After walking the Fisherman’s Route for 5 days, we were ready for a bit of a break from walking. Alas, it was not to be. Lisbon and Porto are both very walkable cities, albeit hilly. I think some days we did more walking than when we were on the trail!
We stayed 3 nights in Lisbon, where we had an apartment in the Alfama district, one of the oldest districts in Lisbon. Think winding, steep, narrow, cobblestone streets, full of local businesses. The historical Muslim presence exists today, as we very clearly noticed as it was Ramadan, meaning a lot of people were talking in the streets late into the night, as they were breaking their fast. It was definitely cultural, if a little loud!
Being a city, we mostly walked and walked and walked, seeking out miradors (viewpoints), cable-cars to get us up hills (or just take photos of them), and very small, family run restaurants that my stepdad had researched, that didn’t open til 8pm. For the most part, we were successful.
We also did a day trip out to Sintra, a fairy tale like city about an hour train ride from Lisbon, a very old city with a lot of history, and of course, built on a hill. After hiking about an hour up to the hill, we climbed a lot more steps to explore the fortress (along with quite a few other people)- Portugal, at least Porto and Lisbon, have become very touristy with the start of low cost flights about 6 years ago). Sintra was definitely a gorgeous place, although I can’t imagine spending more than a day there as all of the businesses were geared towards tour groups. Two people we met hiking were planning two nights there, and had been there before. But to each their own.
Arriving in Porto by bus, we were actually staying across the river, in Vila Nova de Gaia, an area which my walking tour guide would describe as a place “where nothing happens”. Which was perfect for us to sleep, particularly after the loud streets of Lisbon. I also learned that Port wine is not in fact named after the city of Porto, but simply means “port”, and Porto is a port city, and known for Port, so. Writing this, it seems like semantics, but there you have it. Anyway, Porto is also full of narrow, cobblestone, and steep hills, although fewer than Lisbon, which is known as the city of seven hills. Nonetheless, we walked a lot again, finding miradors, port wine, and local food. My mom and stepdad really liked the Portugese egg/custard tarts, but they’re a little sweet for my taste. The nutella donut we found on the other hand….
Most people who visit Porto and Lisbon tend to prefer Porto. It’s probably because Porto is simply gorgeous, particularly from the iconic Ponte Luis bridge, which everyone thinks Gustave Eiffel designed, but apparently that’s another bridge in Porto no one seems to care about. Anyway, I liked the Luis bridge because it was pedestrian and transit only, at least on the top view. And the views were spectacular, particularly at sunset.
