North Portugal Tourism Guide - Porto Shopping & Nightlife

Shopping, Porto, Portugal

Although Porto owes a lot of his touristic interest to its historical sights Porto is also a modern bustling city. Today the more modern areas of the city are bustling with shoppers and people going about their business.

The best areas for shopping are the streets leading off Avenida dos Aliados: to the west Rua da Fabrica for stationers and bookshops and Rua de Passos Manuel and into Rua de Santa Catarina for fashion shops and jewellers to the east. The Bolhao market area northeast of Aliados is also a busy shopping area.

Shopping hours tend to be Mon-Fri 9 am-6/7 pm. Saturday 9 am-1 pm with some larger shops opening all day on Saturday and sometimes Sundays until 8pm. Traditional closing is the afternoon of Saturday and all day Sunday. Some shops close for an hour at lunch.

Further afield to the north west is the Boavista district, a lively, traffic filled area with lots of shops and restaurants. The statue on the Boavista roundabout has a lion astride a flattened French eagle which celebrate the victory of the Portuguese and the British in the Peninsular War. Near here and near some of the hotels is the Cedofeita church, Portugal's only Romanesque church to have kept its original dome and reputed to be the oldest Christian building on the Iberian peninsular.

Porto, Portugal Hotels and Nightlife

There are plenty of hotels both right in the centre of Porto and on the outskirts. There are lots of hotels in older buildings in the city centre itself, particularly in the northern area above the Ribeira, many of which have been refurbished to modern standards. These have the advantage of being close to the historic centre so you can walk to many of the attractions, bars, restaurants and clubs. Newer hotels tend to be on the outskirts in the suburbs. The Boavista and Serralves areas to the north west of Porto centre contain most of the five-star hotels, but these are in the suburbs so you will need transport or use public transport to get into the centre.

Being the biggest city in the north Porto has a vibrant nightlife. The Ribeira is the main centre for small bars and clubs that can be pretty relaxed with some around Praca de Ribeira being quite studenty. The Vila Nova de Gaia riverfront has been regenerated and is now home to several trendy bars and restaurants. The Boavista area can be quite a self-contained suburb with a lot of restaurants, bars and a few clubs. Nearby Ramalade is an industrial area where Porto's glitzier clubs are found. Massarelos and Rua do Ouro and the Foz do Douro are areas outside the main Porto centre that have thriving nightlife venues. There are also theatres and music venues all over the city. Check the tourist info websites for more information.

Solar do Vinho do Porto on Rua de Entre-Quintas near the Crystal Palace is a good stopping off point where you can taste a selection of port wines with views out over the River Douro. This, like the ones in Regua and Lisbon, are run by the Port and Douro Wines Institute and offer tutored tastings and a selection of books and information on Douro port wine. Open: Mon-Thurs: 2pm to 8pm; Friday and Saturday: 2pm to 12pm. Closed Sundays and holidays.

Porto, Portugal Gay Guides Travel

Next to Lisbon Porto has the most vibrant gay and lesbian scene in Portugal. An annual Pride Festival, "Porto Pride", is held in July with various events associated with the march through the city throughout the day and night. There are several specifically gay friendly bars and restaurants all over the city as well as saunas, clothing shops and hairdressers. More information is available from the "Porto Gay & Lesbian Guide" leaflet from Tourist Information Centres or from the PortugalGay.pt website (there's more information on the Portuguese version but there is an English version too).

The daytime gay scene tends to centre around arty Praca Carlos Alberto. At night Boys R Us, Moinho de Vento, Bar Him and Swing are core bars and clubs on the burgeoning Porto gay scene.