keen runner since 1999 and a friendly running tour guide since 2015. 
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