Hi there,
After we visited all the things of interest that we had in our city, including the places to go hiking, we began to visit the closest cities to Porto that we could reach by train or bus.
In 2021 we had already visited Braga, Coimbra, Aveiro and Espinho.
Guimarães
It was the first one we visited, and it is 2 hours by train from Porto. We visited on a Saturday and the train was packed with groups of boyscouts.
The first thing we noticed was the tranquility of the city, it seemed that there were no tourists. The main squares were still quiet at eleven in the morning when Porto at that time on the weekend is crazy crowded.
In 2 or 3 hours you can cover everything because the city is small.
Coming from Porto we fell in love with Guimarães for its tranquility. There is almost no traffic, and the drivers are much more civilized. The cars do not sound or emit as much smoke as in Porto. In addition, the buses are electric and do not make noise when the ones in Porto make more noise than the transformers.
I also noticed that Guimarães is cleaner.
Although we did see some social buildings, in Guimarães you don’t have the piles of houses falling apart or the feeling of decay that some areas of Porto give.
Although there were many vegan restaurants on offer, we decided for DaTerra because they had brunch until 4:00 p.m.
Viana do Castelo
Another Saturday we went to Viana do Castelo and it took us an hour by train with Renfe. For the return we opted for the national train service because the Renfe train left very late.
It took us almost 3 hours to return by train. Then we saw that there was a bus that went directly to Porto, it took an hour and was cheaper.
Viana do Castelo is not as pretty as Guimarães and on the main avenue just when you get off at the station it gives off an eighties vibe.
Since it was going to be hot that day, we went first to the sanctuary that is on top of the mountain. Within 5 minutes of going up the steps, we had already taken off all our coats. In fact, we sunstroke.
The city was empty, which for us is great. There is a bike lane that runs through a large part of the city, and we were amazed because there was no one on the seafront, when in Porto it is something unthinkable.
In Viana do Castelo you can also see abandoned houses, but never at the level of Porto.
Comparing these two cities that we visited, although Guimarães is prettier, I think that Viana do Castelo is more suited to our lifestyle since it has a beach and mountains.
So far, we were left with the feeling that Porto had not been a good option since these two cities were prettier, with less traffic, less noise, more civilized drivers, more friendly to cyclists. And something very important, without the marginality and decadence of Porto.
Amarante
Amarante is 45 minutes by bus from Porto and it cost us 3 euros per person one way.
We arrived at 8AM and there was no one on the street. The city is minimal and in two hours we had already seen everything.
There is a 6km walk along the river that was inaugurated in 2020. We fell in love, and we liked it much more than what we have in Porto; We did not go all the way because it was already noon and it was very hot.
The only vegan restaurant in Amarante was closed, so we decided to go back earlier. We had the ticket for 3:30 p.m. and in the end we returned on the 1:00 p.m. bus. At that time, it was more expensive and it cost us 10 euros per person.
The funniest thing is that the driver kept the money without giving us a ticket or an invoice and then I denounced him for being corrupt.
The town is not bad for a day tour, but there is nothing beyond the bridge and the walk along the river. Also, in general I found it ugly compared to everything we had seen before.
