Porto Travel Guide: Livraria Lello, Port Wine Cellars and the Douro River
- The Anonymous Hungry Hippopotamus
- Jul 4, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Portugal surprised me from the moment I arrived. Before this trip, I knew Portugal for port wine, explorers, and beautiful coastline. What I did not realize was how many records and superlatives this small country holds.
Sunset over the Ponte de Dom Luís I Bridge
Portugal is one of Europe's oldest nations, the oldest country on the Iberian Peninsula, home to the world's largest waves ever surfed, the largest cork forest on earth, and the oldest operating bookstore in the world. It is also one of the most peaceful countries on the planet.
My introduction to Portugal began in Porto, a city of steep hills, ...
... winding, narrow, cobblestone streets ...
Fonte dos Leões (Lions Fountain)
... fountains, tiled facades, ...
Igreja dos Carmelitas and Igreja do Carmo
...churches...
church towers, river views, and enough charm to make me stop every few minutes just to admire my surroundings.
Torre de los Clérigos
Some of my favorite sites were the Clérigos tower and church, built in 1917, both great examples of Baroque architecture. Standing at almost 250 feet, the tower is probably the most recognized building in Porto.)
Azulejo Tile Murals
I also loved the tiles or"azuelos" which means “small polished stone” that adorned the outside of buildings ...
Camara Municipal do Porto on Liberdade Square
... and the Camara Municipal do Porto or Town Hall Building, located in the Baixa area. In the middle of the building is a tower that stands 230 feet high with a carillon clock at its center keeping time, and looking down over the Avenida dos Aliados. In the front of the building, there is a statue of João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, a poet, politician, revolutionary and humanist.
Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello
The next portion of this post is dedicated to two of my nieces. The girls adore Harry Potter and, because they occupy a very special place in my heart, I was willing to endure one of Porto's longest tourist lines to visit Livraria Lello. It was worth every minute.
Frequently listed among the most beautiful bookstores in the world, Livraria Lello feels less like a bookstore and more like the setting of a fantasy novel.
The moment I stepped inside, my eyes were drawn upward toward the famous crimson staircase that twists through the center of the building like something imagined rather than constructed.
Then I noticed the ceiling.
The stained-glass masterpiece overhead, created by Dutch artist Samuel Van Krieken, may have been my favorite feature in the entire building. In the center are the words, "Decus in Labore," the motto of the Lello brothers, which means "Dignity [or Honor] in Work."
The stained glass panels have to be removed and cleaned from time to time in order to restore and conserve them. There is a tradition that during each restoration, a subtle detail is added to the glass to reflect the era in which it was cleaned. A smiley was added during the last cleaning in 2018. See if you can spot it when you visit.
"What does any of this have to do with Harry Potter?," you might be wondering. When author JK Rowling worked as an English teacher and lived in Porto, she visited the bookstore regularly. It is said that the Livraria Lello inspired many of the famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter.
Douro River
After my visit to the bookstore, it was back out to discover more of Porto. Porto lies at the mouth of the Rio Douro or Douro River. The Douro River runs for 200 miles, snaking through northern Portugal.
Ponte de Dom Luís I Bridge
There are a total of six bridges that cross the Douro River. Among them is the Ponte de Dom Luís I Bridge which connects Porto to its sister city, Gaia, also located in the Porto District. This bridge was built by a student of Gustave Eiffel, who designed The Eiffel Tower.
Gaia Cable Car
Yes, it's touristy but, I highly recommend taking the Gaia cable car from the bridge into Gaia. This five-minute, gradual descent will give you panoramic views of Vila de Gaia, the Ribeira and the river all at once.
Vila Nova de Gaia
After crossing the bridge and taking the cable car down, you will arrive in Vila Nova de Gaia or simply, Gaia. Here, you are rewarded with port, of course. Port is a fortified, sweet wine made with grapes indigenous to Portugal. The grapes are grown in the Douro Valley, after which the wine is transported to Gaia to age.
Traditional port boats known as "barco rabelos" line the river in Gaia bearing the name of various, famous, port houses. In centuries past, these boats would carry barrels of port from the Douro Valley to Gaia. Now, the wine is transported by truck and these quaint boats are used primarily for sightseeing.
Despite the name "port," the wine actually never sets foot in Porto during production. The rules are a little confusing because of a few exceptions that were made to grandfather older brands in but, as a rule of thumb, only fortified wines made in Portugal can be labelled "port." I decided to do a port tasting to experience true "port" in its place of origin. I chose to visit Burmester Cellars, a port house which was established in 1750.
From left to right and top to bottom row: Casa Burmester White 2021, Casa Burmester Red 2020, White, LBV 2016, Colheita 2005
The deeper I ventured into the world of port wine, the more I realized how little I knew. Entire books have been written about port, so I will spare you the full lecture and simply share the basics that helped me appreciate what was in my glass.
The three most common ports I encountered on my trip were White (made from white grapes and aged in wooden barrels), Tawny (made from red grapes and aged in small, oak casks for a longer time) and Ruby port (also made using red grapes but aged in large wood casks for a shorter time). These wines can also be aged in stainless steel but that is less common.
The dry, white ports are great for aperitifs or with light appetizers. Rubies can also be served as an apertif or with desserts and pair especially well with chocolate. Tawnies, also pair well with dessert as well as cheese and nuts. Tawnies are sometimes aged for 40 years resulting in a more complex flavor. These older tawnies pair well with more complicated and intense flavors.
And if all that is too complicated, these wines are also great to sip on their own.
As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, I followed the Douro River toward dinner. The name Douro is often associated with gold, and under the warm evening light, the river seemed determined to justify the comparison.
Boats drifted across the water. Church bells echoed through the city. The bridges glowed against the fading sky. It was a perfect ending to my first day in Portugal.
Next time, I'll take you to the tables of Porto and share some of the memorable meals that made this city such a special culinary destination.
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