Porto for pilgrims

Where is the best place to stay? Where can vegetarians find something to eat and where can I get the pilgrim's passport?

Everything you need to know as a pilgrim about my adopted home Porto can be found in this article.

If you're coming from the US, you'll most likely fly to Porto. If you're already in Europe, you can reach Porto by bus, train, or plane."

From the airport, you can reach the city center in five ways: metro, bus, taxi, Uber, or private transfer.

To reach the metro, go right past the Cervejaria and down the stairs.

For the city center, you need a Z4 ticket, which costs €2.25 plus €0.60 for a rechargeable paper card. You can buy the ticket at the machine and validate it at a reader before boarding.

If the line is too long, you can simply hold your credit card against one of the blue readers with the Visa sign, and a Z4 ticket will automatically be charged to your card.

The ride to the city center takes 35 minutes. There is only one line, so you can't get on the wrong train.

Many metros only go as far as the Trindade station, but some go further to the stadium. With those, you can continue to the Bolhão station.

Taxis are well signposted; just exit the building on the arrivals level and you'll see them. A ride to the city center costs €20-27.

You can order either an Uber or a Bolt to the airport and pay €10-16, which is significantly less than a taxi. Ubers stop one row behind the taxis in the drop-off area. However, it can get quite crowded there, so you might need to walk towards your Uber or it may direct you to the departures level if it’s too congested.

The official pilgrim hostel is located outside the center of Porto, here: Map

Another hostel exclusively for pilgrims, which also offers a garden for camping, is even further out, here: Map

If you prefer to stay in a hostel in the center, the following accommodations are recommended:

Cats Hostel, Rivoli Cinema, Niceway, Passenger und Best Guest.

The selection of hotels is vast, making it difficult to give a general recommendation.

Apart from the hostels, unfortunately, there are no official meeting points for pilgrims. This is quite a shame, as many would like some company on their first evening.

Since many pilgrims look for a hostel near the cathedral, the chances are quite good to meet someone at the Look Sharp Cafe: Map

Otherwise, your best bet is to stroll through the city center and approach anyone in hiking clothes – there's a high chance they are a pilgrim.

If you’d like, you can let me know if you’re looking for company. If another pilgrim contacts me for the evening, I’ll gladly connect you. Just send me an E-Mail or Whattsapp.

As a pilgrim, you often have significantly less time than a typical tourist. Therefore, I recommend having a guided tour of the city while getting a bit of a warm-up walk.

“Porto Walkers" is a group that provides an authentic experience, interacting with locals & seeing how they live. They offer a free 3 hour tour of the city, as well as various paid tour options. All tours are in conducted in English.

Website

The selection of restaurants and bars is vast, and new ones are regularly added.

Therefore, I'll list just a few tips here.

You probably want to try Portuguese cuisine once you arrive in Porto. However, there's certainly much more to discover.

If you're a fan of fish, a trip to Matosinhos by metro (30 minutes) or Uber/Bolt (€6-15) is worth it. Along Rua Herois da Franca (Map), fresh fish is grilled right on the street in front of the restaurants.

For a more classic experience staying downtown, I recommend Grill Place in Via Catarina. It's centrally located, affordable, and reliable. Map

In the “classic, affordable, and central" category, there are also several branches of “Casa Guedes". At Casa Guedes Rooftop (Map), for example, you can get the famous and affordable Sandes de Pernil (a sandwich with slow-cooked pork shoulder) or, for a bit more, excellent octopus and other delicacies.

A specialty found everywhere in Porto is Francesinha, a sandwich with various meats and sausages, topped with cheese, sometimes with a fried egg, and bathed in sauce. Each restaurant has its own special recipe claiming to have the best Francesinha in Porto, so I can't recommend a specific one.

Another typical Porto dish is Bifanas, sandwiches with grilled pork. While Bifanas are available throughout Portugal, the “Bifanas a moda do Porto" are unique. You can find excellent Bifanas at Conga (Map), or at the two branches of Fabrica Picaria here: Map or here: Map

Lastly, Porto's not-so-healthy specialty is Cachorrinho, a long bun filled with a sausage-like meat. For a good Cachorrinho, head to Gazela: Map 

I'll tell you upfront: as a vegetarian, you'll find it challenging on the Camino de Santiago, and as a vegan, even more so. Both Portuguese and Spanish cuisines heavily feature meat and fish, often leaving only supermarkets or fries as options. That's why it makes sense to enjoy some good vegetarian or vegan food in Porto.

Good vegan restaurants are Venn Cantine (Map) or Roots (Map). For an affordable vegan buffet to fill up, head to da Terra (Map)

Healthy eating with many vegetarian or vegan options can be found at Honest Greens, which is good and affordable (Map),  at Garden, which is good and affordable but can be crowded (Map), at Nola (Map) which is good but not cheap, at Nicolau (Map) or Noshi (Map) which are good and moderately expensive. For poke bowls, the best place is Honu (Map), and for falafel, go to Cult of Pita (Map).

Pizza is available at Muti (Map), Terraplana (Map), or Maus Hábitos (Map).

For Thai food, head to Thailander (Map). For mixed Asian cuisine, try TAB (reservations often necessary, Map).

For Nepalese cuisine, visit Thamel (Map), and for Vietnamese food, go to Porto Express (Map).

And if you’re already feeling homesick on your first evening, you can get an inexpensive burger and fries to go at CURB Burgers (Map) or if you want to splurge you can eat in at the Hard Rock Cafe (Map).

You can obtain the Pilgrim's Passport at the Cathedral and at the pilgrim hostels. However, if you arrive late and plan to start early, it might be challenging to organize spontaneously. 

That can happen, especially in winter.

If it's too wet for a city tour, there are also tourist buses in Porto that will take you around the city under cover.

Highly recommended, though a bit pricey and somewhat complicated to reach, is the Serralves Museum (you can skip the park if it's raining) (Map) and the Soares dos Reis Museum (Map).

The best spot for sunset is the Jardim do Morro (Map).

Another great option is enjoying a Porto Tonico by the Douro River with live music (although you shouldn't eat there). (Map)

Porto also has excellent craft beer bars and gardens, such as Letraria (Map).

Did you forget something?

Your first stop is likely Decathlon. The most central branch is small and not very well stocked, but it's sufficient for most items: (Map).

You'll find many more items in the Via Catarina in the city center. In the shopping center there (Map), there's a Sports Zone for sports clothing, a Worten for electronics like power banks or headphones, and a Flying Tiger as well as an Ale Hop across the street for travel essentials like sleep masks, backpack organizers, etc.

You can also get cosmetics and more nearby at Normal (Map) and Primor (Map).

You can reach an ambulance anywhere in Europe by dialing 112.

If you need a doctor, you can get free assistance at the Centros de Saúde with your health insurance card, but expect long wait times. If you're willing to pay around 80 euros, private medical centers like CUF offer excellent service.

A 24-hour pharmacy can be found here: Map.

If you've already had your first panic attack before even starting your journey, or if you’re overwhelmed by another emotional crisis, you can get help here: Link.

For all other assistance, such as a stolen wallet or not finding a bed, you can contact me: E-Mail.

I'm happy to help! Just book a free short consultation.