Fall has arrived and brought its warm colors, cozy smells, and mouth-watering flavors to Porto. It’s one of the best seasons to visit the Invicta city, which becomes formidable with its autumnal hues. Discover some suggestions of things you can do at this time of year in this incredible city.
Tasting roasted chestnuts
The smell of roasted chestnuts invades the streets of Porto in the fall. You can find several vendors at symbolic points in the city, such as Rua de Santa Catarina, the most commercial artery in downtown Porto, with a length of around 1500 meters, part of which is closed to car traffic and reserved only for pedestrians; or outside one of the most beautiful train stations in the world, São Bento Station, where chestnuts are roasted on the spot.
If you don’t have the opportunity to taste freshly roasted chestnuts, you can visit some of the classic stores and buy all the typical products of the famous Magusto, the biggest celebration of autumn in Porto. Visit Casa Januário, a fine traditional grocery store located downtown, which has long accustomed Porto residents to the quality of the products it sells: confectionery, coffees, wines and other wine cellar products, as well as a wide variety of teas, sweets, jams, cookies, olive oils, vinegars, preserves, dietary, organic, spices, chocolates and bonbons; A Pérola do Bolhão, a traditional grocery store founded in 1917, which has an Art Nouveau façade lined with tiles with references to the spice route and whose leading offerings are mountain cheese, a selection of sausages, an extensive range of dried and caramelized fruits in bulk, a good range of wines and regional cookies; O Pretinho do Japão, a fine grocery store founded in 1947, faithful to its origins, but today a larger space suited to its varied offer: dried fruit, cod, coffee, chocolates, wines, liqueurs, Port wines, spices, teas, dehydrated fruit, Portuguese preserves, sweets, flours, cookies and cookies, among genuinely Portuguese products and quality products from other origins; or A Favorita do Bolhão, founded in 1934, is an emblematic traditional grocery store, located in the heart of downtown Porto, which offers a diverse range of handmade and regional products, where texture and colors coexist in a harmony of flavors that have served and delighted several generations.
Visit the port wine cellars
For wine lovers, one of the best experiences in the fall in Porto is to taste the famous Port Wine. Cross the Luiz I Bridge, designed by Teófilo Seyrig, a disciple of Eiffel, inaugurated in 1886, and made up of two superimposed iron decks, 395 meters long and 8 meters wide, its arch being considered, until 2017, the largest wrought iron arch in the world, and visit one of the many Port wine cellars on the Gaia quay.
Visiting a cellar is much more than tasting Port wine. It’s about discovering its identity, its origins, and the whole period of its life, from the vineyard to the wooden casks, where it rests and gains its soul. The authentic taste invades the palate and remains forever in the memory.
Admire the warm colors in the city’s parks
Porto has several beautiful parks to visit at any time of year. But the autumn colors undoubtedly enhance their beauty. Take advantage of autumn in Porto to wander through the various gardens and capture incredible photographs with the atmosphere and autumn colors as a backdrop. Start in the Marginal and Boavista areas and stroll through the largest urban park in the country, with an area of 83 hectares stretching to the Atlantic Ocean, Parque da Cidade. Designed by landscape architect Sidónio Pardal, it was inaugurated in 1993 (1st phase) and completed in 2002. The presence of stone is a prominent feature of this park, where the construction of earth retaining walls, stays, and sidewalks create a rural, countryside feel. In 2000, it was selected by the Order of Engineers as one of the “100 most remarkable works built in the 20th century in Portugal”. Among other facilities, it also houses the Environmental Education Center.
Next, in the Historic Center, you can visit one of the city’s most emblematic landmarks, Serralves. There you can visit Serralves Park and fall in love with its gardens. Later, it’s worth walking from the Historic Center to the Eastern Zone to discover Parque de S. Roque. The gardens cover over 4 hectares and boast elements that were very much in vogue in the last century, such as minarets, hedges, fountains, etc. A set of sculptural pieces was then installed by the Porto City Council and a chapel that had previously existed in Largo Actor Dias was rebuilt there. Since the 2002/2003 school year, it has also housed an Environmental Education Center.
