Porto: 4 Days Among Wine, Azulejos and the Douro

We started at São Bento station. Inside: 20,000 azulejos telling Portugal's history. Free entry, photos without tripod.

Livraria Lello (€8, deductible if you buy a book). Yes, there's a queue; yes, it's worth it for the neo-Gothic staircase. Better to book a time slot online.

Mercado do Bolhão, recently renovated: dried cod, Serra cheese, pastries. We had a sandes de pernil at Casa Guedes, outside the market, €6 the best in Porto.

In the afternoon, Torre dos Clérigos (€8, 360° views) and Igreja do Carmo (azulejos on the side facade, classic photo).

Ribeira is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Instagram heritage. Houses stuck together, iron balconies, rabelo boats on the dock. We came down through the stepped alleys from the Sé Cathedral.

We crossed the Ponte Luís I via the upper level (pedestrian + metro). Heart-stopping views.

Vila Nova de Gaia is where the port wine lives. We tasted at three wineries: Taylor's (€15 for a 3-wine tasting + audio museum, very complete), Graham's (€20 with views) and Cálem (€15 with optional fado show). We recommend going deep in one, not racing through three.

Dinner with fado at Casa da Mariquinhas (€35 menu + show). Authentic, no tourist trap.

Full-day excursion to the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, UNESCO World Heritage. Train from São Bento to Pinhão (3h, €14 one way), one of Europe's most beautiful train rides: the train runs literally along the river's edge.

In Pinhão, 2-hour river cruise with wine tasting at a family quinta: Quinta do Bomfim (Symington), €45 with lunch. Views to terraces hand-carved into impossible slopes.

Back to Porto on the sunset train. Light dinner at Tapabento, 100 meters from the station: creative petiscos and vinho verde.

Morning at Foz do Douro, where the river meets the Atlantic. We took tram nº1 from Ribeira (€3.50), one of the few historic trams still running.

Walk along the marginal to Castelo do Queijo, quick swim if sunny (water at 17°C year-round). Surf Aventura school if you have a half-day extra.

Final lunch: francesinha at Café Santiago (€12) or Lado B (modern variants). Warning: bring full appetite. It's a sandwich of meat, ham, sausage, melted cheese and secret sauce. If you finish it, you're officially local.

Afternoon flight from the airport, metro line E (€3).