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Hiring an English speaking drive for the eclipse on August 12th from Porto

Posted by on

Hi

After a Lisbon wedding we'll be in Porto for a few days and I would really like to try and catch the solar eclipse in north west Spain on the 12th but since it's a bit weather dependent where the best chance of seeing it will be, and I don't want to move all our stuff for one night, I'd like to hire a driver/guide that speaks English and is reliable, fun and flexible. It's me and my husband and our 11 year old son. Would like to make a day of it and then head back to Porto to sleep so it will be a long day. And if the weather's awful and just not worth it then we can use the day for some unplanned exploring. Would love recommendations for sourcing a driver/guide.

We'll be in Porto for 4 nights so also open to recommendations on a place to stay.

Thanks so much!

Posted by
772 posts

I recently took the Rick Steves Portugal tour and we stayed at this hotel while in Porto:

Grande Hotel do Porto
Rua de Santa Catarina, 197
Porto
Phone: 011 351 22 207 6690 / Fax: 011 351 22 207 6699
[email protected]
http://www.grandehotelporto.com

It was a very nice historic hotel in a great location.

Once you choose a hotel, you might contact them for recommendations of a driver. Often hotels can arrange this kind of thing. You might also look in the Rick Steves guidebook. He often recommends tour guides and drivers in the guidebook.

You probably need to move on all of this quickly since hotels and guides may be pretty booked up because of the eclipse.

Posted by
17 posts

If you're planning to chase the eclipse from Porto, I'd definitely recommend keeping your plans flexible and making the final decision based on the weather forecast a day or two before.

I came across this guide with some practical tips on viewing the eclipse from northern Portugal and northwest Spain: 3 Tips for Watching the Solar Eclipse.

As for a driver/guide, I'd look for a private guide based in Porto who is comfortable adjusting the route depending on cloud cover forecasts. Since it's a long day with an 11-year-old, having someone flexible is probably more important than having a fixed itinerary.
For Porto, I'd stay in the historic center (Ribeira, Baixa, or near São Bento Station). That way you can enjoy the city on foot and maximize your time before and after your eclipse adventure.

Sounds like an amazing trip here in Portugal!

Posted by
4 posts

I've seen some tours going to see the eclipse in A Coruña north of Santiago but think it has more chance of clouds than further inland places like Burgos or Leon. I don't think totality is happening in Portugal at all. The eclipse is at sunset around 8:30 and there is usually bad traffic after an eclipse and it's at least 3 hour drive if you go there so would be really late getting back. But it's worth a try--wishing you clear skies!

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