alternatives to Porto

You want to stay in Porto.
I recommend the very best B&B we have ever found. Really, it is wonderful. Only five rooms, all spacious, modern in a great location. Breakfast is fantastic.

It is the In Patio Guesthouse. Book early.
Porto is great to explore on your own, as well as some port tasting places. The Douro River Valley is amazing. We did a seven day cruise. You can't do that, but you can take a one day cruise or take the train that runs on the north side of the river.

I stayed at the Being Porto hostel last year. It's OK - I would recommend it (I had a private room + private bathroom). The room was fine, the staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the location was great.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Any activities such as painting tiles, cooking - art walks?

Hi Victoria!

Lot's and lot's of activities, like painting tiles, cooking, etc. You can find them at www.withlocals.com or at airbnb site. All very funny!

None done by portuguese.

@Helena @ I will take a look.

Thanks for the B and B I will take a look!

We did the Food Tour, Taste Porto and really enjoyed it. http://www.tasteporto.com

In case you are still looking, I was in Porto June 21-24. I very much enjoyed staying at Maison Nos B&B. While in Porto, I did the RS self guided walking tour of sites in central Porto; I booked a street art walking tour which was fun and interesting, and a day tour in the Duoro Valley for wine tasking and beautiful scenery.

We enjoyed Porto but if you are still considering a smaller town or city in the area look st Viana do Castello, Guimares, Braga.

At the moment, I have narrowed it down to : day tour to Aveiro, Coimbra and either Duoro or Braga and Guillmares. I wish I had time for both. I have one food tour booked and 1 “cave”. I am open to suggestions.

At the moment, I have narrowed it down to : day tour to Aveiro, Coimbra and either Duoro or Braga and Guillmares. I wish I had time for both. I have one food tour booked and 1 “cave”. I am open to suggestions.

Do you mean you are taking a day tour that goes to Aveiro and Coimbra and have to choose between a day tour to the Douro Valley and a day tour to Braga and ??? (do you mean Guimaraes?). The Douro Valley is scenic and a river cruise sounds relaxing. Or do you want more towns and churches?

At the moment, I will be doing two day trips alone as I can’t seem to find a tour that includes the library in Coimbra. As for the other two, I will need to make a decision as I won’t have enough time to do both. I have 41/2 days in Porto. It will be hard to decide as I enjoy both nature and rhe historical architecture.

If a tour includes the university in Coimbra, it includes the library. I did the RS walking tour - much more to Coimbra than just the uni. Most of the university rooms, including the library, have laminated pages with information, in several languages. Be sure to grab the English ones. I'd start in Coimbra and then have as much time as is left in Aveiro (which could be none). To save time, instead of waiting for the train to/from Coimbra-B to Coimbra, take taxis. They are inexpensive. The same goes for Aveiro - from the train station to the center is a 15-minute walk, maybe longer back since it's uphill.

@Chani - that is a useful tip. So you think a tour guide is not necessary for the uni part of Coimbra? I found a company to do a walking tour in Coimbra. Would love to hear what you think.

Apples/oranges. I like to go at my own pace and, frankly, sometimes a lot of the explanations don't enhance my enjoyment or appreciation. I do take small group tours sometimes and it's a nice change since I usually travel solo. Priscilla was in Coimbra about the same time I was and I know she took a tour, may have been just the uni.

Visits to the library are like the Last Supper in Milan - limited occupancy and only about 15 minutes inside. I actually liked the chapel much more.

@ Chani- Funny you should mention the Last Supper as I couldn't get a ticket and ended up with a small group tour. It was excellent. I will check out Priscilla’s trip report. Inlike to wander around at my own pace, but there are certain places that I enjoy listening to the background .

Now onto Braga or Aveiro...any comments on that choice?

Braga+Guimarães was on my list (by car) - Braga, only for Bom Jesus do Monte after seeing some pictures. In the end I only had time for one of them so I went to Guimarães, nice enough but not remarkable. I liked Aveiro quite a bit - lots of art deco and the "gondola" ride was interesting because the guide was good. You could probably see Coimbra and then Aveiro on the same day, the AP train from Coimbra stops in Aveiro on the way to Porto. Take into account that I had 3 weeks in Portugal, so I went to places that I wouldn't have considered on a shorter trip. Looking back Porto, Coimbra and the Douro Valley were my faves in the north, but we both know that one girl's flowers are another girl's weeds.

Which Duoro day tours did everyone take?