Late last year, my wife and I decided we needed a bit of a change and also never having taken advantage of the remote working situation, really wanted to see how we might be able to explore the world while working.
We landed on Portugal for 2 reasons:
My wife’s love of Port wine
The beautiful diving in the Azores
We created a rough plan, invited our parents and close friends and counted down the months.
For the vast majority of our time in Portugal, we would spend our time in Porto. It was relatively affordable, it was a smaller city and we had the ability to use it as a base for the various places we wanted to check out: Douro Valley and Geres National Park.
Our first week in Porto went by so quickly - before we knew it - the week was over. We took this time to get familiar with the city, get our bearings straight and also to establish a home base for essentials - groceries, coffee, supplies and connectivity.
I vividly remember landing and going to the local coffee shop for 2 espressos and questioning my hearing. The price of 2 coffees? Less than $1.50.
That pricing comparison would continue until we landed back in New York. For nearly every meal in Porto, we had the luxury of going out, eating fresh food and drinking delicious wine. No matter if we went to the corner store for a quick bite or a proper sit down restaurant with tablecloths - it was absolutely delicious.
Traveling with an infant also meant adhering to naptimes and playground activities. Thanks to the incredibly compact size of the city, we were able to make it a wholesome affair - family time in the mornings and afternoons with couple times in the evening.
We were lucky enough to see stunning sunsets across the Luís I Bridge on a number of occasions. No matter how many times we saw the sun dipping below the horizon - we were in awe every single time.
In Porto, we were lucky enough to welcome our parents and our friends along with spending quality time eating and drinking our way across the picturesque city. We will most certainly be back.
Favorite restaurant in Porto: Mistu
Favorite activity in Porto with kids: WOW Museum
Unassuming, yet stunning sunset rooftop: Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown
Over touristy, yet delicious French Toast: Majestic Cafe