Tasting hot chocolate in emblematic places
One flavor you can’t miss in the fall in Porto is hot chocolate. This delicacy’s color, aroma, and taste match perfectly with the season. But it’s even better if you enjoy it in a traditional Porto house.
Make the most of your afternoon and enjoy a delicious hot chocolate in one of the many renowned “Porto de Tradição” houses.
In Marginal and Boavista, go to Confeitaria Arcádia – Casa do Chocolate, located in the heart of Avenida da Boavista, combining the long tradition of cafeteria and tearoom service with more contemporary needs. With a considerable space of almost 250 m2, you can opt for the intimacy and refinement of the interior or sit comfortably on the terrace and enjoy the atmosphere and buzz of the city. In an environment that excels in good taste, Arcádia will provide you with sublime moments, and you will also have at your disposal its wide range of chocolate, a real temptation for the senses.
In the historic center, the choice will be more difficult. You can visit La Copa, which opened to the public on June 21, 2014, located near Praça dos Poveiros, at the end of Avenida Rodrigues de Freitas, on the edge of Porto’s historic area. It’s a welcoming space with ambient music and a private terrace called “Terrazza La Copa” where you can relax while tasting one of its flavors. Or go to the Leitaria da Quinta do Paço, which began in 1920 with milk and its derivatives production, such as butter, cheese, and whipped cream. It was the first milk distributor in the north of the country and the first to distribute pasteurized milk in glass bottles to the Porto’s saleswomen when milk was delivered in jerry cans! Over the years, she has won several awards for the quality of her dairy products. Its handmade pastry shop, with recipes unchanged since 1920, is famous for its Éclaires filled with whipped cream, including the Classic Chocolate Éclair, registered as the Doce do Porto.
From here, you can go down to Rua das Flores, which was opened in 1521 on the initiative of King Manuel and has kept its original profile. You can see a fascinating collection of civil architecture from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and one of Porto’s most emblematic Baroque façades – that of the Misericórdia Church – by Nicolau Nasoni (1749-7750). It is one of the streets most traveled by those who venture out to discover Porto’s Historic Centre, where you’ll find two chocolate shops where the chocolate is divine:
– Chocolataria das Flores, which opened in March 2013, is a store and cafeteria dedicated to handmade chocolates, cookies, and jams, among other delicacies. For a snack, you’ll find slices of homemade cakes, brownies, muffins, and toast on Mafra bread, accompanied by tea or hot chocolate. You can even have a light lunch menu based on quiches, meatballs, puff pastries, and hot dogs, among others, all homemade and made by the owner. Chocolate with Port Wine is one of the irresistible combinations to be found at Chocolataria das Flores; or
– Chocolataria Equador, which has a retro décor reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s but punctuated with signs of modernity, uses objects and scenery to give context to the story of the characters who bring the concept of each product to life. The store window tries to surprise with the participation of visual artists, helping to turn the visit to the store into a meeting point between chocolates and art. The focus is evidently on national handmade chocolates wrapped in packaging with a beautiful retro-cool design.
If you’re a real chocolate lover, why not try them all?
Enjoy a fado show
The best evening for a late fall afternoon in Porto is nothing less than listening to the most Portuguese music: beautiful Fado.
In the evening, you can enjoy a Fado show at Caves Cálem, founded in 1859. The visit begins in the museum and extends to the cellars where, in a multimedia balseiro, the visitor is given an insight into the Douro Demarcated Region, the oldest Demarcated Region in the world, and the entire Port Wine production process, from harvesting to bottling and aging, ending with a tasting of two types of Port Wine and the opportunity to browse the store with the best selection of Cálem Port Wines; or at the Casa da Guitarra, a space dedicated to music and Portuguese stringed instruments, where there is a daily intimate concert celebrating Fado as a cultural expression of the country, a manifestation of the soul of an entire people.
If you’re a lover of good music during dinner, to listen to and enjoy a good fado while tasting excellent traditional Portuguese food, choose the RC restaurant or the Guarany, located on Avenida dos Aliados, in the heart of downtown Porto, which excels in its combination of tradition, quality of service and artistic spirit, known by many as the “musicians’ café” and which every week reinforces its identity as a cultural venue, offering its customers the most diverse events.
