Travel Blog! A Day Trip to Porto, Portugal

Well, my Portugal trip is coming close to an end. During this last week, it’s all about relaxing and enjoying the time we have left!

Justin and I took a day trip to Porto, Portugal. It’s such a beautiful place! We took the train from Viana Do Costelo to Porto, which took about an hour. We actually arrived at Campanhã Train Station first, and took another train from Campanhã to São Bento Train Station which is in the historic part of Porto.

This is such a beautiful station. Built many years ago, there are intricate designs that line the walls inside, and the view looking up is astonishing.

Our first stop was to Livraria Lello – one of the oldest book stores in Portugal. The architecture is stunning and is said to be the inspiration for Harry Potter Hogwarts. Apparently J.K. Rowling was a loyal customer. It was magical getting to walk through the store and browse all the new and old literature, mostly in Portuguese. The skylight is a beautiful stained glass piece, and the staircase is a gorgeous. I couldn’t leave without a Portuguese version of the first Harry Potter novel. I’m so glad I got a chance to visit, and I do hope to go back!

We decided to take a walk through the streets of Porto. We came across a botanical garden and a delicious restaurant serving Vegan burgers! My favourite part of this day, besides the book store, was seeing all the beautiful buildings and amazing churches. Everywhere you look, there are churches and cathedrals that stand higher than trees. Such spectacular design and detail. Modern day buildings are sleek and simple, where older buildings are full of detail, art, and the most interesting designs imaginable.

The entire day was so fun. Honestly, if I had to choose between Lisbon and Porto, I think I would honestly choose Porto. Everything just seemed so much more alive. Thats the best way I can describe it. There is so much colour, and young people. It seems to have a lot of culture, and people can speak relatively good english. (That made this a whole lot easier). I am super excited to go back, as there was still so much I did not get to see!

Until next time,

Tia xo