History, culture and scenic beauty: The Portuguese city that has it all

Porto has evolved with the times while retaining its old magic.

When in Porto, it's easy to spend all your time by the river. Few cities in Europe have a more ravishing setting, and whether you're wining and dining at the busker-dotted riverside Ribeira district, taking a Douro sightseeing cruise on one of the traditional wooden rabelo boats or striding across the magnificent, river-spanning Dom Luis I bridge (designed by Theophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel), you'll regularly marvel at Portugal's achingly picturesque second city. But just like the nation's capital, Lisbon, there's much to savour away from the tourist-thronged waterfront.

Porto has been casting its spell on me for almost 20 years. I still fondly remember my first visit, arriving one balmy late-summer's evening, the airport bus dropping me and my backpack near the Torre dos Clerigos, an 18th-century belltower glowing in the city's UNESCO-listed historic core.

Over the next few days, I found Porto an ambler's delight, bewitched by all its buildings, from Baroque churches and palaces to train stations and apartments, festooned in azulejos (decorative glazed tiles). I got lost in the steep, winding, cobbled alleys and stairways linking the city centre with the riverside. Balconies fluttered with laundry and red-and-green Portugal flags. Elderly women swept doorsteps while husbands, puffing on cigarettes, chatted to the neighbours in raspy Portuguese. It was ever so atmospheric.

And, you know what, it still is. Porto's popularity may have surged in recent decades - it's a favourite weekend city break for Europeans, an embarkation point for multi-night Douro cruises and a port of call for ocean-going ships - but it's managed to evolve its visitor offerings, embrace the latest trends (poke bowls, speciality coffee, QR codes, etc) while retaining its charm.

Those hilly, labyrinthine, laundry-flecked lanes and staircases still have a timewarp quality, and throughout the city you'll find old-school establishments resolutely plying tripe stews and other trusty Porto staples.

Peckish after today's wanderings, I can't resist A Regaleira, a restaurant claiming to serve the authentic version of the Francesinha - a chunkier Porto twist on the French croque-monsieur. Its multiple layers are wedged with smoked ham, sausage and cheese and drizzled in a thick, aromatic sauce that's been made with the same "secret" recipe since 1952, concocted by Daniel David da Silva, a Portuguese bartender employed here after returning from France.

This evening, every table at A Regaleira is full, and I'm the sole foreigner, it seems, judging by the all-Portuguese conversations drifting by the black-and-white photographs on the walls. I'm warmly welcomed, however, by the English-speaking, bow-tied staff. And the Francesinha? It's as satisfying and belly-swelling as ever.

Another evening, I dine at rustic-chic Restaurant Raiz, where chefs craft elegant modern takes on age-old Portuguese dishes, paired with domestic wines, including fruity reds and crisp whites from the nearby Douro Valley. I enjoy a fillet of bacalhau (salted codfish), artfully presented with beetroot caviar, peppers and seasoned potatoes, and for dessert, Abade de Priscos, a type of Portuguese creme caramel. Nicely complementing the cuisine is the restaurant's setting: a centuries-old building with creaking stairs and peeks of the Clerigos tower.

There's usually a blend of tourists and locals tucking in at Mercado do Bolhao, a market that dates from 1839 and was relaunched in 2022 with a sleek facelift. Smart-casual eateries, such as Casa Vegetariana and Culto ao Bacalhau, attract diners to the upper level, while the ground floor throbs with senses-rousing stalls selling herbs, fruits, pastries, flowers, seafood and fragrant imports from former Portuguese colonies, including coffee from Brazil and piri-piri sauce from Mozambique and Angola.

In the market's neighbouring streets, family-run stores lure you with window displays of cheeses and cured meats, and cafes and bakeries entice with that irresistible, bitter-sweet combination of bica (espresso) and pastel de nata (custard tart).

A revelation for me on this visit is Porto's burgeoning craft ale scene, with cool beer bars, microbreweries and tap rooms liberally scattered about, staffed by affable characters happy to talk you through their chalkboard options. Northeast of the Bolhao market, there's Colossus, where you can sip, say, Philosopher Brown Ale and Saturday Night Lager metres away from where they're brewed. Within stumbling distance is Letraria, which has a secluded gem of a beer garden beside citrus trees and vegetable plots. Meanwhile, at Baobab, a bar behind City Hall, I sample one of the most mind-blowing drinks I've had in years. Looking like Guinness, but, at 11 per cent proof, more than twice the strength, Murder in Porto is an imperial stout aged in port wine barrels.

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You'd be remiss not to pop across the Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto's neighbouring city, which is famed for its port wine houses and cellars. A recent addition to Gaia, spanning a cluster of revamped heritage buildings, is WOW, a hip new enclave of bars, eateries, shops and museums. You can attend wine school and discover which tipples go best with which type of chocolate, and browse boutiques and ateliers stocked with sustainable fashions, fabrics and handicrafts - including pieces made from cork sourced in Portugal's abundant forests. And there's another reason why Gaia is a must. Glancing over the river, you also get the best panoramas of Porto.

Touring there: Collette offers three nights in Porto, including guided walking tours, dinner and free time, on its 15-day Flavours of Portugal and Spain tour, which starts in Lisbon and ends in San Sebastian. Available year-round, it's priced from $6299 per person. gocollette.com

Staying there: Porto Royal Bridges is a centrally-located four-star hotel with rates from about $115 per night. portobridgeshotel.com

Explore more: visitportugal.com

The writer was a guest of Collette.

Pictures: WOW/Bruno Ribeiro; Steve McKenna