The Anemone or "She Changes" is a public-art installation that was designed by American artist…read moreJanet Echelman in 2005 for the cities of Porto and Matosinhos. According to the city's website, this artwork consists of a steel ring, poles, cable, and a fiber net, and it has a diameter of 42 meters. The design looks like a net and honors the city's history of fishing and industry. I saw this artwork when I was on vacation. It looked huge, and it slightly moved and changed color as the wind blew. It was not the most stunning piece of art, but it was interesting to look at for a minute.

A Anémona, or "She Changes" is a gorgeous piece of public art right by the main/busiest beach in…read morePorto - Matosinhos. The structure resembles a net at certain angles, a love letter to the town's fishing culture. The support beams are striped red and white to evoke Porto's industrial past. It hangs in the air and changes shapes and colors depending which way/from where you see it. A Anémona also sways and moves with the wind, actually physically changing its structural shape periodically, and living up to its name, She Changes. This makes it a super neat piece of art that can mean different things to each viewer, which to me is the best kind of art. You definitely can't miss this gigantic piece of public art in Porto, but don't just take a passing glance - really sit and watch this breathing, living structure do its thing!

Clerigos is a Roman Catholic, Baroque-style church that was built in the 1700s. According to its…read morewebsite, its bell tower has a height of 75 meters, and visitors may climb 225 narrow steps over 6 floors to reach the top and enjoy a view of the surrounding city and river. Clerigos is an active church with a mass schedule, but visitors may purchase tickets either on-site or online for self-tours and guided tours. Admission fees vary based on age. Furthermore, behind the church is a museum that was former housing for the clerics and showcases artwork and furniture. During my husband's and my vacation in Porto, our tour guide dropped us off near this church. The building had a narrow footprint and prominently stood taller than the surrounding buildings. The tall tower and the ornate stone carvings looked beautiful.

We didn't climb the 200+ steps for a view of all of Porto's charming chaos, tiled roofs, crooked…read morealleys, and the Douro just flexing below but she was still the central marking and beautiful there she stood. The church is baroque on baroque. Gold leaf for days. The clock tower is consistent and dramatic. Some towns just need one.

From the owner: Tattoo artist specialist in Watercolor, Graphic & Illustration style tattoos. Also street artist…read morefrom Porto, you can buy prints and original paintings from Costah in his own private studio.

This place is extremely beautiful and has a lot of history and arts within the walls. I took a very…read moreshort and brief tour here. Our tour guide was fantastic. My favorite part was the indoor rooms with the large rug like murals on the wall. It was a beautiful work of art.

This is a medieval estate and former residence of the first duke of Braganza! It was originated…read morebetween 1420 and 1422! The property has some Romanesque architectural features! The residence was occupied by Alfonso (Count Of Barcelona) future Duke of Braganza! Titles and properties eventually passed to Fernando II! The property is easy to navigate and you have the option to listen to an audio guided tour as well! The are many rooms to visit! It is best to make time so you can really get a comprehensive understanding of this property!

The tastings are a curated experience! Makers bring their best wines to sample. Ryan coaxes them to…read moreshare their background stories and regional historical content is overlaid. The tasting room shelves are populated with bottles that represent a century of making and sharing vinous delights. I still tell friends about the hundred year old Negronis that were served. Mike provides background information on vineyards, regions, grapes and shares ideas on food pairing if you cook. Just Do It! You won't be disappointed

A new venture by Catovino tours focusing on personalized wine tasting…read more Owner and sommelier Ryan Opatz will share some of his deep knowledge of Portuguese wines and wine regions while advancing your understanding and appreciation for the wine variety of wines from across this amazing country. We spent about two hours in a private tasting learning about the unique variations from region to region and sampling a wide variety of wines starting with whites and moving to reds. He even surprised us with a wine from the year we were married and grilled up some chorizo cooked in brandy as a special treat. We also got to taste an amazing port from 1944 as a part of our instruction. Such an amazing experience. The space is really cool too-part photo gallery, part wine shop. This is the perfect place to learn more about the wines of Portugal. However, it's not a drop in type place-you need to contact them and set something up. As they are also a registered travel company they can also help you with visits to the wine regions of Portugal or any other travel across the country. Of course the wine shop is open in the afternoons if you are looking for organic/biodynamic wines from across the country it's a good place to shop with great prices on older vintages too.

I joined a wine & food tour with Eating Europe and had Gonçalo as my guide. It was awesome having…read morehim because he used to work at Real Companhia Velha and knew all the ins and outs of the winery. During the tour, we learned that Real Companhia Velha is the oldest wine company in Portugal, established since 1756! Gonçalo took us through the caves where the magic is made, followed by a tour of the family's private cellar, which holds the family's gifted bottles, including their oldest wine. Pretty sure the darkness and mold were a little questionable safety-wise... but hey, when in Portugal! After the tour, we headed to Enoteca 17.56, an extension of Real Companhia Velha, for our wine tasting. We tried a white, a rosé, a ruby, and a 20-year-old tawny. Though I wasn't big on the wines, I personally thought the white was the best. I was surprised to find the port wines weren't nearly as horrendously sweet as I expected. And if you're a whisky fan, the tawny is definitely for you!

Phenomenal wine cellar tour! This was probably one of the most elaborate, cellars I've visited…read more Spend the extra few euros for the premium tour and tasting so that you can visit the most amazing an oldest parts of the cellar. Where else are you going to see an actual bottle of vintage port from the 1700s? Because this is not as touristy as some of the other cellars, try to avoid the tour preceding lunchtime, so that you can have time to enjoy your post-tour tasting.

Happy Portugal lo Day! One of my favorite places to visit in…read morePortugal is the Palacio Do Bucaco! Reminds of family, love, tradition, and heritage. And what can I say, I love castles You now have to pay per car to enter. Parking available. Amazing views of the castle and garden!

I was pleasantly surprised by our stay at the Bussaco Palace; I think the reviews who didn't have a…read moregood experience didn't do their homework prior to planning their stay and arrival. We came for one night (I wouldn't recommend more), and we definitely didn't eat dinner at the hotel (based on other people's reviews) -- we found an amazing restaurant in the nearby town of Luso. We arrived in the early evening, and upon check-in we got a brief history and tour of the hotel and escorted to our room. The staff were friendly and very informative. Of course the room is dated, that's to be expected of a palace over 100 years old, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised how large the bathroom in the room was. After we settled in and showered, we went out for dinner. We came back and had a night-cap drink in the common area prior to heading to our room and off to bed. We slept fine and when we awoke we came downstairs for breakfast which was a fairly decent buffet spread in an amazing ornate room overlooking the back lawn. After breakfast we hiked around the property for about an hour prior to departing. I paid about $150, and for 2 people with breakfast included, we felt it was a great deal for such an amazing experience (how often do you get to stay in a palace?!). The palace is beautiful with incredible details both inside and outside, and the property it sits on is equally as impressive with some amazing ponds and gardens to walk around. I can't imagine staying more than 1 day, I'd personally get bored, but to swing by in the afternoon/evening and leave the next day is the perfect way to experience this amazing place -- I'd do it again in the future of making my way through Portugal.