Our last day in Porto dawned sunny and gorgeous. After checking out our final panorama from the top of Torre dos Clérigos, Emma and I decided to head for the coast to make the most of the sunshine. We promenaded for kilometres alongside the pounding waves, marvelling at the gorgeous houses and breathing in that beautiful salty air. A wonderful end to our long weekend in Porto!
Loved these old guys soaking in the sun
Our original plan had been to catch one of the city’s gorgeous old trams out to the waterfront. Although we turned up early, it was clear everyone had the same idea and, if we made it onto a tram at all, it was going to be a bunfight. We spotted the bus stop just down the road and hopped on – it may not have been quite as glam, but it was quick and took us much further than the tram!
Right at the front of the bus meant great views!
We ended up at Queijo Castle, a 17th century fortress. The contrast with the nearby construction and mega high-rises was quite something! I averted my eyes from those human works in favour of soaking up the salty air and the sight of the pounding waves.
Emma taking in the scene – with a cannon, naturally
There’s a path running all the way down the coast to the mouth of the Duoro River, so we decided we’d walk as far as we fancied. In such beautiful weather it was easy to walk, chat and admire our surroundings!
With a pit-stop for coffee, of course!
Boat themed or church? Either way – beautiful building!
One of my favourite sights along the way was this little lighthouse at the end of a long concrete pier, with huge waves regularly crashing over. Consider yourselves lucky… I think I was a little mesmerised as I ended up with about 30 photos of it! It was very “power-of-nature” too – so beautiful!
The neighbouring lighthouse
It may have been a holiday being Easter Sunday but the signs were strong that normally there would be lots of boats venturing out into those big waves. Definitely one of the things I loved most about this walk was how many interesting snapshots of local life there were along the way.
Looking towards town and the Arrábida bridge
Too cute!
Emma still loving that sunshine
The port warehouses coming into view
It might not make the usual ‘Top Things’ lists in Porto but this walk was the perfect way to stretch our legs, soak in the sun and get a glimpse of life in Porto. It was 8.4km and we took our time, stopping along the way where we fancied. I highly recommend it!
Have you visited Porto? Did you head out to the coast?
Check out more Porto posts here, or my snaps on Instagram!
